# Development

How to Build Cross-Platform Mobile Apps?

Red Rocket teamJun 26, 20256 min read

According to recent statistics, in the US, more than 57% of the population uses iPhones. At the same time, Android gadgets have the upper hand in many other countries. What should large companies do to create a mobile app that will be accessible to the entire target audience? Surely, one solution is to simply develop two similar apps for different operating systems. However, this will require you to invest a huge amount of money and make it difficult to manage them. That's why cross-platform mobile development, which has become increasingly popular in recent years, is considered the best solution.

It allows entrepreneurs not to divide users into Android and iOS device owners. Cross-platform mobile apps mean that they are available for users on multiple operating systems. However, this type of development has many peculiarities and nuances, so we recommend reading this article to the very end!

What is Cross-Platform Mobile App Development?

Let's start this article with a clear definition of the cross-platform app development term. This is a strategy, aiming to create a mobile app that will be available on multiple mobile operating systems. Here are the main characteristics of cross-platform mobile apps:

Available for iOS and Android;
Works the same way on all devices;
Saves financial resources and time;
Requires special knowledge in the field of development.

Simply speaking, you don't have to worry about expensive development for both Android and iOS devices. This way, you can create a single solution that works the same way on different smartphones.

Advantages of Cross-Platform App Development

Undoubtedly, the main benefit of this approach is saving money. There is no need to invest in creating several identical applications. However, this is not the only reason why companies choose this strategy. There are many other benefits of cross-platform mobile development, which we will share with you below.

Reusable Code

It is very useful that the same code can be used across multiple platforms. Experts can design an app that works on many platforms. So, there is no need to build each version separately. Taking a single approach helps build apps more easily and keeps their design the same on various platforms.

Code that is shared between devices allows businesses to progress faster and lessens the chances of bugs limited to one kind of platform. It also makes it easier to achieve clean architecture, since both logic and UI pieces can be used many times.

Time Savings

Creating apps that work on various platforms saves a lot of time in development. Instead of handling two separate teams for building the app, businesses can create a single cycle that fits both platforms. Therefore, the process to release MVPs and update them with new features is quicker.

Decreased time taken to write code means reduced testing and deployment time as well. With less development in multiple branches, fixing bugs or releasing updates becomes easier because they can cover all platforms at the same time. On average, it takes about 4 months to build a mobile cross-platform application.

Optimized Resource Allocation

With cross-platform development, IT specialists use their time, expertise, and budget efficiently. Because a single team works on both iOS and Android development, it is easier to coordinate and reduces the expenses. It becomes especially useful for smaller companies that have limited resources and people.

Recruiting is also made easier, as Flutter and React Native help developers satisfy all mobile needs. This brings down the expenses of recruitment and reduces the importance of hiring native experts. All in all, teams can pay greater attention to innovation and less to addressing unique platform issues.

Exciting Prospects for Developers

Cross-platform support allows developers to use advanced tools, plugins, and socialize with like-minded people. They may learn about modern approaches, participate in open-source projects, and lead the way in mobile innovations, all while being able to code for multiple platforms.

Professional tools provide a smooth development experience, enable fast code updates, and offer useful debugging features. As a result, developers can test changes, make improvements, and provide solutions to users as soon as possible. Being able to make apps for both systems with a similar set of tools motivates professionals to learn and helps their careers.

Expand Your Audience Reach

Companies that use cross-platform apps can appear on both iOS and Android systems at the same time. It helps them reach audiences right from the beginning. As a result, everyone in the audience can connect, increasing the chances for growth, improvement, and user attention.

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What are The Challenges of Cross-Platform Development?

It's no secret that any technology and approach has both advantages and disadvantages. Cross-platform mobile development is no exception. Such a solution can cause some problems and difficulties, ranging from reduced performance to possible security issues. You should familiarize yourself with all the disadvantages of this approach in advance.

Reduced Performance Compared to Native Apps

Cross-platform apps usually can’t keep up with the efficiency and speed of fully native apps. Why is it so? Quite simple - they depend on abstracted codes and similar runtimes, animation, and real-time data handling may be unresponsive. This issue is most obvious in gaming, AR or apps where people expect a smooth transition. It is common to use native programming when speed is of utmost importance.

Restricted Access to Platform-Specific Features

A few advanced features may be difficult to use or not supported in cross-platform frameworks. Often, developers must work with native modules or use third-party plugins, which causes extra work and complicates maintenance. Slow innovation and related changes in app features may happen if the quick use of the latest operating system features is essential.

Generic and Less Customizable User Interface

It can be challenging to provide highly customized user interfaces when using frameworks that support multiple platforms. Although they are fast due to their built-in components, they tend not to offer as much customization as the regular tools do. Because of this, apps might seem slightly different or out of place on each operating system, missing the details users look for.

