How to build Cross-Platform Mobile Apps

What is a Cross Platform Mobile App?

A cross-platform mobile app is an application that is developed to work on multiple mobile operating systems, such as Android and iOS, using a single codebase. Cross-platform mobile apps can be developed using different frameworks or technologies, such as React Native, Xamarin, Flutter, and others.

Difference between Native and Cross Platform Mobile App Development

Native Mobile App Development targets either the Android or iOS platform. These apps are developed keeping in mind the specifics of the target OS. Cross Platform Mobile App development is meant to work on multiple Operating Systems using a single codebase. Here are the core differences between Native and Cross Platform Mobile App Development:

Benefits of Cross-Platform Mobile App Development

• Mobile App for Multiple Platforms: The most significant benefit of building on a cross-platform framework is that the output of the development process can be used on multiple platforms. This approach is best suited where business functionality is straightforward and a short time to market is the goal.
• Reduced Development Cost: In a typical scenario, a tech product will need three separate development workflows – web, Android, and iOS. A cross-platform framework can bring down the required effort to less than half. 
• Agile Development Process: Understandably, the development process will consume fewer human hours when a single code base is used. The flexibility of choosing between native, web, and hybrid allows for optimizing development loads across sub-teams. i.e. CPU-heavy or gaming applications will require more native development and optimization than an e-commerce app.
• Simpler Code Maintenance & Usability: Having one code base for multiple platforms means that when it comes time to add or remove functionality from the application, only one set of updates is sufficient for updating the application across platforms. Also, having a single codebase to perform testing means you don’t have to worry about scaling your testing efforts too much horizontally. You can instead focus on test case prioritization.
• Easy Cloud Integration: Since this is a relatively recent phenomenon, the tools and platforms for cross-platform development are built keeping in mind the tech trends of the day, which means most of these platforms support modern development methodologies like CI/CD, automation, cloud-based deployments, visualizations, etc. With cloud-based testing platforms like BrowserStack Automate and App Automate, you get a highly configurable and modernized workflow, weaving DevOps and QAOps into an integrated setup.
• Faster Time-to-Market and Customize: Because these platforms are built with the whole pipeline of mobile application development in mind, they come with tools, features, and extensions that support responsiveness, performance, and security—making the process more streamlined and efficient—resulting in a further reduction in the time to market for the product.
• Uniform Design: Although hard to achieve in some cases, the design output of cross-platform development can be consistent and effective. Responsive design principles are incorporated into the essence of the program, using the hierarchy of components and micro-services to break down functionality at the front and back end, respectively.

Various frameworks are available for cross-platform mobile app development, which we will discuss further in this article.

Popular Cross-Platform App Development Frameworks

Most popular cross-platform frameworks utilize a single code base to generate apps for different platforms. This means you must code on the programming framework supported by the platform of your choice. Since translating one code base into multiple applications is not a trivial task, many popular options have their advantages and disadvantages regarding comparison. 

1. Xamarin
2. React Native
3. Flutter
4. Cordova

Source

Here are some cross-platform app development frameworks:

1. Xamarin

Xamarin is an open-source, cross-platform app development framework owned by Microsoft. It is used for creating native cross-platform apps for Android, iOS, and Windows using C# and . NET. Xamarin apps are built using native user interface controls and provide a high-performance user experience. 

Famous examples include apps for Fox Sports, Alaska Airlines, HCL, American Cancer Society, and BBC Good Food.

2. React Native

React Native is an open-source, cross-platform app development framework owned by Meta (prev Facebook). It is used for creating native cross-platform apps for Android, iOS, and Windows using JavaScript and TypeScript (a strongly-typed version of JS). 

React Native and Xamarin are at the top regarding user adoption and popularity. 

Instagram, Bloomberg, Pinterest, Skype, and Tesla are popular apps built on React Native.

3. Flutter

Flutter is an open-source cross-platform app development framework owned by Google. It is used for creating native cross-platform apps for Android, iOS, and Windows using Dart. Some examples are Alibaba, BMW, Google Ads, and Tencent.

Many ready-made solutions for native apps enable developers to work with Continuous Integration platforms like Travis and Jenkins. 

4. Cordova

The Cordova platform by Apache is a tool that can be used to create mobile applications for s Android, iOS, Windows Phone, etc., using  CSS3 and HTML5 for rendering and JavaScript for logic. 

It provides access to device-specific functions through JavaScript APIs so that developers can build apps using web technology instead of the native programming languages ​​of each operating system (Java or Objective C). Since it uses web technologies, debugging is relatively easier.  

