If we think of cross-platform apps as translations (one source codebase that is then adapted to fit multiple different operating systems, or languages) then building native apps is like taking the same story and asking different authors to write it directly in their native languages. While the stories may vary more, they’re also more true to each culture; they resonate more with the audience.

Likewise, native mobile apps take advantage of the special features and idiosyncrasies of each OS, creating a more seamless, integrated experience for the end user.

While cross-platform approaches tend to be more quick and cost-effective, native mobile app development can deliver better performance, better control over UI, immediate access to built-in features, and in some cases, improved user experience.

As experienced designers and developers (not authors or translators), we’re here to explain what native mobile app development is, including its advantages, challenges, and key considerations. 

What is native mobile app development?

A native mobile application’s user interface is expressly designed for one specific mobile operating system. That means we code using the programming language native to the device. For instance, there’s Swift for iOS and Kotlin or Java for Android. 

Whether it’s Android, iOS, or Windows, each of these platforms boasts its own unique development tools, software development kits, interface elements, features, and so on. While there may be some crossover from one to the other, they’re not analogs. 

Native development treats each platform as a unique entity, designing the app from the ground up with that specific platform’s architecture, constraints, and tools in mind. In doing so, we can provide the user with more functionality and an improved experience, especially when dealing with device-specific features that rely on the phone’s camera, microphone, LiDAR scanner, and so on.

Addressing misconceptions: React Native isn’t native at all

Before we continue any further, it’s important to dispel any confusion with native development. A common (and understandable) misconception is that React Native is a way to build a native app. 

React Native apps attempt to mimic the look and feel of native apps while using an open-source framework, web applications for development, and a single universal codebase. We can create a bridge that communicates with native platform-specific code to render the UI and handle platform-specific functionality, which can give the (inaccurate) impression of a truly native app.

This may make it faster and easier to build and deploy the app across multiple platforms; however, this can come at the cost of long-term performance, since React Native apps won’t have immediate access to all native features with new OS updates. 

What’s the history of native apps? 

During the primitive days of the first mobile smartphones, the vast majority of apps were web-based, meaning they ran inside the device’s web browser. But the release of the original iPhone in 2007 marked a new era in mobile app development, creating a paradigm shift within mobile app design philosophy. 

Apple iOS empowered developers to create free or paid apps for all users using the Objective-C programming language and the Cocoa Touch framework. And with iOS 2.0, Apple unveiled its App Store, boasting up to 500 apps upon release. 

According to Mac Stories, by 2009, “The native app SDK grew substantially, shipping with 1,000 new APIs, unlocking new functionality and allowing new types of apps. By the time this press event rolled around, the App Store had been live for eight months, and was home to 25,000 apps, racking up 800 million downloads.”

The success of the App Store encouraged other platforms such as Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and Google Android to release their own operating systems, all of which also supported native app development.

Today, the evolution of native mobile app development has only continued apace, with a flood of new tools, frameworks, and programming languages emerging. 

For many, it has become the gold standard for high-quality mobile apps. It isn’t necessarily the right choice for every digital product though. To learn more about your app, connect with the Utility team for our best recommendation to develop an end product that checks your boxes and delivers for your end users.

What are the benefits of developing native mobile applications?

A native design approach offers several benefits, especially compared to a hybrid, web, or React Native development. Having built digital products of all types using various methodologies, these are some of the advantages that we notice most often:

• Better UX (in certain cases) – Native apps can take full advantage of the platform-specific features and capabilities, resulting in a more tailored and immersive UX. This applies especially when an app's functionality relies on features that are exclusive to the native platform. Think QR code scanner, augmented reality, voice recognition, and the like.

• Access to all updates immediately – App developers regularly release updates and patches that add new features and improvements while correcting for bugs. Native apps are designed to be compatible with new integrations upon release and can be immediately improved to adjust to or take advantage of these new features. 

