11/24/22, 7:24 AM What Is a Mobile App? | App Development Basics for Businesses – Droids On Roids

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What Is a Mobile App? | App Development Basics for Businesses What is a mobile application? What kind of benefits does it bring to businesses? Read this guide to learn about the process of building a mobile app.

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11/24/22, 7:24 AM What Is a Mobile App? | App Development Basics for Businesses – Droids On Roids

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Mobile is a growing industry that attracts businesses from every marketplace. No wonder – mobile

app revenues are projected to reach almost . The

exploding popularity of smartphones and tablets has made mobile application development an

increasingly popular trend among business owners all over the world.

But what exactly is a mobile app? What kind of benefits does it bring to businesses? And what does

look like?

We prepared a guide that answers all of these questions and more! Read on to learn everything you need to know about mobile apps and their development.

All this knowledge comes from our 9 years of experience which we have gained as an

and .

1. What is a mobile application?

Table of contents

• 1. What is a mobile application?

• 2. Key mobile app development technologies

• 3. Types of mobile applications

• 4. Mobile app statistics

• 5. What is mobile app development?

• 6. How to build a mobile app?

• Conclusion

$600 billion in 2020 (https://www.statista.com/statistics/269025/worldwide-mobile-app-revenue-forecast/)

the process of building a mobile application

(https://www.thedroidsonroids.com/blog/mobile-app-development-process-stages-of-app-

development)

Android app

development company (https://www.thedroidsonroids.com/services/android-mobile-app-

development) iOS app development company (https://www.thedroidsonroids.com/services/ios- mobile-app-development)

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11/24/22, 7:24 AM What Is a Mobile App? | App Development Basics for Businesses – Droids On Roids

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A mobile application (also called a mobile app) is a type of application designed to run on a mobile

device, which can be a smartphone or tablet computer. Even if apps are usually small software units

with limited function, they still manage to provide users with quality services and experiences.

Contrary to applications designed for desktop computers, mobile applications move away from

integrated software systems. Instead, each mobile app provides an isolated and limited

functionality. For example, it can be a game, a calculator, or a mobile web browser.

Because of the limited hardware resources of the early mobile devices, mobile apps avoided multi-

functionality. However, even if the devices used today are far more sophisticated, mobile apps

remain narrowly functional. This is how mobile app owners allow consumers to handpick exactly the

functions their devices should have.

Read also: • What is Product Discovery in mobile application development?

(https://www.thedroidsonroids.com/blog/what-is-product-discovery-in-mobile-app-development)

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(/resources/ebooks/guide-for-product-owners-free-ebook)

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2. Key mobile app development technologies

To help you understand the

here’s a closer look at all the different technology considerations business owners

must make before building an app.

Native apps

What are native apps? Such apps are built for a single mobile operating system. That’s why they’re

called native – they’re native to a particular platform or device. The majority of mobile apps today are

built for systems like Android or iOS. To put it simply, you can’t install and use an Android app on

iPhone, and vice versa.

The main benefit of native apps is their high performance and excellent user experience.

After all, developers who build them use native device UI. Access to a broad range of APIs also

helps to accelerate the development work and extend the boundaries of app usage. Native

applications can only be downloaded from app stores and installed directly into devices. That’s why they first need to pass a strict publishing process. 32157

Read also:

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digital product, our Ebook will be a perfect resource for mastering the fundamentals of

successful product delivery.

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process of building a mobile application

(https://www.thedroidsonroids.com/blog/mobile-app-development-process-stages-of-app-

development)

• How to publish your App on App Stores – Introduction for App Owners (https://www.thedroidsonroids.com/blog/how-to-submit-app-to-the-app-store-guide-and-

checklist)

• How to Publish your App on the App Store (https://www.thedroidsonroids.com/blog/how-to-submit-app-to-the-app-store-guide-and-

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Step-by-step Guide on

Download for free:

(Clickable PDF)

The most important drawback of native apps is their cost. To build, support, and maintain an

app for Android and iOS you basically need two development teams. As you can imagine, this may result in a higher price tag on the project.

Web apps

Web apps are software applications that behave similarly to native mobile apps and work on mobile

devices. However, there are significant differences between native apps and web apps. For starters, web apps use browsers to run, and they’re usually written in CSS, HTML5, or JavaScript. Such apps

redirect the user to the URL and then offer them the option to install the app. They simply create a

bookmark on their page. That’s why they require minimum device memory.

Since all of the personal databases will be saved on the server, users can only use the application if they have an internet connection. This is the main drawback of web apps – they always require

a good internet connection. Otherwise, you risk delivering a subpar user experience.

Moreover, developers don’t have that many APIs works with, except for the most popular

features like geolocation. The performance will be linked to browser work and network connection as well.

Hybrid apps

These apps are built using web technologies such as JavaScript, CSS, and HTML 5. Why are they

called hybrid? Hybrid apps basically work like web apps disguised in a native wrapper.

Hybrid apps are easy and fast to develop, which is a clear benefit. You also get a single

codebase for all the platforms. This lowers the cost of maintenance and streamlines the updating

process. Developers can also take advantage of many APIs for features such as gyroscope or

geolocation.

