Mobile App Development:
App Types and Specifics

Overview of Mobile App Development

Mobile app development is the process of creating software applications for use on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Apps can be pre-installed by device manufacturers or downloaded by users from app stores like the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. There are two main approaches to mobile app development:

Native App Development

Native apps are developed by a mobile application development company in Atlanta specifically for a device’s operating system using programming languages and tools supported by the OS. For example, Java or Kotlin are used in Android Studio to create native Android apps, whereas Swift or Objective-C are used in Xcode to create native iOS apps. The key benefit of native apps is the ability to fully leverage the device hardware, software, and features of the OS. This allows for better performance, responsiveness, graphics, animations, and overall user experience.

Suggested reading: Business Intelligence Insights with Power BI

Cross-Platform App Development

Cross-platform mobile apps use common codebases and frameworks that allow them to run across multiple platforms and devices. Some popular cross-platform frameworks include React Native, Flutter, Xamarin, and PhoneGap. Cross-platform apps are faster and cheaper to develop as a software product development company can write code once and deploy everywhere. However, they may lack some platform-specific features, and their performance is not always on par with native apps.

Now, let’s explore the different categories and types of mobile apps in more detail.

Categories of Mobile Apps

Mobile apps can be broadly classified into the following categories based on their purpose and functionality:

Business Apps

These apps are used within companies and organizations to facilitate business processes and workflows. Examples include enterprise resource planning (ERP) apps, customer relationship management (CRM) apps, accounting apps, communication and collaboration apps, etc. Business apps aim to drive productivity, efficiency, and informed decision-making.

Utility Apps

As the name suggests, these apps provide useful tools, functions, and services that fulfill practical needs. Utility app examples include calculators, weather forecasts, file explorers, notetaking apps, calendars, unit converters, and so on. They are helpful for accomplishing basic tasks.

Social Apps

Social networking apps like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc., enable users to interact with friends, family, colleagues, brands, celebrities, and more. These apps have completely transformed interpersonal communication.

Entertainment Apps

Entertainment apps offer audio/video content, games, publications, and other immersive experiences for fun and enjoyment. From Spotify and YouTube to Candy Crush and Subway Surfers – entertainment apps help beat boredom during leisure time.

Lifestyle Apps

Lifestyle apps cover a wide range of verticals that align with how people live their daily lives. Shopping apps, food delivery apps, fitness and health apps, meditation apps, dating apps, and apps for learning new skills all fall under this category.

Travel Apps

Travel apps assist people in booking flights, hotels, rental cars, and more along with providing helpful information around destinations. Popular examples include booking.com, Expedia, MakeMyTrip, TripAdvisor, and transportation apps like Uber.

Suggested reading: Outsourcing vs. In-House Document Processing: Pros and Cons

Finance Apps

Banking, payment, investing, and other apps that enable money management and financial transactions are classified as finance apps. Leading examples are PayPal, PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, as well as stock trading and cryptocurrency exchange apps.

Education Apps

Education apps facilitate learning and supplement classroom teaching. They include language learning apps like Duolingo, brain training and coding apps, academic test prep apps, apps with AR/VR content to aid visualization, and more.

News Apps

Staying updated with the latest local and global news and current affairs is made easy thanks to news apps. Some examples are BBC News, NYTimes, Washington Post, Google News, Apple News, Inshorts, etc.

Shopping Apps

Ecommerce apps provide an optimized mobile shopping experience. From mega retailers like Amazon and Flipkart to niche brands – shopping apps enable users to discover, evaluate and buy products conveniently.

This covers the major mobile app categories. Now let’s drill down into the different types of apps within these categories.

Types of Mobile Apps

While apps may seem similar from a user perspective, under the hood, there are some key technical differences based on the app architecture and how they engage with backend services. Let’s go through the main types:

Native Apps

We previously discussed native apps in the context of mobile app development approaches. To recap – native apps are built specifically for iOS or Android platforms using their native SDKs, tools, and languages. They provide optimal performance and make full use of on-device features.