• Better performance – With native, you don’t have to think about cross-platform functionality; you’re developing each separately with crossover only in terms of UI and design. As such, native apps are optimized for compatibility with a specific platform. They can therefore interact directly with the device’s software and hardware components, which results in a faster, smoother, and more seamless experience with quicker load times.

• Enhanced security – Native apps must undergo a rigorous review process by app stores to be made available for download. Furthermore, they’re able to leverage platform-specific security features to better ensure user privacy and data protection. 

• Greater control over UI elements – Native development makes it possible to unlock the raw power of a phone, allowing for greater control over the app’s UI while aligning the user experience with the OS's standards. The result? A more natural and intuitive flow from one page or command to another. 

• Fewer bugs – Generally speaking, it’s a much greater juggling act to maintain two different applications in one codebase than two applications in two codebases. Between platform-specific development and access to platform-specific APIs, native apps often have fewer compatibility or performance issues. 

• Offline capabilities – Native apps function flawlessly and store data whether they’re connected to the internet or not, which is especially important for apps that require continuous access. 

What are the challenges of native development? 

Native development is preferred by many, but it’s certainly not the only option, nor is it always the best one. As with any choice, there are tradeoffs that we have to consider before making a decision. 
For example, a few inherent challenges of native development include: 

• High development costs – Let’s say you want to release an application to the general public using a native framework. In that case, you’d need to build the app from scratch at least two times to accommodate Apple and Android users. Each app will run on a different codebase, follow a different development framework, and will likely require a specialist in the platform-specific language. Naturally, deploying two teams working on different platforms will cost more than hiring a single cross-platform team. 

• Longer development timelines – Developing and maintaining separate codebases for different platforms will likely result in longer development cycles, especially when there are updates or new features to be implemented. The work of one platform can’t simply be duplicated for another. Similarly, solves for one type of issue on Android may not be applicable to iOS.

• App Store approvals – Native apps need to pass a rigorous review process before they can launch on the App Store or Google Play. This can be a time-consuming process, especially if there are issues that need to be corrected before gaining approval.  

• Updates and bug fixes – While native development often results in fewer overall bugs, the fact that they have unique codebases means that developers must manage updates and bug fixes independently for both iOS and Android, which can drain resources more quickly. 

When is native mobile app development the best choice?

As always, the right answer can also be the most frustrating one: it depends. 

Generally speaking, native app development is the best choice when creating a habit-forming app or when a more immersive and feature-rich experience is required.

Native is particularly important for games, augmented reality apps, or apps that rely heavily on the device’s built-in components or APIs only available to native apps. 

Our approach is always to assess each digital product independently to determine the best choice for your ultimate vision, end users, timeline, budget, and preferences. Get in touch today to talk through your options.

What are the future trends for native apps?

We’ve seen a lot of mobile apps across our workspaces—native and otherwise—and while we can only speculate, we’re starting to see some major trends emerge that will almost certainly influence native development over the next decade: 

• “TikTok-ification” – TikTok’s wild global success has changed how content is consumed. This will likely result in a corresponding design philosophy shift toward the short-form video and vertical scroll.

• Shrunken content – Content is continuously being summarized and shrunken into bite-sized, navigable pieces. For example, YouTube’s Chapter feature allows users to skip to certain parts of the content. Likewise, Medium offers a similar “jump to section” feature.

• Rise of AR — There’s already a major design shift away from designing for screens and toward designing for the world, which has led to a big push for the use of no-code tools like Airtable, Webflow, Zappier, and ChatGPT. 

Native development with Utility; the natural choice

By building apps from scratch to accommodate the unique features and capabilities of each platform, we’re also building apps that feel immediately intuitive and natural. 

If you’re looking for a native app, or an assessment of whether native is right for you, we can guide you through the decision-making and eventual development process with ease. Our team has already made native applications for enterprise brands like Airbnb, Bleacher Report, and Samsung, and we can work with you to do the same. 

What does the native mobile app development process look like at Utility? Contact us today to connect with our team.