Quick Summary: The revolutionary world of smartphones and tablets has been the mechanism to revolutionize the way business is done. With people using it on the go, organizations must focus on developing top-notch mobile apps. There are several tools and technologies available today that allow an organization to come up with its own mobile app. But then again, there is no one-size-fits-all approach as each app can be created to cater to different audiences depending on the purpose it serves. The best part about building a hybrid app is that it offers flexibility to develop an app for both Android and iOS platforms using a single codebase platform thus making businesses save time and money.

What is Hybrid Mobile App Development?

Hybrid app development means a combination of native code and the browser-valid HTML5 code. Hybrid apps allow data to be synchronized with a remote server in real-time, through WebSockets. This lets browsers deliver what they like, when they like, instead of forcing users to download everything. Hybrid applications are almost perfect for businesses that want an enterprise application but have little capital. A hybrid app can thus become an effective mobile interface for your business.

Hybrid app frameworks were designed to help developers create applications that can be run in multiple ways including native apps, mobile web apps, or hybrid apps. A hybrid app framework supports different types of applications in a single code base. This structure makes it easier and faster to develop your application. A hybrid app framework has various features including top-notch performance, advanced functionalities, great user interface, and more. These features improve the overall user experience by eliminating hassles when moving between devices.

The Biggest Advantages of Hybrid Apps

Instant access: Hybrid apps combine the usability of a website with the functionality of a native application. This helps businesses to engage with customers on multiple platforms and allows customers to access your brand from anywhere. Hybrid apps use HTML5 code to provide a rich mobile experience that is responsive to any device. By using platform-agnostic code, you can deploy your app faster, easier, and cheaper than other app development methods.

Cross-platform: The main reason why businesses choose hybrid mobile app development over native app development is because it allows them to run a single codebase across heterogeneous devices with minimal modifications. In other words, you can have a shared set of code between iOS, Android, and Windows apps.

One-size-fits-all: Hybrid apps combine the best of web technology and mobile technology into one package. When compared to native applications, this web-based approach helps companies minimize time, resources, and costs for building an app. Think of it this way: developing an iOS app can take three months on average while a hybrid app would involve building only the custom UI elements of the application and not its general functionality. This saves time, cost, and effort — all that’s needed is basic web development skills.

Offline access: Hybrid apps are one kind of app that can be a great alternative to mobile websites. Some of these apps may allow offline access to some parts of the data stored in local storage, such as user manuals, or other various information that would be useful for a user if they were disconnected. The reasons for this are obvious – people like to use their mobile devices even when they’re disconnected from the internet, and allowing them access to something like a user manual will help boost satisfaction for these users.

Easy maintenance: Hybrid mobile apps are easier to develop than native mobile apps, and also easier to maintain in the long term. Hybrid apps have an advantage as they are mainly coded in HTML5 and JavaScript and have access to all the necessary libraries. They can also access native platform APIs without manually developing a bridge between them.

Affordable: Hybrid apps are a great option for businesses with a small budget. In general, it’s much cheaper to develop a hybrid app than an iOS or Android app. Hybrid apps also have another advantage: they are easier to maintain than their native counterparts, and that makes them more cost-effective.

No need for approval: Web apps offer a quick and easy way to develop software that can be accessed through any computer or mobile device. When launching a web app, there is no need to go through the lengthy approval process offered by Apple and Google with their app stores. Web apps don’t require approval, making them the ideal choice for businesses looking to launch their software quickly.

Automatic updates: One of the biggest advantages of a hybrid app is that your developer can make changes or release updates instantly. With native apps, you have no control over these things: submitting changes to the app store could take weeks, and users are then forced to download an outdated version of your app while they wait for final approval. With a hybrid app, developers can make changes instantly and deliver them in real-time.

Drawbacks of Hybrid Apps

Limited functionality: Hybrid apps are better than native apps because they can offer some of the advantages of both native and mobile web browsers. But this doesn’t mean that hybrid apps are always better than native apps. Hybrid apps are limited in their capabilities, and you have to keep certain things in mind when choosing a hybrid app development company.

Browser needed: You can get your app on users’ home screens by using a shortcut or bookmark. If you do this, you’ll also need to communicate how to get to the content within the app to the people who use it. Using a native app is easier, provided you’re willing to learn and follow Apple’s and Google’s development standards and guidelines.

Discoverability: As mentioned briefly, making your app discoverable and engaging for users can be challenging without a presence on an App Store. Employ creative marketing strategies to entice users to bookmark your app or create a shortcut on their mobile device.

User management: When it comes to squeezing the most out of your users, nothing is more valuable than their data. Analytics and user behavior insights can reveal critical information about how to best optimize your app and improve the experience for future users. The challenge lies in driving non-UX-related actions like logging in without impacting the overall user experience.

Conclusion

Hybrid mobile apps are becoming ever more popular as a feasible and cost-effective option for native mobile app development. Seamless applications can be created for both Android and iOS with a purely web-based hybrid application. However, efficient hybrid development can prove hard, especially when choosing the wrong tools, building for the wrong environment, or not fully grasping the mechanics of cross-platform app development.
At Brain Inventory, we provide a unique blend of skills and expertise that can help your company achieve a competitive edge. Our expert hybrid app developers deliver custom hybrid apps using the most innovative tools in the industry. We create hybrid apps that work quickly for your customers and provide value-added services to differentiate you from the competition.