Web Apps

Web apps are browser-based apps that users can access over the internet without needing to download anything. They are developed with web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Users simply enter a URL in their mobile browser to load the web app. Web apps work across devices but offer limited functionality compared to native mobile apps.

Hybrid Apps

Hybrid apps combine features from both native and web apps. Like native apps, they are installed on devices and can access native device capabilities. However, like web apps, they rely on web technologies and run inside embedded browser components. This helps bridge capability gaps compared to pure web apps.

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

PWAs deliver an app-like user experience but are built using web technologies. They offer native-app-like features such as push notifications, offline access, and device hardware access, which sets them apart from traditional web apps. PWAs are easier to build than native apps and accessible via URLs.

Suggested reading: RPA Software: Robotic Process Automation Tools

Mobile Platforms and Devices Landscape

Understanding the mobile landscape helps guide technical decisions during app development and product strategy. Let’s analyze adoption across major platforms and devices.

iOS vs Android Platform Comparison

Apple iOS and Google Android dominate the mobile operating system market with a combined 99% market share as of 2024. iOS is only available on Apple devices like the iPhone and iPad, while Android has been adopted by multiple device manufacturers. Here is a high-level comparison:

Source: StatCounter, Dev.to

Key Takeaways:

• Android dominates the global market share, while iOS leads in monetization
• Apple’s walled garden ensures uniformity; Android fragmentation requires broader testing
• Both platforms offer rich capabilities today with cross-platform tools improving

Device Screen Sizes and Resolutions

Understanding mobile device screen sizes and resolutions is vital for responsive design. The most common sizes today are:

• Large Phones/Phablets: 6”+ screens e.g. iPhone 15 Pro Max, Samsung S24 Ultra
• Standard Phones: 5”-6” screens, e.g. iPhone XR, Samsung S22
• Compact Phones: <5” screens, e.g., iPhone SE, Google Pixel 5
• Tablets: 7”-13” screens across various iPad, Samsung, Amazon and other models

Screen resolutions and pixel densities continue to evolve rapidly. Current flagship phone resolutions range from 1080×2340 pixels up to 1440×3200 pixels. Tablets can go even higher. Supporting these ever-advancing screens is crucial via responsive UI design.

Emerging Form Factors

Beyond standard candy-bar style smartphones and tablets, new mobile form factors continue to emerge led by industry innovation. Several examples include:

• Foldables: Phones with flexible displays that can fold outwards into a tablet are gaining traction. Samsung has led innovation here with their Galaxy Z Flip and Fold models.
• Wearables: From smartwatches like the Apple Watch to fitness bands and head-mounted displays like Snap Spectacles, wearables open up new hands-free use cases.
• In-vehicle Displays: CarPlay and Android Auto allow phones to be integrated into dashboard touch displays for navigation, music, and telephony. However, people with older car models might face issues, such as Apple CarPlay not connecting to their car or Bluetooth problems. Most new cars, however, support such mirroring.

These alternative form factors provide opportunities to adapt mobile apps for continued relevance.

This covers an overview of the mobile landscape across platforms, devices, and form factors.

Suggested reading: How to Select the Best ERP System Provider

Conclusion

Mobile applications have become a central part of our lives and the way we perform various activities, including work and leisure. All the apps are divided into various categories to satisfy the needs of users and to cover such sections as productivity & utilities, shopping, entertainment, etc. These are options in technical architecture, and they include native, web, and hybrid, all of which have their strengths and weaknesses.

The mobile environment remains dynamic due to new developments in both the iOS and Android operating systems. The foldables and wearables are also new form factors that have emerged in this generation. All these factors have some relevance in the product strategy and in the technical aspects of mobile application development.

With billions of apps already in existence, getting noticed is not easy, and it is all about coming up with a unique idea, a vision, and the hard work of solving real user issues diligently. This overview covers key considerations to inform and inspire your next mobile app venture!