In a digitally-driven era, mobile computing has caught the attention and has reached the commercial industry and mainstream consumers via media such as smartphones and PDAs. Its quick expansion has almost outpaced the software engineering processes.
Now that the mobile platforms are advancing by each passing day, users are expecting their mobile devices to run desktop computer applications. However, mobile app development is still in discussion due to the challenges.
With this comprehensive guide, you can discover top challenges and best practices in this field, along with details of the software used and more.
Major Issues and Challenges
In this section, we’ll be discussing the most prominent issues and challenges faced by mobile developers these days. These issues are related to both hardware and software-related challenges while building a mobile application
Cross Platform Compatibility
The biggest hurdle is the wide variety of devices, screen sizes, resolutions, OS versions, and hardware specifications. Due to the highly fragmented nature of hardware, software, tools, and technology for mobile application development, developers find it difficult to tick all the factors.
Fun Fact: Android alone operates on over 24,000 device models globally.
Solution: In order to combat platform fragmentation, developers can make the most of cross-platform platforms like React Native, Flutter, and Xamarin. Having them, developers can write code once and then deploy it across multiple platforms. It can result in increased development cycles, complex testing, and greater QA costs.
Varying Hardware Complexities
Smartphones differ drastically in hardware components such as RAM, processor speed, GPU, battery capacity, and sensors. And, the hardware components that require constant changes include memory, speed, graphics processing, etc. Now the challenge is that developers must tweak apps for low-end, mid-range, and flagship devices without giving up functionality.
Also, the developers have to turn off a few software features used by multimedia and graphic mobile apps because they demand large amounts of memory and fast processing speed.
Solution: The solution to this problem is not complex. The developers need to employ adaptive rendering, use device profiling or performance analytics, put extra efforts into memory usage or background tasks, and apply “lite mode” features for low-end devices.
Inexperienced Resources
Developing a mobile app is easy, but it requires certain expertise. A developer should be able to follow the style guidelines and behavioral characteristics of each mobile device. However, a developer should have expertise in domains like UI/UX, mobile app backend development, API integration, cloud services, security, testing frameworks, and DevOps practices.
If the development team lacks experience with platform-specific guidelines, not following best coding practices, is unable to handle advanced integrations, and struggles with architecture patterns like MVVM, Clean Architecture, and Bloc. Then one may fail to stay ahead of the competitive edge.
Solution: To deal with insufficient resources, invest in upskilling through certifications like Google, Apple, or AWS. Work with experienced developers, adopt agile as well as DevOps practices, and conduct regular code reviews.
Data Access
During the mobile app backend development phase, backend integration to different services is a major mobile app development concern. Since any error in software can lead to data loss, it requires prior research, planning, and actual development work.
Besides, mobile app development relies on remote servers, APIs, or cloud platforms to retrieve and store information. Due to this, the user might not have access to stable network conditions. Consequently, frequent network switching causes delays, errors, or data inconsistencies.
Solution: To let the app handle these fluctuations perfectly, developers should employ online-first capabilities, local data caching, and data synchronization once the network connection stabilizes.
Complexity of Testing
When the app is built on so many operating system variants, testing becomes challenging. A developer is supposed to test the app for certain factors, including good user experience, wireless switching, VPN drop or restarts, and switching between applications.
While testing them, if any complexity, such as fluctuating network conditions, battery saver modes, and background task restrictions, is introduced, it will introduce more layers of complexity.
Solution: To manage this, the teams must rely on a mix of real-device testing, cloud-based testing platforms, automated test scripts, and continuous testing pipelines. Doing this will provide more comprehensive coverage and lower the risk of unexpected failures after the release of an app.
User Experience (UX)
There are a lot of disparities in terms of experience on desktop and mobile devices. On mobile devices, gestures, sensors and location data play a key role. So, if the app feels confusing, slow, or difficult to get around, a person will quickly lose interest and may uninstall it. It is because people these days expect intuitiveness, simplicity, speed, and individualized attention. They want an app that “just works” without involving too many steps or complexity.
Solution: To bring out such an experience, a developer can map user journeys, ensure accessibility, minimize load time, and align with the natural behaviors of users. As people say, “killing two birds with one stone”. Similarly, not only does this enhance the user experience, but it also contributes to online reputation management.
User Interface (UI)
User interface is what makes a great user experience. With that said, ensuring that fonts, icons, images, and layouts scale properly on every device makes all the difference. Anyhow, if a person or business is lacking, they must redesign the UI to effectively use the screen and UI paradigms like widgets, touch, physical motion, and keyboard.
In addition, apps must support modern UI considerations such as dark mode, gesture navigation, and high-quality animations.
Solution: A simple solution to tackle challenges related to UI is by following platform design guidelines, the usage of scalable assets, and testing UI across multiple screen densities, which helps developers to maintain a polished and professional appearance.