Tools and Frameworks to test Cross-Platform Apps

Testing is crucial to ensure a consistent and seamless user experience:

• Appium
  Appium allows you to test cross platform mobile apps as it supports both Android and iOS platforms. You can also run multiple tests in parallel using Appium Grid. It supports testing both Native and Hybrid apps.
• Selenium
  Selenium apart from testing web applications, also supports mobile automation testing. It supports different programming languages, such as Java, Python, C#, and JavaScript.
• BrowserStack App Live
  BrowserStack App Live helps you test your cross platform app manually on real Android and iOS devices of different OS versions. It allows you to test under real user conditions and use features like biometric authentication, IP geolocation testing, network simulation, etc.
• BrowserStack App Automate
  BrowserStack App Automate allows you to automate testing of your cross platform app on real Android and iOS devices. It allows you to test over different OS versions and device combinations, under real user conditions and on native features like Camera Injection, Network Simulation, etc.

Try BrowserStack Now

Challenges in Cross-Platform Mobile App Development

Building cross-platform mobile apps requires consideration of the differences between platforms. Developers must ensure that the app functions consistently on all platforms, while also taking into account the differences in hardware, software, and user experience on each platform.

Here are some of the core challenges faced in cross-platform mobile app development:

• Performance hiccups because of inconsistent communication between the native and non-native components of gadgets is one of the most commonly reported issues with cross-platform applications. This could be avoided with a better understanding and implementation of the syntax or configuration parameters set during the definition of functions on the platform.
• Cross-platform app developers have difficulty maintaining cross-compliance of apps across devices and operating systems. A chance for the application to meet a new challenge arises whenever a new version is released. That’s why it’s a healthy habit to read up on new system-level changes and update the application to the best of its capability.
• Testing cross-platform applications is an inherently difficult challenge that is solved with the help of modern cloud-based testing infrastructure like BrowserStack.
• Application behavior must be tested and evaluated on real devices. Every time you build an application, you must find the latest versions of several physical devices and build testing infrastructure.

Test On Real Device Cloud for Free

Closing Notes

With a streamlined application development process, it is natural to expect the testing infrastructure to have effective features and robust capabilities. Automation is among the top priorities for all QA teams.

With mobile app development cross platform and testing them on such a wide range of test environments, you can recreate real user scenarios and device experiences. 

• You can adjust real-world variables like network conditions and geo-location.
• Test accessibility features like navigability and screen readers. 
• You can test notifications on devices. 
• Also, access the developer tools section of browsers on various operating systems.

Analysis and data visualization are the two post-testing activities that will help you understand, arrange, document, and visualize what happened during the test runs. Plus, it records the application behavior if captured efficiently in visual formats. 

Once you have achieved a healthy level of collaboration with the business teams on analyzing the results of the various levels of testing, you can make the most sound decisions for the future of your cross-platform mobile apps. 

Try BrowserStack for Free

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do cross-platform mobile apps differ from native apps in terms of performance and user experience?
Cross-platform mobile apps may have slightly lower performance than native apps, as they rely on a single codebase that has to work on multiple platforms. However, advances in cross-platform development frameworks have made it possible to develop apps that can match the performance of native apps. User experience can also be slightly different, as the UI may need to be adapted to work well on different platforms.

2. What is a cross platform mobile framework?
A cross-platform mobile framework is a tool or set of tools that allows developers to create mobile applications that can run on multiple operating systems. These frameworks provide a common codebase that can be used to build applications for both iOS and Android, as well as other platforms like Windows and Linux. Examples of popular cross-platform mobile frameworks include React Native, Flutter, Xamarin, Ionic, and PhoneGap. These frameworks typically allow developers to write code in a single language, such as JavaScript or Dart, and then translate that code to native code for each platform, providing a consistent user experience across multiple devices and operating systems.

3.What is cross platform testing?
Cross platform testing is a type of software testing where the compatibility of an application is tested on different platforms, devices, and browsers. It is a testing process that ensures that an application functions as intended on various operating systems, hardware, and software configurations.

4. Why is cross platform testing important?
Cross-platform testing is important because it helps to ensure that an application is functional, reliable, and delivers a consistent user experience across multiple platforms. It also helps to identify any compatibility issues that may arise due to differences in hardware, software, or operating systems. This type of testing is crucial for mobile applications, which must work on various devices and operating systems to succeed.

5. What is cross-platform with example?
Cross-platform refers to software or applications that can run on multiple operating systems or platforms. For example, a cross-platform mobile app developed using React Native or Flutter can be used on both iOS and Android devices, while a cross-platform desktop application developed using Electron can be used on both Windows and macOS.