• How to Publish your App on Google Play

(https://www.thedroidsonroids.com/blog/how-publish-app-google-play-guide-and-checklist)

• App Publishing Checklist for Google Play

(https://www.thedroidsonroids.com/resources/templates-and-checklists/app-publishing-

checklist-for-google-play)

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On the other hand, hybrid applications may lack speed and performance. Also, you might

experience some design issues as the app might not look the same on two or more platforms.

3. Types of mobile applications

Mobile applications come in many shapes and sizes. Here are the most popular types of mobile

apps to help you understand the current trends in the mobile landscape.

Gaming apps – this is the most popular category of mobile apps. You’d be surprised to learn

how many users install games on their phones. Businesses invest an increasing amount of

time and resources into creating games and mobile versions of well-known stationary games

because it’s such a profitable market. According to a , mobile games account for 33%

of all app downloads, 74% of consumer spendings, and 10% of all the time spent using

apps. The most successful mobile games like Candy Crush Saga or Angry Birds become

known all over the world.

Business or productivity apps – these apps hold a large chunk of the market today because

people are increasingly prone to using their smartphones and tablets to perform many complex

tasks on the go. For example, apps can help them to book tickets, send emails, or track their

work progress. Business apps are geared at boosting productivity and minimizing expenses as they allow users to complete a wide range of tasks, from buying new cartridges for office

printers to recruiting a new office manager.

Educational apps – this category includes mobile apps that help users gain new skills and knowledge. For example, language learning apps like Duolingo have become incredibly

popular because they give users the flexibility they look for in learning. Educational game apps

are an excellent tool for kids. Many educational apps turn out to be popular among teachers

too, who use them to organize their teaching process better or educate themselves further.

Lifestyle apps – this broad category of apps spans shopping, fashion, virtual fitting rooms,

workout, dating, and diet apps. These apps basically focus on various aspects of personal

lifestyle.

M-commerce apps – the most popular shopping apps like Amazon or eBay offer the

experience of their desktop versions to mobile users. Mobile commerce applications provide

customers with convenient access to products and seamless payment methods for an optimal

•

recent study (https://www.appannie.com/en/go/state-of-mobile-2019/)

•

•

•

•

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shopping experience. Learn more about

.

Entertainment apps – these apps allow users to stream video content, search for events,

chat, or watch content online. Social media apps like Facebook or Instagram are great

examples. Moreover, video streaming apps such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video have become incredibly popular with users all over the world. These apps usually boost user

engagement by notifying members about updates and newly added products.

Utility apps – these are so obvious that we barely even realize that we’re using them. In fact, utility apps usually have the shortest user session times – people use them to get things done

and then move on. The most popular types of utility applications are barcode scanners,

trackers, or healthcare apps.

Travel apps – the main idea behind this category is helping users to travel easily. Travel apps

transform a smartphone or tablet into a travel diary and guide that helps users to discover

everything they need to know about the site they’re visiting. Most of the tourists are digitally

savvy travelers who know how to use apps to their advantage. Can you imagine what traveling

would look like without Google Maps, Airbnb, or Uber? You may also like:

4. Mobile app statistics

To give you a broader view of the mobile app scene today, here are the most important statistics that show you the current mobile landscape and its future.

An average mobile app user in the United States has over 100 apps installed on their

device. (

)

A typical mobile user will check their smartphone 63 times a day. (

)

87% of users check their phone at least one hour before sleep. Out of those, 69% will check

their phone at least five minutes before sleep. (

mobile commerce definition and types of mobile

commerce (https://www.thedroidsonroids.com/blog/what-is-mobile-commerce-definition-and-

types-of-mobile-commerce)

•

•

•

How to Make an App like Uber: Process and Cost in 2021 (https://www.thedroidsonroids.com/blog/how-

to-make-an-app-like-uber-in-2021)

•

Source (https://www.appannie.com/en/insights/market-data/the-state-of-mobile-

2019/)

• Source

(https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/smartphone-addiction/)

•

Source Top ( #back-to-top)

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)

79% of users will abandon a digital product after only one day of use. (

)

Mobile apps today account for more than 57% of all digital media usage. (

)

By 2021, almost 7 billion people worldwide will be using mobile devices. ( )

By 2022, the mobile app downloads number or year will reach 258 billion. This is a great

increase from 2017 when that number reached 168 billion. ( )

By the same year, the app store consumer spending will increase by 92% to reach a smashing

$157 billion all over the world. ( )

5. What is mobile app development?

Mobile app development is a process that draws a lot from traditional software development.

However, it’s focused on creating software that takes advantage of the unique features of mobile device hardware.

The most straightforward scenario for building a mobile app is taking a desktop-based application

and importing it to a mobile device. However, as the app becomes more robust, this technique can

become problematic.

A better approach involves developing specifically for the mobile environment. It’s a

technique that takes advantage of all the benefits mobile devices offer. The process takes

into account their limitations and helps business owners balance cost with functionality.

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