Having a professionally developed app for your business offers significant long-term benefits to customer engagement, brand visibility, competitive advantage, revenue generation, operational efficiency and more.

• A well designed and developed app allows for more frequent and convenient interaction with your customers. This strengthens customer relationships, encouraging loyalty and repeat business.
• Applying consistent branding and incorporating compelling features helps increase visibility and recognition for your business and its products. It’s important this is done well to ensure your presence on users’ mobile devices gives the right impression and aligns with your brand objectives.
• Customers will judge you versus your competitors in the app experience you each provide. It’s a golden opportunity to stand out and attract customers who prefer the convenience and enhanced functionality offered by a well-crafted app.
• The apps you share with the world are significant revenue opportunities and offer an extra direct marketing channel to reach your customers and drive them to buy your wares. Taking a professional approach allows you to harness its full potential.
• Professionally made custom apps can streamline internal processes and improve efficiency within your business – saving time, reducing errors and boosting overall productivity. They can also integrate analytics tools that give deep insights into user behaviour, preferences and usage patterns that you can apply back into your evolving sales and marketing strategies.
• A professional development team will know all about the latest app capabilities, allowing you to take full advantage of innovative functionalities. They’ll also design and build your app to high quality standards, with scalability, security and future adaptability in mind.

The time it takes to develop a mobile app can vary widely depending on the complexity of the app, its features and functionality, the platform/s used, the type and number of developers involved and the overall project scope.

Some of the factors to consider when estimating timescales for mobile app development include:

• Simple apps with basic features versus complex apps with advanced functionalities and integrations.
• Developing a mobile app for either iOS or Android versus for both, or for building a cross-platform app.
• Complexity of user interface interactions and graphical elements needed in the app design.
• Back-end development requirements (e.g. data storage, API integration, user authentication).
• Testing and QA requirements.
• Other requirements related to submitting the app to app stores (e.g. Google Play). This typically involves a review process which can vary in duration.

The factors affecting costs for mobile app development are similar to those that impact upon timescales. Clearly, a smaller and simpler project will attract lower costs to undertake from beginning to end than a large, complex project.

Other things to consider from a budgetary perspective include the cost of ongoing maintenance and support once initial development is completed and the app has been launched. Fixing bugs and applying relevant security patches is advised, and you should also consider the long-term implications of regularly updating the app to keep it current and relevant in response to customer and market changes.

Once a mobile app is developed, there are a few essential steps to launching it to target users. This typically involves any remaining testing and QA cycles that need to happen, marketing and promotion activities, and the processes involved in staging the app into the relevant app stores.

• It’s crucial to ensure the mobile app is thoroughly tested for functionality, performance and user experience prior to launch. Testing often throws up bugs, issues and feedback, and these all need to be addressed before the testing phase is complete.
• Releasing your app on platforms like the Apple App Store or Google Play Store takes some planning in advance. Registering as a developer and creating an account (if necessary) entails declaring some background info, agreeing to terms and conditions and paying any fees that are due.
• Each app store has its own guidelines and policies so learn what these are and how they apply to your app.
• When submitting the app, you’ll be asked to supply app icons, screenshots, descriptions and related materials.
• Once submitted, your app will be reviewed by the app store/s to validate that it meets the necessary quality, content and security parameters. Review processes can take longer if criteria haven’t been met, or if the app store team/s is working under a heavy workload. You’ll receive confirmation when the app is approved and live.
• Support your app launch with a marketing campaign to create awareness. Planning can begin in advance of the app’s availability, though it’s wise to wait until it’s gone live on your chosen app store/s before driving target audiences to download it.

The two main mobile platforms are iOS (Apple’s operating system) and Android (Google’s). You can choose between them, or else opt for maximum coverage with a cross-platform approach. Factors to consider include your target audience, market share, development resources and budget.

iOS

• iOS development is crucial if your target audience consists primarily of users with iPhones and iPads.
• Note that a smaller proportion of overall mobile users worldwide have an iOS device than Android (the ratio is around 1:3). However, market share is pretty even in the UK and in the US iOS is actually more common. iOS users tend to spend more on apps and in-app purchases.
• Development of iOS apps requires specialist skills in the Swift or Objective-C programming languages, and in specific development environments.
• There are fewer device variations with iOS than with Android, making it easier to test for and ensure
  consistent app performance across all devices.
• Guidelines and policies for Apple’s App Store are considered to be stricter than those for Google Play and third-party Android app stores, making it more challenging to have submitted apps accepted.

Android

• Android devices make up around half or higher of all mobile devices in use, regardless of where you are in the world. An Android app is essential for reaching the broadest possible audience.
• Unlike Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android OS is deployed on hundreds of different devices from various manufacturers. This makes it harder to ensure consistent app performance from one to the next, especially in respect of many different screen sizes.
• Development of Android apps requires specialist skills in the Java or Kotlin.
• Android provides more flexibility and customisation options compared to iOS, allowing for deeper integration with the operating system and more extensive customisation.
• Android apps can be made available in more places – like third-party app stores – than iOS apps which are only really distributed via the Apple App Store or a direct online download.

