2 months ago
14 Benefits of Native Mobile App Development
Table of Contents
What Is Native Mobile App Development?
14 Benefits of Native Mobile App Development
- Enhanced Performance
- Seamless User Experience
- Unlimited Access to Device Features
- Offline Functionalities
- Push Notifications
- Robust Security
- Bug Reduction
- Improved Scalability
- Direct App Store Support
- Better Integration
- App Store Optimization
- Platform-Specific Customization
- Bulletproof Future Support
- Better Support for Future Versions
What Is Native Mobile App Development?
Native app development is the process of creating applications for a particular platform or operating system, utilizing platform-specific programming languages, developer tools, and frameworks. The most commonly used programming languages are Swift for iOS and Java/Kotlin for Android applications. The platform also provides software development kits (SDKs) and integrated development environments (IDEs) when writing the codebase.
When designing the app’s user interface (UI) and user experience (UX), developers follow the respective platform guidelines and create wireframes and mockups that visualize the app layout, flow, and navigation. Then platform-specific features like camera access, GPS functionality, and push notifications are integrated. Once testing is complete, the app is submitted to app stores for approval before its launch.
14 Benefits of Native Mobile App Development
Native applications have quite a few advantages that convince companies and IT teams to select this type of mobile app development.
Let’s have a closer look at the most significant benefits.
1. Enhanced Performance
One of the core benefits of native mobile applications is their enhanced performance. They do not depend on third-party software simply because they are adapted to particular platforms. Platform-specific programming languages like Swift or Java/Kotlin and frameworks enable them to leverage the device hardware and software at full capacity and run smoothly.
The result is quicker load times, smoother animations, and improved performance compared to hybrid or cross-platform mobile solutions.
2. Seamless User Experience
The platform-specific mobile application’s enhanced performance inevitably leads to a more intuitive user experience. The reason is that adhering to each native platform’s design guidelines unifies the UI/UX process. It also makes the user interface consistent, familiar, and easy to navigate, interact, and engage with the app.
Naturally, the user-friendly design will bring customer satisfaction and loyalty. This is another advantage to consider when choosing between native, hybrid, and cross-platform development.
3. Unlimited Access to Device Features
Native mobile applications are highly beneficial as they have unrestricted access to numerous mobile device features. These include the camera, GPS, storage, notifications, biometrics, Near Field Communication (NFC), Augmented Reality (AR), and many more.
This way, developers can leverage the features’ capabilities to create Android and iOS apps with smart functionalities and experiences that hybrid and cross-platform mobile solutions would struggle to replicate.
4. Offline Functionalities
Unlike web applications that will only load when connected to the Internet, native mobile apps can work offline. They store and retrieve data locally so users can access many functionalities offline or with limited internet connectivity.
That is particularly useful for apps related to gaming, reading, and viewing maps that require constant access to content. Native Apps can also implement smart caching that dramatically reduces the screen load time.
5. Push Notifications
Native mobile applications send push notifications to keep users engaged and send them real-time updates and information. Reminders, personalized offers, and all sorts of updates keep the users connected with the app even when they do not actively use it.
Naturally, you can also shut the notifications off if you are uninterested in the information offered. Hybrid applications can also support push notifications via native code. However, the developer is restricted by the abilities of the hybrid framework.
6. Robust Security
Security is paramount, and with the ever-increasing creativity of cyber criminals, the variety of threats is staggering nowadays.
Companies typically choose native applications as the built-in security features of their operating system guarantee user data protection.
The encryption, authentication, and other security features of the native APIs and frameworks are more than efficient. They are enough to prevent unauthorized access or data breaches. Hybrid applications can also benefit from some of these security mechanisms. However, native apps will have access to all iOS and Android security features.
7. Bug Reduction
Native SDKs are generally less prone to bugs and issues. Especially when utilized in native applications as they’re developed by Apple and Google. The hybrid SDKs, on the other hand, are delivered by 3rd party vendors, who might have different quality processes. This could result in bugs in their SDKs that are preventing apps from working as intended.
8. Improved Scalability
It is much easier to add new features to native apps as they do not need to be compatible with both platforms and can be scaled independently. Such flexibility enables trouble-free implementation of new functionalities and seamless integration with various technologies. This way, mobile applications can widen their user base, adapt to market dynamics, and remain trendy and competitive.
Hybrid technologies like React Native are developed by 3rd party vendors. This means hybrid apps often take time (sometimes 6+ months) to receive the feature support native apps take for granted.
9. Direct App Store Support
Native mobile applications have direct support from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. This inevitably streamlines and standardizes the app distribution, updates, and maintenance. The app stores’ platform is the most secure option available and facilitates discovering and downloading apps. As a result, the audience reach widens. This, in turn, increases the application’s visibility and download potential.
10. Better Integration
Integration with other applications and services on the device is another area where native apps boast the quickest access and sharing of content across different platforms. Such integration also enhances the user experience by allowing users to access social media accounts and utilize device functionalities such as the camera, geolocation, push notifications, etc.
11. App Store Optimization
Both native and hybrid apps can be optimized for specific app stores, which makes them more visible and easier to discover. Developers can optimize application titles, descriptions, screenshots, and keywords to increase their chances of featuring in relevant search results and widen the pool of potential users. They can leverage strategies like icon design optimization, localized app listings, and acquiring positive user reviews. Actively monitoring and responding to user feedback is also crucial.
However, progressive web apps (PWA) cannot be uploaded to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store as they live on the web. In that way, they are missing the opportunity for app store promotion.
12. Platform-Specific Customization
Another competitive advantage of native mobile applications is the vast possibilities for customization. Developers can customize the app’s look and feel to match the platform’s design guidelines. This makes the user experience truly seamless and familiar as the app aligns with platform-specific UI/UX standards.
Such customization enables developers to leverage signature design elements, navigation patterns, and native UI components of each platform. Furthermore, they can utilize the platform’s full capacity and incorporate its native animations and interactive elements.
13. Bulletproof Future Support
When developers use hybrid frameworks, they rely on the 3rd party vendors that developed them for future support. History has shown that such frameworks often become obsolete, and the vendor can stop supporting them. Such was the case with Xamarin.
When a hybrid framework becomes obsolete, the developer needs to rewrite the whole application either to native or to another hybrid technology. This, however, is time and cost-consuming, especially for sizeable code bases.
14. Better Support for Future Versions
iOS, iPad OS, and Android evolve yearly with rapid changes to their native SDKs. Fortunately, Apple and Google facilitate app updates to the latest versions of their SDKs.
That is not the case with hybrid frameworks. They require substantial refactoring to update the apps to work on their latest SDK version. In the long run, a native app might require significantly less work to support future versions of the SDKs.
Conclusion
Native mobile app development is an area where the Scalefocus mobile team has excelled. Our experts have formidable experience in hybrid app development, app modernization, consultancy, and UX design. Our end-to-end iOS/Android native app development, support, and maintenance services have firmly placed us as a leading software company for mobile apps.
You can read more about our signature projects here.
