What Are the Pros and Cons of Hybrid Mobile Application Development?
Today’s business user and consumer is used to having access to tasks, activities, special interests, news and entertainment and work processes and, in an age where mobile devices rule the world, that access must be mobile.
When you consider developing a mobile app for your business , remember this: your enterprise cannot isolate and dictate the devices its consumers and/or business users prefer. Rather than taking the native platform approach for Android or iOS, your enterprise should consider developing its mobile application using cross-platform mobile development. Cross-platform app development ensures that business team members and consumers can access your mobile app, no matter the device they are using.
‘Discover the benefits and components of mobile application development technology, and the hybrid mobile application development environment.’
In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of cross-platform mobile application development, otherwise known as Hybrid Mobile App Development, so your business will have a full picture of the options and challenges this approach provides.
Before you consider hybrid mobile application development for your business, it is important to understand why mobile app development is important and the advantages of hybrid mobile app development as well as the tradeoffs. There are many reasons that a hybrid mobile application can be valuable to your business, so let’s start with the benefits of hybrid mobile application development.
Advantages of Hybrid Mobile App Development
Mobile App Daily lists a number of advantages to Hybrid Mobile Application Development. We have listed those benefits that we consider the most important in this section:
Single Code-Base – The ability to design, develop, maintain and upgrade only one code, means that you don’t need as many resources, or as much time to complete a project or to fix bugs or upgrade a solution.
Reduced Cost – By using common code, the business can reduce costs for resources and time to market.
Availability of Resources – Taking the hybrid mobile application approach means that developers do not need to learn and stay abreast of training on separate languages.
Easy Maintenance – Hybrid mobile apps are easy to maintain, and the business can avoid maintenance of two native apps, because the hybrid app uses only one code base. Hybrid apps do not require versioning, so general maintenance and support is easier and less complex.
Scalability and Loading – Hybrid mobile apps work well, even with a slow internet connection. These apps load content faster than their native app and web app counterparts, and can accommodate graphics, images, video, etc. These hybrid apps function on iOS and Android devices and support third-party plug-ins.
Integration – Hybrid mobile apps allow easy synchronization and integration with other applications, so users can leverage GPS, messaging and camera apps without issue.
App Stores – Both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store allow hybrid mobile apps, meaning you can reach users with both Android and iOS devices, thereby expanding your market and reach.
Disadvantages of Hybrid Mobile App Development
Here are a few examples of the issues you may encounter when developing a hybrid mobile application:
Restrictions of Operating System – Because the Hybrid Mobile App development environment utilizes one code base, some of the native features for iOS and Android are not available. For applications with complex features, this means that the development team cannot capitalize on native features to ensure quality and stable performance. Developers may not be able to access and leverage the specific features of one or both of the operating systems (OS).
User Experience (Ux) – Designing and developing for hybrid mobile apps can mean that a developer must balance how the user experiences a feature or function in iOS vs. Android. When using the same code base, one operating system (OS) may provide a better user experience than the other.
Limitations of Plug-Ins – Third-party plug-ins for hybrid mobile apps may fall short of what developers want to accomplish when compared to native operating system plug-ins.
Performance – For complex mobile applications, the performance of a hybrid mobile app may be a bit slower. Simple, small applications are rarely an issue. Hybrid mobile apps do not handle 3D graphics well, though developers can use third-party plug-ins to resolve this issue.
Bug Fixes – Unless your development team has experience and skill in both iOS and Android operating systems (OS), it can be difficult to find the exact cause of an issue in the single code base for a hybrid mobile application. There are many reasons to choose the right IT partner to help you with your hybrid mobile application. Not the least of these is the skill and experience required to identify and fix bugs in a hybrid mobile app.
‘Before you consider hybrid mobile application development for your business, it is important to understand why mobile app development is important and the advantages of hybrid mobile app development as well as the tradeoffs.’
For a comprehensive overview of Hybrid Mobile Application Development and its potential, read our article: ‘Hybrid Mobile Application Development: The What, Why and How.’
Find out if Hybrid Mobile Application Development is right for your mobile app and/or smart watch project, and Build Your Software Team with dedicated resources. Discover the benefits and components of mobile application development technology, and the hybrid mobile application development environment, with these complementary articles: ‘Mobile App Development is Important to Business, So Are Mobile App Programmers,’ ‘What are the Pros and Cons of Flutter Programming?.’ ‘Understanding Hybrid Mobile Apps and Their Use,’ ‘What Are the Pros and Cons of Hybrid Mobile Application Development?’ ‘How to Hire the Right Mobile Application Developers,’ ‘Hybrid Mobile Application Development: The What, Why and How.’
