Desires create a hybrid mobile app ? When you decide to develop an application, the first question that arises remains which programming language to use. If you want to create an application compatible with iOS or Android, you will have to choose between different types, namely “native”, “hybrid” or “multiplatform”.
The native application is designed to run only on the intended operating system. This is how a native Android application will not be compatible with the iOS system. In order to reach as many people as possible, the applications then turn to the other two solutions. But what is a hybrid application really?
What is a hybrid mobile app?
The hybrid mobile application is nothing more than an application that has source code compatible with Android, iOS or even Windows Phone. Nowadays, most of the developed applications are native. Here is how there are two codes when you can find the app on both Android and iOS.
However, this trend will change with new technologies that make it easier to make the application hybrid. A single source code is half the work and a single code to modify during updates and miscellaneous changes. A solution that greatly facilitates the task and saves time and money.
Why build a hybrid app?
The hybrid application allows you to develop a single application compatible with iOS and Android at the same time. It is therefore not necessary to call a developer twice, but only once. This allows you to optimize design costs and avoids having to take into account the constraints associated with each system.
A hybrid app can be created for all kinds of reasons. Take the example of developing a mobile game. If you want to reach as many people as possible, it’s important not to neglect iOS users.
With a native application, therefore, you will have to develop the game twice with different programming languages, which will take twice as long. It will also be necessary, during an update, to perform code changes and update tests on the two applications, which complicates the matter even more.
The hybrid application is also very useful for many other applications. A dating application, for example, cannot afford to exclude nearly 10% of the world’s population by not making its solution compatible with iOS. The same goes for sports, entertainment and any other solution.
By choosing a hybrid application, you ensure that you centralize your source code in one location, which reduces errors and allows you to offer a better quality solution while spending more time improving it than developing it.
The advantages and disadvantages of a hybrid application
The first advantage that is proposed in the development of a hybrid application remains the cost of the application. In fact, hybrid technologies only need a single source code that allows the publication of two applications. The work to be done is therefore half that of native applications.
In terms of updates and maintenance, once again the costs are optimized as it is only one code, not two.
The second big advantage of the hybrid mobile application is its speed of development and distribution on different platforms. Both applications are developed simultaneously from the same source code, so there is no delay between the release on Android and iOS. In addition, the delay is reduced by reducing the amount of work. In short, the hybrid mobile application is an application that is simpler to deploy and easier to develop.
On the side of the disadvantages, it is important to know that the vast majority of the limitations related to hybrid solutions have been solved thanks to the cross platform that allows you to go even further. However, there are always special cases for which developing multiple applications remains a better solution.
A common limitation is the user interfaces that are sent. Indeed, some complex displays can be difficult to implement in a hybrid solution. This is due to the differences in appearance that there may be between an iOS menu and an Android menu. Today’s frameworks offer excellent adaptations for simple and advanced developments. But when complexity is pushed further, they begin to show their limitations, which can be a problem for this type of development.
Another point that often comes up is the stability of the code. A hybrid code and logically less stable than a native code, because it is not designed specifically for the operating system. It is therefore necessary to favor a native mobile application to avoid various bugs and compatibility problems. Many phone-related plug-ins and features are pieces of code made available to developers.
Using these various features can then quickly lead to a dependency on these communities not always posting updated plug-ins in time. As the operating system evolves, the application can therefore quickly become obsolete or malfunction, which can greatly affect its popularity. A problem that we do not encounter in the case of developing a native application.
The different hybrid development technologies
Before starting or hiring a freelancer or agency to develop your hybrid application, it’s a good idea to ask the right questions to ascertain what the professional means by hybrid.
To help you see more clearly, we’ve compiled a list of the different technologies that can be used. You will then be able to get an overview and get an idea of the type of rendering that is possible.
This is how we find web applications and PWAs ported. So-called “HTML5” applications that don’t mention any other names are simply websites ported directly to a mobile version.
This solution is the simplest to set up, but it is also by far the most limited. It is therefore only suitable for simple applications that do not seek to integrate original functionality. A showcase or blog posting application can easily turn to this type of solution.
Then come the hybrid development technologies. Your freelancer or the agency responsible for your project should then tell you about Ionic, Apache Cordova, and PhoneGap. It is important to know that these three technologies are all linked.
Apache Cordova is a so-called free project that will serve as a basis for development on different platforms. The technology relies more on web technologies, namely HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS than on the native code itself.
As for PhoneGap, it is simply a version of Cordova that is maintained and produced entirely by the giant Adobe.
Finally, Ionic Framework is a set of CSS classes but also libraries and many JavaScript modules that rely on AngularJS to enrich Cordova with many features.
Our tip for creating a hybrid application
For create a hybrid app that meets your expectations, there is no doubt that you will need strong skills in mobile application development. Unfortunately, the people who carry out this type of projects do not always have the skills to carry them out, which puts a brake on the development of the project.
It is therefore necessary to turn to a professional who has the skills to carry out this type of development. Cheaper and more flexible, freelancers have a distinct advantage over development agencies, however they are not always trustworthy. For this Codeur.com is a platform that allows you to publish a mission for free and get in touch with dozens of freelance mobile developers in a completely safe way.
You can choose between the different proposals, each with its price, its delivery times and its vision of application development. It costs you nothing, and you quickly receive dozens of quotes to carry out your project from qualified professionals whose opinions you can check by benefiting from the supervision of the platform for maximum security.
By choosing codeur.comyou are assured that the development of your hybrid mobile application is in good hands and you can focus on other activities related to your project to allow it to level up.