Integration with Third-Party APIs
These days, businesses often prefer working with apps that rely on third-party services like location-based services, payment gateways, or social media platforms. Meanwhile, relying on such services can further complicate the development because it requires certain compatibility and performance across the app. Plus, these services require strict security compliance, proper encryption, and adherence to privacy guidelines.
Solution: When working with third-party APIs, it’s important to choose a well-documented and reliable service. Also, when the API is integrated, testing out its functionality is important because it makes sure the app behaves as expected under various scenarios.
Software Required For Different Types of Applications
Mobile application development comes with a few overlaps concerning software. Let’s say, to develop an app for iOS, you will need a Mac, for BlackBerry, you need Windows, and for Java-based frameworks, use Eclipse.
Below, you can look at a breakdown for the development environment across platforms:
| Targeted Framework | Software Required |
| Windows Phone 7 | Windows Phone SDK
Visual Studio Express Expression Blend for Windows Phone (Windows only) |
| iOS | xCode 4, iOS SDK
xCode 4.1, IOS SDK (on Mac OS X 107) (Mac Only) |
| Blackberry | Eclipse, BlackBerry Plugin, BlackBerry Simulator (only works on Windows) |
| Android | Eclipse, Android SDK |
| Titanium | Titanium Studio, Titanium Mobile SDK
+ Android software + iOS software |
| PhoneGap | PhoneGap Plugin + iOS software (Mac only) + Android software + Windows Phone 7 software (Windows only) |
| Any Framework Text Editors | TextMate (Mac)
Notepad++ (Windows) |
Mobile Development Today
Today, there are four major development targets. Among them, Blackberry is typically used in the education and government sectors. Meanwhile, the user base of iPhone and Android is across the board. And, you can consider Windows Phone 7 as a newcomer, which is mostly used by developers and hasn’t necessarily hit its stride yet.
In the past, iOS technology ran on Apple mobile devices and had a base language, including Objective-C with Cocoa Touch as the interface layer. But today, this technology has been developed by using Apple’s XCode, which can run only on a Macintosh.
The Android framework today is written in Java and can be developed further with any of its tools. Today, the tools recommended by Google and the Android community are Eclipse with the Android toolkit.
Despite this, the BlackBerry framework is currently written in Java as well, but it has limitations because the distribution and emulator tools are currently only compatible with Windows. Lastly, the newest framework, Windows Phone 7, sits on top of Microsoft’s .NET Framework. The language it runs on is C#, and the framework lies in a subset of Silverlight, Microsoft’s multiplatform web technology.
Conclusion
There’s no wrong in saying that developing a successful mobile app is a challenging task, which involves various hurdles such as dealing with many different devices, keeping performance fast, and making sure the app is secure.
However, to succeed in this, developers need a human-centred approach and clever solutions, like cross-platform tools and secure coding. When you have your focus on what users really need and use the right technology, you can build amazing, helpful apps that genuinely make people’s lives better.
FAQs
Q1: What are the 7 stages of app development?
A: The seven stages of mobile app development start with ideation or planning. Then comes wireframes, technical feasibility and back-end assessment, prototyping, designing, developing, testing, and deployment. The step that we usually don’t count is “maintenance” because it’s an ongoing task.
Q2: How can I develop my own mobile app?
A: To develop your own app, one should start with a clear concept and target audience. Then, make a note of the features you will require. And, finally, hire a leading web development solution provider like iSearchSolution to see your dream app come into existence.
Q3: What are the major languages a developer uses for app development?
A: The most widely used programming languages are:
- For iOS Apps: Swift and Objective-C.
- For Android Apps: Kotlin and Java.
- For Cross-Platform Apps: JavaScript, Dart, or C#, along with frameworks like React Native, Flutter, or Xamarin.
The choice of the language is based on the platform, needs, and developmental approach.
Q4: How to develop a backend for mobile apps?
A: For that, you have to select an appropriate technology. It could be node. JS, Python, or Ruby on Rails. Up next, set up a server and database to keep track of data storage and retrieval. Lastly, develop APIs to encourage clear communication between the mobile app and the backend.
Q5: What tools do developers commonly use to build mobile applications?
A: The tools a developer might use for the development of a mobile app compatible with different technologies include:
- For iOS: Xcode, CocoaPods, Flutter, Android Studio, Coderunner (IDE and editor), BuildFire, Firebase, Alpha Anywhere, Fastlane, etc.
- For Android Apps: Android Studio, the official IDE, Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Flutter, React Native, Xamarin, Android Debug Bridge (adb), and more.
- Cross-Platform Frameworks: Ionic, PhoneGap/Apache Cordova, Unity, Titanium Appcelerator, MAUI (Multi-platform App UI), and Sencha Ext JS.