Software engineers never go broke. Unless they decide to live a carefree life and not utilize the precious knowledge they have. Software engineers mostly develop mobile apps. The fancy codes which remind us of the Matrix seem too much to comprehend for the layman and are written by skillful software masters.
There are more than 307 million smartphone users in the US alone. And one phone has multiple apps. This shows us the demand for apps and app developers. And the number mentioned before is just for the US. And the US is only one country out of some 195 from around the world.
Developing an app is not a knucklehead’s cup of tea. It requires years of practice and learning to achieve what the brains behind the apps on your phone have done.
Please note that explaining the procedure of developing an app can be very difficult, and the learner might fall asleep or pull off his hair in the process. But the truth is once you get the knack of it, you’ll be simply one step ahead of your friends and colleagues.
There are many technologies to develop mobile apps, and Xamarin, which this blog is about, is one of the most widely used and famous.
Xamarin Cross platform app development is the need of the hour. Because apps have got a special place in our hearts. We literally do everything in our lives with the help of apps. From alarm apps that help us wake up in the morning to exercise apps that count our steps and give us an accurate account of what should be our daily calorie intake.
What is Meant by Cross-Platform Mobile Apps?
Have you ever noticed that an app you use every day is only available on your phone and not on other platforms? By platforms, we mean iOS, android, windows, etc. Maybe it’s a game or an app related to fitness. Whatever the app is about, if it is available across all platforms, it is known as a cross-platform app. Some famous examples of cross-platform apps are Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
There are many advantages of using cross-platform apps. One is that the data is safe when the phone gets lost. Data privacy is one of the biggest things when it comes to apps. So if you are a cross-platform app user, then bingo!
When it comes to cross-platform apps, iOS, or we should say Apple is strict. Apps such as uTorrent are not supported on iOS, but Android is very lenient. Android users enjoy the availability of more apps than iOS. But still, many people have made iOS their favorite choice of technology.
Xamarin is a top cross-platform app development software and is used worldwide.
What is Xamarin?
A development platform that allows writing of cross-platform applications for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. The magic is done by C# which binds to native Android and iOS APIs. Because of this, you get to use all of Android’s and iOS’ native user interface, notifications, animation, graphics, and other phone features.
The thing which makes Xamarin so top-notch is that with each new release of Android software or iOS update, Xamarin provides its very own updated version, which has bindings for its particular APIs.
The .NET of Xamarin’s port includes features such as generics, data types, language-integrated query (LINQ), delegates, asynchronous programming patterns, and a subset of Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). Only the referenced components are included by the libraries managed.
Other UI bindings and the Windows Phone API is a layer below Xamarin. Forms that provides a complete cross-platform user interface library.
There are several other cross-platform app developing softwares such as Flutter, etc. But Xamarin is endorsed by the top tech companies in the world.
Mobile app development firm such as ours can help you with your app development endeavors. We have got years of experience, and our staff consists of expert app developers.
Why Xamarin?
First, You must understand how mobile apps are written to comprehend how Xamarin works. Develops can write three types of apps, namely
- Native
- Web apps
- Combination
Native Apps
Native Apps work on the mobile device directly. They can avail the facilities of the device’s hardware, such as cameras and sensors. Feature-rich and interactive are the qualities of native apps. This approach, although good, requires developers to learn a specific language for each platform: Objective-C for iOS and Java for Android.
Web Apps
Web apps, on the other hand, are apps that work on the web browser. All you have to do is launch the web browser and enter the desired URL. Since they work with the help of URLs, hardware usage is limited in these types of apps. The functions and interaction are less as compared to native apps. This usability limitation means their UI must be written to the lowest-common-denominator. But the advantage of using this way is that Web apps are relatively simple (and cheaper) to build. Developers simply need to know HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.
Combination
The third take on building apps is to merge both approaches: Use native code for parts of the code that need to access particular device hardware features and use Web languages (HTML, JavaScript, and CSS) for what’s left. Yes, this approach is interesting, but hybrid apps suffer from performance issues, and are not easily scalable as the user base increases.
How To Create Cross-Platform Apps Using Xaramin.iOS
So what exactly is the process of developing a cross-platform app? We start with the code. The code written is either for iOS or Android and at the end is shared across multiple platforms so the app becomes available on multiple platforms. In order to develop cross-platform applications with Xamarin, you have to choose any one of the following types of projects:
- Shared Project
- Portable Class Library (PCL)
Next, a PCL is sorted into separate DLLs (don’t worry, these are technical terms explained in the link below) and handed Mono during runtime. Or, if you choose a shared project, you get more control by having the authority to write platform-specific code for each platform. Next, we have to play around with something known as MvvmCross. MvvmCross, maybe the name gives it away, makes using the MVVM pattern in Xamarin applications possible. It comes with many APIs, libraries, and utilities, which are beneficial in cross-platform application development.
The exact process of how a MvvmCross works is not the object of this blog because this only is an overview of the process for all of you. There are several other steps like creating an Mvvm Core Project in which the creation of a file in the Xamarin Studio. Mvvm libraries are then added to the project. Then you will get access to packages that can be added to the project you’re working on. Some other important terms included in the process of developing a cross-platform app are:
- ViewModel
- Services
- Models
- AppDelegate
- MvxAndroidSetup
This was the creation of apps using Xaramin.iOS. The procedure of producing apps for Android is done through Xamarin.Android. Now you would be wondering if the procedure is separate, how will these become cross-functional? The answer is that there is a process called shared development through which the codes are shared, and the app becomes available on both platforms. The process is complicated and lengthy and not for you to worry about because our workers will take care of it for you efficiently and deliver the result within the ETA.
The best thing about Xamarin is that it is one of those app development models approved by all major tech companies. Thousands of apps have been made on this model and successfully running on our smartphones.
If you want to know the step-by-step process of developing a cross-platform app, click here.
In a Nutshell
The process of developing an app is no piece of cake. However, the process will be less difficult if you have Xamarin with you and the right person. Cross-platform applications are widely developed because they are so much in demand. More and more agencies are providing this service, but you should only choose the one with the most qualified and skillful people. A cigar-smoking fat cat can help you with nothing. In fact, it will be a loss to your blessed pocket.
Games are played on smartphones all over the world. Smartphone users download various apps, some of which are not free. Who knows that the app with the help of which you wake up in the morning is written in Xamarin.
Are you a software engineer? Or have you done any courses related to developing mobile apps? Or are you simply a layman with no app development knowledge at all. We hope that this article gave you some knowledge about this particular topic. Don’t be afraid of doing a revisit if you have any problems or confusion. We can help you with cross platform mobile application development, all you have to do is Contact Us by email or giving us a call.