Cross-platform development

Cross-platform frameworks and tools allow you to target both iOS and Android platforms simultaneously while minimising development efforts. In practical terms it means writing code once and then deploying it onto multiple platforms.

Yes, mobile apps can work on tablets too. Tablets are mobile devices that typically run on the same operating systems (i.e. iOS or Android) as smartphones.

Mobile apps designed for smartphones can often be installed and used on tablets without significant modifications. However, it’s worth being aware that app developers can provide tablet-specific functionalities or enhanced user experiences. These typically relate to larger screen sizes and the ability to use a stylus with most tablet formats.

Yes, it’s a good idea to provide regular updates for your mobile app once it’s been launched. The main reasons for doing so are:

• To fix bugs identified after the latest version was released.
• To ensure protection against novel and emerging cyber vulnerabilities so that the app can continue being safely used.
• To maintain compatibility with updates to the underlying iOS and/or Android operating system/s.
• To optimise performance.
• To make improvements suggested via user feedback.
• To implement a planned roadmap of new features.
• To respond to changing user expectations and market opportunities.
• To stay ahead or keep pace with the functionality of apps offered by competitors.

The main difference between a mobile app and a web app lies in how they are accessed and the platforms they run on:

Mobile apps are downloaded and installed directly onto a user’s mobile device and can typically be accessed without an internet connection. Web apps, on the other hand, are not installed and do not take up storage space – they are hosted on the internet and accessed via a web browser. This also affects how apps are updated; mobile apps must be periodically updated by the user (often manually if auto-updates are not enabled) while updated versions of a web app can be used by anyone without having to do anything.

Also, mobile apps are specifically developed for a particular mobile operating system like iOS or Android.
Web apps are built using different technologies, making them accessible on any platform or device that has a web browser.

Lastly, mobile apps generally have access to the device’s native features and hardware capabilities i.e. camera, GPS, accelerometer and push notifications. This allows development of more advanced and interactive features compared to web apps. Mobile apps can also run faster and deliver a smoother user experience because they are optimised to run natively on the device. Web apps can utilise some device features through browser APIs, but not to the same extent.

A web app is a software application that runs on web browsers. Whereas traditional desktop applications required installation on a user’s device, web apps are accessed, updated and run directly through a web browser (e.g. Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, etc.), making them platform-independent and easily accessible on various devices. Few applications today are physically installed onto desktop devices, with the exception of mobile apps (see “What’s the difference between a mobile app and a web app?”

Key characteristics and features of web apps include:

• Client-server architecture, which is where the application’s logic and data resides on a remote server, and the user interacts with the app through a web browser on their device. The server-side handles the processing, storage, and retrieval of data, while the client-side (browser) handles the user interface and rendering of the app.
• URL accessible. Web apps are typically accessed by entering a URL (uniform resource locator) into a web browser.
• Cross-platform compatibility, which eliminates the need for developing separate versions for different platforms (e.g., Windows, macOS, iOS, Android).
• Responsive and dynamic user interfaces, designed to adapt to different screen sizes and resolutions, providing a consistent user experience across devices.
• Integration with databases, APIs (application programming interfaces) and other data sources to store and retrieve data.

The costs for developing a mobile app can vary widely depending on the complexity of the app, its features and functionality, the technology stack used, the type and number of developers involved and the overall project scope.

Some of the factors to consider when estimating budgets for mobile app development include:

• Simple apps with basic features versus complex apps with advanced functionalities and integrations.
• Choice of technology stack (e.g., programming languages, frameworks, libraries) and the implications on the specialised expertise and tooling required.
• Complexity of user interface interactions and graphical elements needed in the app design.
• Back-end development requirements (e.g. data storage, API integration, user authentication).
• Testing and QA requirements.
• Ongoing maintenance and support.

Web apps and websites are both accessed through web browsers and exist on the internet. There are some potential overlaps between them, but for the most part they are quite distinct in terms of what they are for, how they work, and how they process data.

Purpose and functionality

• Websites are largely informational and are designed to present static or dynamic content, such as tex, images, videos and links.
• Web apps are interactive applications that allow users to perform specific tasks, transactions or operations. They can perform tasks like data management, form submissions, e-commerce transactions, collaboration, and more.

Complexity and interactivity

• Websites are generally simple in functionality and interactivity. They primarily focus on delivering content and providing navigation. User interactions are limited.
• Web apps provide users with a range of functionality similar to traditional desktop applications. They often require user authentication, data storage, and integration with external services or APIs.

Data input and storage

• Website data input is generally used for inquiries, subscriptions or customer feedback. Websites don’t usually store user data beyond what’s needed for basic functionality.
• Web apps often allow users to create accounts, manage profiles, store data and perform complex operations. They can have user databases, customised user experiences and personalised data storage.

Updates and maintenance

• Websites are either static or updated infrequently. Common maintenance tasks include content updates, design changes or minor feature additions.
• Web apps typically require regular updates and maintenance to address bugs, improve performance, add new features and ensure compatibility with evolving technologies.