The number of smartphone users shows an increasing trend. As per Statista, there will be approximately 7 billion mobile users by 2020. As per the App Annie report for 2017 to 2022, annual mobile app downloads will be 258 billion. And that is a 45 % increase in what was achieved in 2017.

With this kind of growth in the mobile app industry, it becomes difficult for the mobile app development to decide whether to go for a hybrid or native app development. It is only possible when they consider the pros and cons of each of these types of mobile apps.

In this post, we will highlight the points to consider before making a hybrid mobile app.

What is Hybrid App?

A hybrid app is a blend between both native and web solutions. The core of the application is written using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This application is encapsulated within the native application.

However, the app runs from within a native application and its embedded browser, that is invisible to the user. The hybrid apps use a web view control (WebView on Android and UIWebView on iOS) for presenting HTML and JavaScript files in full-screen formats. It uses a native browser rendering engine. For Android and iOS, the browser rendering engine is WebKit.

The code is embedded in a native application wrapper and uses a solution like Apache Cordova (also known as PhoneGap) or Ionic Capacitor. A native shell application is created with the solutions. The application is actually a part of the WebView component for the platform for loading the application.

The apps comprise of two main parts. The first part is the back-end code with the languages mentioned above. The other part is the native shell for making the apps downloadable.

The developers choose hybrid mobile apps by using a single codebase for multiple mobile platforms. The developers make use of web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and prefer not to write native code separately for multiple platforms.

Now, we arrive at all those important reasons why hybrid mobile app development is a priority.

What are the Points to consider for Hybrid Mobile App Development Approach in 2019?

Here are some of the points to consider:

Consider Native Functionality

It is possible to have a hybrid app with native functionalities but only after careful consideration. The wrapper in a hybrid app enables to install of the app with the right framework such as Cordova, Phonegap. Other than the frameworks, the developers can use packages and libraries for incorporating native functionality in a hybrid app. So, an app with a native behavior needs to write own code or find out a functional library.

However, there is a negative element, while considering this point. It takes time for writing a native library for each of the targeted frameworks.

2. Reduce Application Development Delay

The time for application development of hybrid apps is much lesser than that of native app development as they use web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. On the other hand, native app development uses languages of the likes of Swift for iOS and Java for Android.

3. Choose the right Framework

There is a wide range of hybrid app frameworks and not all have a sure future ahead of them. The frameworks are usually similar and it is unusual to have one framework building the app and yet another for rebuilding the same. The decision to choose the right framework must be wisely taken.

4. Know the Performance Pitfalls

Here are some of the key performance issues for Hybrid app, and the development company must be well aware of the pitfalls.

Animations:

Lesser fluidity for animations when used in hybrid apps.

Memory Usage

WebView used by hybrid apps causes substantial memory issues.

App Fluidity

Page and Stage transitions in hybrid apps cause sluggishness in apps. Slide tray open animation horribly fails with these apps.

5. Consider Employee Skill Sets

When compared with a native app, your organization needs developers with Objective-C or Java programming background. Hybrid app development requires fewer skill sets for this.

6. Faster Time to Market

It has a faster time to market when compared with the native app development.

7. Allow Enterprise Agility

The WebViews in the hybrid apps helps the enterprises to remain Agile. This is for content/features requiring constant iterations. The native codes have an arduous process of submitting the app updates for the minutest of changes.

Conclusion

Hybrid app development does not need to develop separate versions for Android or iOS, and it reduces the development cost. Cliffex is a renowned Hybrid Mobile App Development and Web Application Development Studio. If the primary concern for your organization is an easier development approach, compatibility across platforms and cost-effectiveness then Cliffex is the right choice.