When it is about mobile app design and development technology, the general consensus is in the direction of ‘if you have the money then choose native’.
In reality, however it’s not always that easy. What type of app is that’s being created? Are they developing it for iOS, Android, both or a combination of both? It will be heavily animated and graphic-based with an unique GUI? What’s its business premise?
According to the specifics of a project’s needs and budget, selecting hybrid or “near-native” cross-platform in mobile app design and development can be a great benefit in terms of time and money without sacrificing a lot regarding performance or aesthetics.
The “big names” of the world of multi-platform app development include, but not restricted to platforms and frameworks like Cordova, React Native, PhoneGap and the newest platform Flutter and Xamarin considered by many as the top choice.
What is Xamarin?
Xamarin is an open-source platform to create apps that are cross-platform (for Android, iOS, and UWP) with a common C# codebase.
Based upon an earlier version of the Mono Project, Xamarin acquired by Microsoft in the year 2016 and since it has added to Microsoft’s .NET platform. Now, firmly part of the C#/.NET/Visual Studio family of tools, Xamarin is among the most well-known toolsets to develop mobile apps on multiple platforms around the world.
All fine and fine it’s true but when and why is it a good idea to choose to build apps that are native to Android and iOS applications separately? What are the primary benefits of Xamarin in mobile app design and development and what are the disadvantages?
Let’s look into the details of Xamarin to discover the factors that make up the product’s distinctive strengths and shortcomings.
Xamarin Pros
Below is a list of the most prominent benefits that Xamarin can provide.
Code Sharing or ‘Write Once and Use Everywhere’
The ability to create simple solutions that work on iOS or Android (as as well as different platforms) is the primary attraction of Xamarin and similar frameworks. While a fully shared codebase that can be shared between many diverse platforms is not yet accomplished, Xamarin is one of the best solutions in this field that can provide 60%-95 percent of reusable code , with native performance control, UI, and UI, and all in C#, which is part of the .NET framework.
Based on the specific application, Xamarin apps share from 60 percent to 95% the codebase. Also offers the same performance as native code.
Professional: Full Support, and Technical Support by Microsoft
Despite the common misconceptions about corporate entities, the fact Xamarin is an element of Microsoft’s Software Development bundle. It sets it in a class not matched by other software due to the following reasons:
- Guaranteed continuous developer support
- A variety of opportunities for learning
- Stability and performance, specifically for products such as Test Cloud
All this possible because Xamarin backed by support from one of the most powerful technology companies. Although Microsoft had officially ended support for Windows Mobile last year, Xamarin remains a high-priority item and has no chance of being taken off the market or even abandoned any time soon.
Flexibleness and flexibility C#, and .NET
The main programming language used by Xamarin is C#. If you’re part of a mobile app design and development development company with its fingers in several production pie pies simultaneously it’s likely that you’re using the language in some way. Due to its nature C# as well as .NET in particular, and Microsoft’s general .NET for everything platform that a single development team. It expected to able to switch between different apps on various platforms through design.
1.NET- a Platform for Everything
In light of this mindset of the huge .NET development community and the fact that today nearly all enterprises employ .NET specialists choosing Xamarin could sometimes be a good idea.
When we think of developing specifically for enterprise. More than 80 percent of the code written is reusable across iOS, Android, and other platforms like Xamarin or C#. This means less mobile app design and development costs and greater flexibility for you and your staff. Although some may think of C# a disadvantage, its flexibility and the fact that you can accomplish almost anything using the same language without having to use Obj-C or Swift and Java far outweighs any disadvantages.
Shortest time to market
The time to market is critical when creating an app that is highly competitive for commercial use. Or you’re under a tight timeframe. With Xamarin’s code-sharing features along with the Test Cloud service, you can run tests on more than 2,000 devices and swiftly learn about any code inconsistencies within the app. It is important to not underestimate the value of this option, particularly when you are limited in equipment and resources.
