What is Cross-Platform App Development and Its Benefits?

Technology is moving at a speed faster than anyone imagined it to. The 21st century has seen various innovations, one of the more recent ones being the invention of the smart and its long range of applications. And like most technology, with time it developed, and a number of platforms were created on which the operating systems of these phones would run. This led to the requirement of cross-platform app development, the benefits of which we are here to discuss today. But before we get into the benefits of cross-platform app development, it is important to have your definition cleared.

What is Cross-Platform App Development?

The various platforms that exist for smartphones such as Android, iOS, Windows, etc. each have their own unique coding. And in order to run an app on any of these platforms, they need to match the platforms coding. If they don’t the app will not be able to run on any platform other than the one it is originally suited for.

So by definition, cross-platform app development refers to the act of developing an app which is fit to run on more than one platform meant for smartphones.

There was a time when cross-platform app development did not exist. As a result, iOS apps would not be available to Android users, and the luscious Android games could not be played by iPhone users. But the ability to play a video game is only a tiny fraction of the benefits that cross-platform app development can provide you with. Here are some of the major ones.

Benefits of Cross-Platform App Development

1. Less Coding Required

While it may sound like ensuring an app runs on all platforms will require a lot of coding, it is actually not so. Once you have figured out what the coding for a certain platform will like, you can go ahead and reuse that piece of coding to fit your other apps under the cross-platform umbrella. So, the process is not really effort oriented.

The truth is that most apps did not develop cross-platform attributes since they wanted their app to be tied in with the platform, but the business approach soon changes as the profitability factor weighed in on cross-platform attributes.

2. Budget-Friendly

Recent developments in technology have allowed for apps to be developed with a cross-platform orientation right from the beginning. So, in order to fit your app into all the three major platforms developing the app all over for each platform is no longer required. You can develop the app only once and ensure that it fits into all the digital spaces.

However, if you are developing an app that will have to fit into spaces that have different design requirements, then the designing will need to be done freshly.

3. The Same UX

If you are trying to develop the same app multiple times, chances are that its UX quality will take a drop. This is because once you start the process afresh it is really hard to duplicate the exact same results.

The users, however, will expect the app to remain exactly the same in case they make a switch between platforms. And the only way to do this is by hiring a hybrid app development company that will create the app only once and ensure that the same UX is maintained by taking a cross-platform approach.

4. More Feedback

Let’s accept one thing first; no app out there is perfect. But that does not mean that they can not try to be so. Every app has a feedback option integrated into it using which the user can let the developer know what the app is missing or where it is going wrong. Pushing up the number of feedbacks a prototype or beta stage app receives is perhaps one of the biggest benefits of cross-platform app development. This not only allows for a quick and fast updating of the app, but it also provides data from a variety of users and thus ensures that you can make platform-centric updates if need be.

5. A Much Larger User Base

This should come as no surprise but it is indeed the primary reason why most developers are aiming for cross-platform usability of the apps they develop. It’s basic maths, to be honest. Instead of making an app available for only a single platform you are developing it for ‘x’ number of platforms.

And thus, the number of people using your app will also increase in size keeping ‘x’ as the ratio. Even number of mobile platforms are being developed and are entering the market to pose as a competitor to Android and iOS, and making use of these platforms for launching your app can help you target a fresh audience and increase your profit margins.

Cross-platform app development is clearly the trend that will set the future of app development. Almost all apps that were once upon a time available for only one platform have now all integrated themselves into other platforms. This has also been a huge boon for video game apps as they have received a user base like never before.

Conclusion

If you are developing an app to support your business, you should definitely consider cross-platform app development as it can help you reach a market that no other strategy can.