For businesses that are looking forward to developing a mobile app, in the present scenario, a lot of factors need to be considered. The situation was entirely different when mobile apps were first introduced in the market. The customers who used smartphones were limited and the number of apps were also very few. However, in the present scenario, every person who has a mobile phone has a smartphone which comes with at least a bunch of built in apps. The competition has risen to a level where even small businesses are opting to develop an exclusive app, which will bring the brand close to their target customers. With Android and Apple iOS conquering the mobile world, people use smartphones that run on either of these operating systems. This is also applicable for mobile apps. Apps that are built these days are either made specifically for Android or Apple or for both the platforms. Before developing an app that is native to either one of the platforms or a Hybrid one that is compatible to both platforms companies that are venturing into creating an app should be familiar with the below mentioned recommendations so that they can take a call on where to publish the app, Google play store or Apple app store.
Target audience: Experts suggest that companies venturing into creating an app in Maryland should at first stick to creating Native apps that work for either Android or iOS based on the target audiences of the app because launching an app on a wrong platform is like neglecting the real users and it will definitely not do any good for the app or the company in terms of generating revenue or building the brand image. iOS is a closed ecosystem, which means that Apple regulates the entry to the platform. While this aspect ensures security as every content is only compatible with devices that are supported by this ecosystem, this also increases the cost of the Apple devices. This might not be feasible from a customer’s perspective who is unable to afford Apple devices. Therefore, if a developer is creating an app that will be used by customers who use Android devices, which according to them is customizable and less expensive, then the best idea is to publish the app on Google Play Store.
Flexibility: The advantage to developing your app on a closed ecosystem like Apple’s means that there is more control and stability as the developer is only allowed to use the available features. However, this does not leave any room for improvisations or customization and thus there are many restrictions in place for the developer. This might also sometimes affect the look and functionality of the app. Customers on the other hand are more inclined towards feature-focus apps that are clearly possible only if the app is developed in an Android platform. There is ample room for developer innovation in Android platforms and as the code for the platform is available for free, it can be easily transferred to any hardware. This in turn makes the app development process less expensive several times when considered to develop for iOS. But being an open ecosystem the presence of bugs in Android iOS is more and there the chances of updates getting blocked is more.
Revenue: Coding the app separately for both Android and iOS is a long and expensive affair that many startup app development companies creating an app in Maryland cannot afford. It is also important to have a clear idea regarding the revenue generated by developing an app for both the developer as well as the client. There are multiple methods like In-app purchases, subscriptions, advertisements etc that help in making money from the app. Depending on which strategy the client would like to implement decides the platform that the developer will prefer to publish the app. Apple users are used to seeing more paid apps while downloading. So, if the client wants to make money by charging for downloads, the Apple App Store is the place to do it. It will be an expensive strategy that eventually works fine because it ensures customer loyalty. Moreover, this is also a method to make all the money at once. However, Android users are not used to paying for downloading the apps but are ok with In-app purchases and subscriptions. Even though the chances of making a significant amount of money is less, as the market is dominated by Android users the revenue generated will be constant and availability of free downloads means more customers.
Security and maintenance: Most of the android users use outdated OS versions and therefore maintenance is not simple. This, however, also tends to block many updates from operators which is also a reason why android OS is less secure. Android being an open ecosystem even though it is a commonly preferred OS also makes it susceptible to bug attacks. On the other hand, Apple users always have an updated version of iOS, which makes it easy to be maintained and at the same time also makes it secure. In addition to this apple also has a closed ecosystem, which even though imposes many restrictions to developers as well as users, maintains high-level security.
It is, therefore, extremely difficult to judge which OS is the best for mobile app development. There are situations that favor Apple as well as others that make sense only when Android is used. The cost of development that the client can afford, the features that he/she wants to implement in the app and most importantly the target audiences should be the major factors on the basis of which the decision needs to be taken. As far as a developer is considered, their expertise of building apps on different platforms can also vary, which is also one of the reasons to be considered.
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