Native apps are smartphone apps written specially for a specific device. Looking around in the market, today the largest competitors are Android and iOS. Now Android apps are written in Java, whereas iPhone apps are written in Swift or Objective-C. To speed up the development process and use other skill sets, there are myriad of new tools out there to ease app development process, without the usage of native language.

Mostly, non-native apps compile down into native code, or wrap themselves in native web app combining native calls with web components. Ultimately, there are pros and cons to every method. However, here in this article, we discuss why native apps are apt when you desire to please your customers and fully leverage the capabilities of all their mobile devices.

Why choose Native App development?

Creating a native app means developing software particularly for a platform, be it Android, iOS or any other platform. It has tremendous benefits which will be discussed ahead.

But foremost, let’s consider the main alternative to native mobile app development that is to develop a web app. So, web apps are HTML-driven user interfaces appearing to be mobile apps from a user’s perspective. However, in reality, they are a set of web pages wrapped together with browser-level technologies.

In case of web apps, they are cheaper to develop and also they work in every browser whichever be the platform. Thus, no need to pick Android or iOS or Windows. Works good, isn’t it?

So, why should one develop a native mobile app?

Well, the answer is simple. It is due to the many benefits it offer that make these apps worth the extra effort and cost. Here, you find the various key benefits of creating native apps.

Quality

The market is flooded with a number free high quality apps, which are personal, useful and found on every home screen. They are known to constantly push the bar regarding what users are accustomed to, and users as well start expecting and demanding a same kind of experience with every app. Though one can attain greatness with other methods, but only native apps have the ability to be set apart. They can tackle every challenge put in by Google’s very own design principles, ultimately leaving a good taste in user’s mouth always.

App code runs faster

In case of native apps, they are created and compiled using a platform’s core programming language & APIs. Thus, they work efficiently on that platform, with there being minor hiccups across devices. Also they are compiled & stored on mobile device itself, thus they are able to take complete advantage of device’s processing speed. Meanwhile, in case of web apps, they operate as a series of calls to and from remote web pages, while their speed is also constrained due to all that internet connections.

Found in app stores

Whenever your customers need an app, they are most likely to head to their mobile app store to look for it. If they succeed in finding something that meet their needs, the search will end just right there. So, if you too want your app to be the one, that user finds and instantly download, it has to be a native app as only those apps are displayed in app stores. App stores comes out as a crucial channel for your app to be found. So go a step further, enlisting your marketing team to optimize your presence in app store hence making the app more discoverable.

IDE

These specialized development environments are ecosystems enabling mobile app developers build native applications. Android and iOS, both have comprehensive tools for all purposes, starting from designing to testing, which allow these platforms to stay ahead in competition. Android Studio & Xcode present a robust set of tools helpful in utilizing hardware features which are unavailable to many web & cross development platforms. These tools are useful in tuning, analysing and tracking, so that highest performance and experience can be unlocked. This not just cuts on the development time but also increases the odds of fixing the nastiest bugs and does a lot more.

New Features

Native platforms are just apt for the usage of all the available functionality, be it ever-growing Internet of Things or Apple’s new smartwatch. Meanwhile, other methods need both time and efforts in order to access the new native APIs, which may come or may not come. The other things are just too difficult or impossible, like DRM, secure offline storage and watch notifications.

Advanced UX/UI

Web apps might be made to appear like native apps; however they don’t perform as brilliantly as them. Besides, they present single, generic UI across all platforms, which very rarely match the UX that customers mostly expect on their devices. In case your app feels strange or awkward to customers, they will avoid using it. However, with native apps, it is a lot easier to satisfy a customer’s UI and UX expectations. 

Work offline

There is this issue with web apps that they work only when you have access to the internet. As all the page content lives on web servers, you need to have that connection to use the app. However, native apps are able to function out of internet as well. This way a native app is always available to you, without the need to pay for WiFi fee, whether you are in an airplane, on the subway, or at the hotel lobby.

Final Note:

With your app, when you take up 120x120 px square of your user’s home screen, ensure that you make the most of it. Thus, for the ultimate user experience as well as amazing developer experience, nothing can beat native apps.