Mobile application development is a process of creating software that will run on a mobile device. Such a difficult task requires time, skills, and a sufficient budget. However, even with an experienced team, it is not always possible to create something worthwhile since there are millions of applications, making it difficult to be notable among them. Every day developers create hundreds of applications: some gain popularity, bring income and benefit; others are limited to a narrow circle of users, not spreading en masse.
Today, every second person spends 5 hours a day on a smartphone. The current trend allows you to tune your business and profitably monetise the love for the Internet. In addition to advertising, the mobile application creates the image of the company, provides information about the target audience, and assesses the behavioural factors of buyers.
Over the past 10 years, the number of smartphones used has exceeded 2.5 billion. Every year, consumers spend $380 billion on new devices. Each device has applications that simplify our life: a calculator, an instant messenger, or apps for calling a taxi or delivering food.
A mobile app itself is application software developed for smartphones or tablets with various operating systems: iOS, Android, KaiOS, Harmony OS, Tizen, and others. In most cases, it requires access to the Internet if it is connected to remote resources.
A mobile operating system (OS) is a software package that allows smartphones, tablets, and wearable gadgets to manage resources of a device itself and organise direct interaction with a user. Most mobile operating systems run only on certain hardware. For example, iOS is made for iPhones, and Android is used on Samsung, Google Pixel, LG, Nokia, and other smartphones. In 2019, they still maintained their positions:
You probably heard about Windows Mobile or maybe even used it. In the early 2000s, many PDAs and communicators had this Microsoft OS installed. In 2010, it was replaced by two OS versions: Windows Phone for smartphones and Windows RT for tablets. And in 2015, a unified version — Windows 10 Mobile — already appeared.
Few people heard of the KaiOS operating system, although it has already become a leader among the second tier. The system is a fork of Firefox OS based on Linux and designed for low-cost devices. Even though Google released Android Go (an optimised version of Android 8.1 and 9) for entry-level devices, KaiOS remains the leader in this segment.
Given the current diversity in the market, it is difficult to provide an accurate classification. But we can conditionally list those acting as auxiliary tools. Although with proper promotion, they can become an independent project.
There are specific and multipurpose business apps depending on the areas of activity. Businessmen appreciate universal, full-featured tools that help them easily manage their business and optimise work processes. For example, they choose applications that can do the following:
Any company has clients and partners with whom it is necessary to establish feedback. Find out the needs of your audience by turning them into users of the company’s mobile application. Even simple promotional apps can competently advertise new products. Provide your marketers with tools that can do the following:
An application becomes popular when it has functions useful and necessary for people. Your company can promote its brand through a non-profit app, so the application itself can become a marketing tool. Just give the world something truly necessary and gain universal recognition. The following kinds of applications will make your company an assistant in user’s personal life:
Applications are created based on specific needs. When it comes to professional or advertising use, then usually everything depends on the specifics of your business. However, in recent years, it often happens that the application does not supplement the business, but the business is built around the app.
Our company is also interested in such projects, especially if they are large-scale and designed for the international market. Contact us to discuss ordering a mobile application that will conquer the whole world!
Each application is monetised in its way and is designed for a specific target audience. To make it popular and profitable, you first need to determine the following:
The benefit depends on the type of activity, as well as the desired result. Mobile apps can help startups to notify investors of goals and current achievements. Companies can use applications to create their image. Entertainment and commercial apps can sell ads or products inside.
The properly selected architecture will save your time, effort, and finances. There are two main approaches to creating a mobile application: native and cross-platform ones. The third one — progressive approach — is also developing now.
Native development means the creation of separate applications for each mobile platform. That is, you need to develop an application for iOS and another one for Android. Then the applications will be uploaded to the particular platform stores. These are the advantages of native apps:
Most popular applications, such as Twitter, Waze, and Pokemon Go, are a clear example of a native approach.
Cross-platform development of mobile applications is the creation of a common code base for two platforms, with further translation of the code on each OS via an intermediate layer. These are the advantages of cross-platform apps:
A progressive web application (PWA) brings together the best qualities of a mobile website and a native app. These are the advantages of progressive web applications:
Before you start developing an application for mobile devices, ask yourself several questions. What are the aims of your app? What is the target audience of your app? What functions should it have? If it is difficult to choose, the simplest solution is to see what trends have formed in the development market. In 2019–2020 the following applications are in demand:
The functional part may be affected by new trends in user interface design:
According to Statista forecasts, in 2020, the revenue of all mobile applications will amount to $581 billion, including $117 billion from in-built advertising. Application stores, or digital distribution platforms, can help achieve such indicators being crucial for promoting.
