MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT: MEANING, TYPES & BENEFITS

What is the Definition or Meaning of Mobile App Development?

Mobile app development refers to the process of creating applications for the mobile devices. Just like web applications, the development of mobile apps is also based on the traditional software development, however, there is a major difference between the two: The mobile apps are developed exclusively to take advantage of the unique hardware features of a specific mobile device, for example, a gaming app could be created specially to take the advantage of the gyroscope sensor, accelerometer of iPhones or the TrueDepth sensor of iPhone X. 

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MOBILE APPS DEVELOPMENT?

The mobile apps can be classified in following ways:

• Platform Wise

• Category Wise

Platform wise Classification of Mobile Apps

• Native Apps (For example, Apps for iOS, Apps for Android, Apps for Windows Platform)

• Hybrid/Cross-Platform Apps (One App for all Mobile Platforms)

• Web Apps (Responsive Version of Web App for all Mobile Devices)

Category wise Classification of Mobile Apps

• Lifestyle Apps

• Social Media Apps

• Utility Apps

• Gaming/Entertainment Apps

• News or Information Outlet Apps

• Enterprise Mobile Apps 

UNDERSTANDING PLATFORM WISE CLASSIFICATION OF MOBILE APPS

Native Apps: 

Native Apps are those mobile apps which are developed exclusively to take the advantage of a specific hardware features of mobile device and its operating system. For example, native apps developed for the iOS platforms (Objective-C or Swift) will work only on the iPhones or iPads. An iOS app will not work on any Android or Windows Mobile Devices or their Operating Systems. Similarly, native apps developed for the Android (Java) will only work on the Android Devices and Operating systems. They will never work on the iOS platforms of the iPhones or iPads or the Windows Mobile Devices or operating systems. 

Hybrid/Cross-Platform Apps :

Hybrid/Cross-Platform apps are those mobile apps which are developed using multiple web technologies (HTML5, CSS & Javascript) so that they can work on all mobile platforms (iOS, Android and Windows) and devices. Basically, hybrid apps are web apps disguised in native wrapper and they rely on the APIs to use the hardware or OS features of different mobile devices.    

Web Apps :

Web apps are basically a responsive version of a web application that works on all mobile devices in a similar fashion. Just like hybrid or cross-platform mobile apps, web apps are also developed in HTML5, Javascript or CSS but they use a browser to run and work only when you have a  good internet connection.

UNDERSTANDING CATEGORY WISE CLASSIFICATION OF MOBILE APPS

Lifestyle Mobile Apps :

The lifestyle mobile apps are those mobile apps which simplify, assist or better your daily lifestyle. Such mobile apps generally belong to the health, fitness, dating, food, music, travel or any other area of your daily lifestyle. Uber, Ola, TripAdvisor and OyoRooms  are some examples of popular lifestyle apps.

Social Media Apps :

Social Media Apps are those mobile apps which allow you to build social groups or communities and keep in touch with them everyday.  Social apps also allow you to communicate (chat, voice call, video call) and share information (such as updates, messages, photos, videos, audios etc.) with the people of your social network and even the common pubic or strangers. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram are some common examples popular social media apps.

Utility Mobile Apps :

Utility mobile apps are those mobile apps which serve a single function that people use often in their daily life. Calculator, Flashlight, Reminder, Weather Apps are some common examples of popular utility mobile apps.

Games/Entertainment Mobile Apps :

Games and entertainment mobile apps are those mobile apps which are developed purely for the entertainment of its users. Angry Birds, Pokemon Go, World Cricket Championship 2, JioTV, JioCinema, Hotstar, Netflix are some common examples of the popular games and entertainment apps respectively. 

Productivity Mobile Apps :

Productivity mobile apps are those mobile apps which help users in doing different tasks quickly, efficiently and conveniently.  Google Docs, Sheets, Word, Excel, Task Scheduler are common examples of popular productivity apps.

News/Information Outlet Mobile Apps :

News or information mobile apps are those mobile apps which provides news and other useful information on your mobile devices in a simple and easy to navigate way.  AajTak App, NDTV, CNN, Fox News, Business Insider, Bhaskar App, TOI App, JioXpress News App, Google Weather App are some common examples of popular News and Information Outlet mobile apps.

Enterprise Mobile Apps :

Enterprise mobile apps are those mobile apps which are developed with an objective to solve the complex problems of an enterprise such as business automation, enterprise mobility, employee productivity, customer satisfaction, business decision  making, enterprise resource planning, human resource management, project management, customer relationship management, payment processing, email marketing system, messaging systems, business intelligence, business continuity, disaster recovery etc. Skype for Business, Google Hangouts, Slack, Wicker, Box, Dropbox or Business, Google Drive, Evernote, Trello, Remember the Milk, Asana, Basecamp 3, Todoist Business, Workfront, GadgetTrak, LastPass Premium, VyprVPN, Camscanner+, Docusign, PrintJinni are some common examples of popular enterprise mobile apps.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MOBILE APPS DEVELOPMENT?

While the mobile apps come with several benefits for their users, the developers of mobile apps can also earn money through app monetization.

Here are several ways you can earn money by developing a mobile app:

Selling User Data to Third Parties :

The most common ways to earn money from your mobile app is collecting the user data and sell it to third parties like advertising agencies. However, if the data isn’t protected properly during the transfer then it can put the data at risk and the cybercriminals can misuse it for the identity theft and targeted attacks. So, you should use this option very carefully at your own risk. Ethically, we don’t not advise you to use this option of app monetization.

In-App Advertising :

In-app advertising is the best way to earn money from your mobile app if you are not charging any money from your app users. However, while the in-app advertising is ethical than selling your app users’ data, it will force you to compromise with the user-experience of your app users because the ads will distract them more often, given the small size of their mobile screens.  

So what are best ethical ways to make money from your mobile app?

The Freemium Model :

Using the Freemium model is the best ethical way to make money from your mobile app. Under this model, you can allow your app users to use a basic version of your app free of charge and offer them a premium version if they want the added value or paid features or functions of your mobile app.

In-App Purchases :

Offering in-app purchases is another ethical way to make money from your mobile app. Under this model, you can give your app users an option to upgrade their free subscription if they want to use the more advanced,    interesting and useful features and functionalities of your mobile app. In-apps purchases is the best way to make money from the gaming apps.   

Free Trial Period :

Offering free trail period to your mobile app users is also the best way to monetize your app. Under this model, you can allow people to use your app for a certain trial period and later charge them if they want to use your app after the free period, But to make money from your app this way, you will need a really awesome mobile app that the people can’t resist to use.

STILL, HAVE SOME DOUBTS OR QUERIES REGARDING MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA, THE UK OR US? 3 EDGE TECHNOLOGIES CAN HELP!

About Company - Headquartered in Jaipur, India with a presence in USA, UK, and Australia, 3 Edge Technologies is a leading mobile app development agency in India. You can hire our experienced mobile app developers for Native iPhone app development, Native Android App Development, Native Windows App Development, Hybrid/Cross Platform Mobile App Development  and Web App Development in India, the UK and US. So what are you waiting for? Call our mobile app developers on the following numbers now.

To Hire Android & iOS Developers in India
Please call +91-92514-88296 or +91-98288-07772

You can also share your app ideas at support@3edgetechnologies.com

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