Native App Development

When a mobile app is developed natively, it means that it is coded using the programming languages and tools that are native to the operating system. For example, for iOS development, the programming language used is Swift or Objective-C, while for Android development, Java or Kotlin is commonly used.

Native mobile development allows developers to create apps that are optimized for a specific operating system, resulting in a seamless and responsive user experience. By leveraging the native capabilities, and features of the operating system, native apps can deliver high performance and access device-specific functionalities like camera, GPS, and push notifications.

A highly performant user experience

Native development can result in fast render times for mobile applications due to direct hardware access, optimized performance, efficient rendering engines, native UI components, and platform-specific GPU acceleration. These factors allow native apps to utilize system resources more efficiently, fine-tune performance, render UI elements faster, seamlessly integrate with platform guidelines, and leverage GPU acceleration, resulting in a highly responsive and performant user experience.

Mobile app render time directly impacts mobile conversion rates. Slow rendering leads to a poor user experience, causing users to abandon the app or look for alternatives. Users' initial impression is crucial, and slow render time can make them perceive the app as unreliable or low quality. The conversion funnel can also be disrupted by slow render time, resulting in drop-offs. 

To improve conversion rates, optimize render time by efficient coding, reducing network latency, and optimizing image and content loading. Fast render times enhance engagement, impressions, user patience, and conversion funnel efficiency.

Cross-platform APIs are often built on operating system’s APIs. This added layer of abstraction can sometimes introduce more code and additional bugs into cross-platform libraries. 

Since native apps interact directly with the operating system's APIs, they typically have fewer lines of custom code which limits the risk of introducing bugs.
Hence native apps are often perceived as having better stability and fewer bugs overall, leading to more reliable performance.

Native apps have direct access to platform security features, such as secure storage and biometric authentication, which enhances their overall security.

Platform providers prioritize security updates for native apps, ensuring users have access to the latest security enhancements. Native app developers can promptly incorporate these updates into their apps.
In contrast, cross platform developers need to take extra measures to ensure the security of their applications.

Native apps might be built using platform-specific design guidelines, resulting in an interface that feels familiar and intuitive to users of that particular operating system. This adherence to platform conventions enhances the user experience and helps users navigate the app more easily. Developers of native apps have convenient access to native ui elements and animations provided by the operating system which can result in pleasing UI.

Native apps can seamlessly integrate with hardware-specific features and APIs, providing users with a richer and more seamless experience. They can leverage capabilities such as push notifications, camera access, location services, and biometric authentication without any need for 3rd party libraries, which may be more challenging to achieve in cross-platform development.

When developing a native app, you will have complete access to all the APIs and tools provided by the platform you are working on. This means that there are no restrictions on how programmers can utilize these resources to build the app.

It goes without saying that when you are developing natively you need two separate code bases and require developers who are experts in the different languages.

It is important to decide if you want to develop for the two platforms synchronously or if one platform can be ahead of the other. In certain situations it could be an advantage and you will avoid the risk of making the same mistakes twice.

You will not be able to use any of the shortcuts provided from a cross platform approach and the overall amount of code written will be bigger.

Current Technologies

Swift and Kotlin are the two contemporary programming languages commonly used for developing native mobile apps.

Kotlin, a statically typed general-purpose high-level programming language, has gained popularity as a replacement for Java in Android app development. Kotlin offers comparable functionality to Java while allowing developers to write code that is more concise and readable. By reducing the number of lines of code required, Kotlin enables faster development cycles. Moreover, Kotlin's improved code readability enhances comprehension and reduces the likelihood of introducing bugs, making code maintenance more manageable.

Swift is also a modern programming language that has been introduced as an alternative to Objective-C. Kotlin and Swift share similarities in terms of their syntax and aim to provide a more streamlined and efficient coding experience compared to their predecessor languages. Like Kotlin, Swift offers enhanced readability and writability, making it easier for developers to comprehend and write code. Furthermore, Swift shares common advantages with Kotlin, such as reduced bug occurrences, improved code maintenance, and accelerated development processes. These benefits contribute to a more efficient and effective software development workflow.

For native UI development Android is using a modern toolkit Jetpack Compose and Swift using SwiftUI. Both toolkits enable developers to develop fast and simple native UI elements by declarative UI solutions.