True to its name, mobile web app development entails building mobile apps that can be downloaded on smartphones.
As smartphone use has increased, mobile web apps have increased in number too. According to Statista, there are 3.48 million apps on Google Play, while iOS has 2.22 million available apps. Mobile web apps are also expected to generate over $935 billion in revenue by 2023.
The numbers prove that mobile web app development is a huge market that will only increase in the foreseeable future.
Want to know how to build your own mobile web app? To start, let’s define what a mobile web app is and how you can build your own.
Mobile web applications are software built for mobile platforms such as iOS or Android.
They can be downloaded and installed from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Upon installation, most devices would request access to features in your mobile device, such as the camera or GPS. Examples of popular mobile web apps include TikTok, Telegram, Facebook, and Snapchat.
Sure, downloading a mobile web app is fast and easy. While building a mobile web app is definitely a lot harder than it looks, it’s doable as long as you know the right steps.
Who is your target audience? What are the features that they expect from your app? Why would they download your app? Understanding the needs of your target audience is key to creating an app that they will actually use.
Due to constant technological advancements, a mobile web app must be updated to keep up with the times. For instance, Apple's Retina displays make low-resolution images appear pixelated. If you want to launch a mobile web app across multiple platforms (i.e., iOS and Android), you'll need to check whether your features are supported across multiple types of mobile devices.
The preferred loading time for mobile web apps is around two seconds. In the worst-case scenario, slow mobile apps could be uninstalled by impatient users.
To make sure mobile web apps load fast, here are some tips for optimizing for mobile performance:
There are many mobile frameworks available for developers, but the most popular option is jQuery. Tools like jQuery Mobile app and Sencha Ext JS are reliable tools developers can use to build an app with a seamless look and feel.
With the jQuery Mobile app, developers can design highly responsive mobile web apps with lightweight code. In contrast, Sencha Ext JS lets developers create comprehensive and data-intensive code for mobile applications.
Before releasing your web mobile app into the app store, eliminating bugs and testing is crucial to ensure users won’t be disappointed.
App debugging software like Xcode, Instabug, and Chrome Mobile DevTools can automate the debugging process and find errors on your app before its release. Also, you’ll be able to find glitches and aggregate feedback from beta testers or quality assurance testers.
Building a mobile app can be an intimidating endeavor, especially for first-timers. Hopefully, these tips have helped you determine the steps and identify the tools you need for mobile web app development.
To get guidance from experienced professionals, we recommend getting in touch with Fiverr mobile app developers. Our professionals can create custom apps for your business on iOS or Android.