Apple was the first to create an application store. Then, in July 2008, it was still part of the iTunes Store. Since then, the App Store remains the principal place where iOS users can find the right application.
The store contains 2.2 million different apps for smartphones, as well as Apple TV and Apple Watch products. By placing the application on the App Store, you will satisfy your already established audience and attract new users.
Google launched its store in October 2008 under the name Android Market. After rebranding in March 2012, it is called Google Play, but it is still targeted at the market of Android devices.
This digital distribution platform offers 2.9 million apps. Despite the powerful built-in search engine, brands sometimes find out that their applications are hiding in the search results or can be found by other requests. But anyway, by uploading your app to Google Play, you can reckon your Android audience or customers will be satisfied.
Many manufacturers of mobile devices have found that they can work more closely with their audience offering them their stores with applications for smartphones and other devices.
In September 2009, Samsung Electronics launched the Samsung Apps service, which was renamed the Galaxy Store in March 2019. The manufacturer pre-installs the mobile version of its store on Android devices. And the web version of the store contains products not only for the Android OS but also for Tizen, Windows Mobile, Bada.
In October 2011, LG Electronics also launched its mobile application store, SmartWorld, which is installed on phones manufactured by the company. It also created a separate version for LG TVs called Content Store.
Huawei Technologies opened its application store in 2011. First, it was focused on the Chinese market, and in April 2018, it became available worldwide. Although the landing page and the dashboard are localised in 9 languages, the names and descriptions of most applications are presented only in Chinese.
Amazon, the e-commerce giant, is not far behind its direct and indirect competitors. In 2011, the company created the store as an application for Android and Fire OS, and in 2014, it became available for BlackBerry 10. This solution helped to save loyal customers from searching for digital products in third-party stores.
The Apple App Store and Google Play are the two largest app distribution channels for iOS and Android that offer you reach a global audience. However, as the competition grows inside the stores, it becomes increasingly difficult for developers to ensure the visibility of applications hosted there.
Launching using different digital distribution platforms may fit your market entry strategy if you want to reach a specific audience. Knowing the target audience of the store will allow you to upload the created new product with confidence that your app will find its users.
Reviewers compiled new ratings, and we would like to highlight the top 5 most downloaded and top 5 most profitable applications in 2019. The statistics for both stores are considered.
| Top | Most people downloaded the following apps: | Users spent the most money in the following apps: |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Facebook Messenger | Tinder |
| 2 | Netflix | |
| 3 | WhatsApp Messenger | Tencent Video |
| 4 | TikTok | iQIYI |
| 5 | YouTube |
If you cannot write the code on your own, find a professional who creates applications for mobile phones. However, the following questions can emerge: which specialist to choose? Do you need to hire staff? Should you hire individual freelancers to work remotely? Or is it better to entrust such an important task to a turnkey mobile app development studio?
Forming an entire development department may not be an appropriate solution. Searching for freelancers on marketplaces, checking their competence, and then constantly monitoring execution is also a heavy burden. When you need a serious approach, you can’t neglect the quality, and the process must not stretch for many months, it is better to contact Polygant, a mobile app development company.
It is almost impossible to quickly create a mobile application that immediately turns out to be ideal. Therefore, developers often use feature-driven development (or another Agile methodology) to quickly provide core functionality. Agile dramatically speeds up the release, helping companies adapt to a changing market.
After launch, if the product is successful, you need to track reviews, collect information about errors, and analyse problems. Later, it is necessary to develop and provide new functions in accordance with the new data obtained in the previous step. After the official launch, maintenance and support are all you need.
If you achieve the result first with Agile, maintenance costs may be higher than prototyping. Experts prefer this methodology when it is necessary to develop a product by proving or refuting the marketing hypothesis, and, at the same time, get the first profit almost immediately.
And using the traditional Waterfall methodology, you can calculate the estimated annual maintenance costs with a fixed percentage, which is approximately 15–20% of the cost of developing a mobile application. Large companies prefer Waterfall, because their business processes are documented, and their management develops marketing, management, and production plans.
Polygant has been professionally creating mobile applications for 4 years. We know how to develop a mobile application that will help customers find you:
Details about the development for iOS.
Details about the development for Android.
We can also develop mobile games.
When we get to work, we do not neglect quality due to limited time or budget. We always try our best. To find out how much it costs to develop a mobile application, make a request via the contact form.