Potential Security Vulnerabilities

When code in a project is shared and packages from third-party sources are used, security issues can appear. At times, cross-platform frameworks may take longer to implement the latest security updates compared to native platforms. At the same time, addressing security problems on both iOS and Android takes more time, as they can be complicated. If cross-platform developers don't stick to strict coding, this approach can lead to less security.

Inconsistent User Experience Across Platforms

Even with shared logic, behavior across platforms can vary due to differences in OS design, navigation patterns, and performance characteristics. Cross-platform apps may struggle to fully align with platform-specific guidelines, leading to UX inconsistencies. What feels intuitive on Android might seem awkward on iOS, and vice versa.

The Most Popular Cross-Platform Solutions

As you may have already realized, cross-platform applications have many strengths. However, the process of creating them from scratch is more complicated than developing a regular application for a single operating platform. That's why cross-platform mobile app development requires the use of special technological solutions. We would like to tell you below about how React Native, Flutter, and Kotlin Multiplatform help in this kind of app development.

React Native

Meta created React Native, which enables developers to build mobile apps. Your application is converted into native code, which lets it run quickly using familiar web dev methods. Being built on a huge community, being able to reuse parts, and including native modules are the reasons it’s great for startups and established companies. Thanks to its quick performance, versatility, and seamless integrations with various platforms, React Native is highly popular among cross-platform frameworks.

Flutter

Flutter is a UI toolkit developed by Google. It stands out due to its widgets being expressive, development is quick thanks to hot reload, and designs are sharp everywhere. Flutter is ideal for creating unique user interfaces and applications that perform efficiently. Because it supports mobile, web, and desktop and is part of a lively ecosystem, it can be used by many teams aiming for a uniform design.

Kotlin Multiplatform

Kotlin Multiplatform allows developers to share business logic across Android, iOS, and more while keeping native UIs. It’s perfect for teams that want platform-specific design but shared code efficiency. Since Kotlin is already the preferred language for Android, adoption is seamless for many developers. With growing support from the community and official tools, Kotlin Multiplatform is becoming a solid choice for scalable, long-term projects.

How to Develop Cross-Platform Mobile Apps?

If you want to develop cross-platform mobile apps on your own, you need to know about many technical things. Moreover, it is also important to make the right plan and approach. We want to share 4 steps for successful cross-platform app development.

Capture your goal. Clearly outline the app’s purpose, core features, and target platforms to guide all future development decisions;
Build a prototype. Design an interactive prototype to visualize the user flow, test ideas early, and gather feedback before coding;
Move on to development. Use your chosen cross-platform framework to build the app with shared logic and platform-optimized UI components;
Test and launch. Perform thorough testing across devices, fix issues promptly, and deploy simultaneously to app stores.

Obviously, you shouldn't forget about the ongoing support of the application. It requires regular intervention of specialists: performance monitoring, bug fixing, and implementation of important updates.

Final Thoughts

Cross-platform app development is a solution that can significantly save business financial resources and bring new customers. In this way, you unite Android and iOS users in one place. Certainly, today this field is still actively developing, and a lot of new technologies are emerging. React Native, Flutter, and Kotlin Multiplatform are the best technology solutions for cross-platform mobile apps. What if you have no development experience at all? No need to worry, as you can delegate this task to qualified professionals. At Red Rocket, we have vast experience in native and cross-platform development. We will help you find and create the best solution for you.

Frequently asked questions

Is It Possible to Use Native Features in Cross-Platform Apps?

Yes, absolutely! Using modern development frameworks for apps on multiple mobile operating systems, you have many options, including the use of native features. For example, this can cover engaging the device's camera for additional reality, real-time route guidance, and more. Using popular development tools and app development frameworks, a development team can effectively utilize a programming language suited for both web development and native app development. The advantage of cross-platform development lies in the efficiency of building cross-platform mobile applications that work seamlessly across mobile devices like phones while minimizing the need for separate native development.

How Much Does Cross-Platform App Development Cost?

Custom cross-platform mobile app development services usually start from 30 thousand dollars and can reach 100 thousand dollars. The final cost depends on the characteristics of the project: functions, integrations, design, additional features, and much more. In any case, creating a cross-platform app is a cost-effective solution. Developing mobile apps for Android and iOS devices may require twice as much investment from you.

Is It Feasible to Migrate a Native App to a Cross-Platform Framework?

Yes, it is possible. If you have felt the need for a cross-platform app, you can migrate. However, it requires the involvement of experienced mobile app development specialists. Migrating a native app to a cross-platform framework is a feasible option for many organizations. By leveraging mobile application development technologies, teams can use cross-platform mobile tools to create cross-platform apps that run on multiple mobile platforms. This approach often reduces the development process time and costs.

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