Mobile app development
Mobile app development is the act or process by which a mobile app is developed for mobile devices, such as personal digital assistants, enterprise digital assistants or mobile phones. These applications can be pre-installed on phones during manufacturing platforms, or delivered as web applications using server-side or client-side processing to provide an "application-like" experience within a Web browser. Application software developers also must consider a long array of screen sizes, hardware specifications, and configurations because of intense competition in mobile software and changes within each of the platforms. Mobile app development has been steadily growing, in revenues and jobs created. A 2013 analyst report estimates there are 529,000 direct app economy jobs within the EU then 28 members, 60 percent of which are mobile app developers.
As part of the development process, mobile user interface design is also essential in the creation of mobile apps. Mobile UI considers constraints, contexts, screen, input, and mobility as outlines for design. The user is often the focus of interaction with their device, and the interface entails components of both hardware and software. User input allows for the users to manipulate a system, and device's output allows the system to indicate the effects of the users' manipulation. Mobile UI design constraints include limited attention and form factors, such as a mobile device's screen size for a user's hand. Mobile UI contexts signal cues from user activity, such as location and scheduling that can be shown from user interactions within a mobile app. Overall, mobile UI design's goal is mainly for an understandable, user-friendly interface. The UI of mobile apps should: consider users' limited attention, minimize keystrokes, and be task-oriented with a minimum set of functions. This functionality is supported by mobile enterprise application platforms or integrated development environments.
Mobile UIs, or front-ends, rely on mobile back-ends to support access to enterprise systems. The mobile back-end facilitates data routing, security, authentication, authorization, working off-line, and service orchestration. This functionality is supported by a mix of middleware components including mobile app server, mobile backend as a service, and service-oriented architecture infrastructure.
Mobile app development is becoming more critical for many businesses with more than 3 billion people worldwide using smartphones, more than 1.5 billion using tablets as of 2019. Users, on average, spend 90 percent of their mobile time in apps and there are more than 700 million apps downloads from various app stores.
Platform
The platform organizations needed to develop, deploy and manage mobile apps are made from many components and tools which allow a developer to write, test and deploy applications into the target platform environment.Front-end development tools
Front-end development tools are focused on the user interface and user experience and provide the following abilities:- UI design tools
- SDKs to access device features
- Cross-platform accommodations/support
| Platform | Programming language | Debuggers available | Emulator available | Integrated development environment available | Cross-platform deployment | Installer packaging options | Development tool cost |
| Accelerator | HTML5, C# | Microsoft Visual Studio | All platforms, mobile apps are browser-based | Mobile Web | Commercial licenses available | ||
| MobileTogether | XPath/XQuery, Action Trees visual programming language | Proprietary IDE | Android, iOS, Windows, Windows Phone, browser | The native distribution for each format | Free | ||
| Android | Java but portions of code can be in C, C++, Kotlin | Debugger integrated in Eclipse, standalone debugging monitor available | Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, Android Studio, Project Kenai Android plugin for NetBeans | Android only, because of Dalvik VM, March 2009 | apk | Free, IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition - Free | |
| App Inventor for Android | Visual blocks-based programming language, with Interface designer | Limited debugging tools built into IDE | Web-based interface designer, with connection to Java web-start program for blocks programming | Android devices | apk | Free | |
| Appcelerator | JavaScript | , in Titanium Studio. | Emulator is available using native emulators | Titanium Studio based on Eclipse | Android, iPhone; BlackBerry, Tizen, mobile web | The native distribution format of each platform | Free, open-sourced Apache 2.0 licensed, commercial and enterprise licenses available |
| Basic4android | Visual Basic similar syntax | Emulator is available using native emulators | Proprietary IDE | Android | The native distribution format of each platform | Commercial licenses available | |
| BlackBerry | Java | Debugger integrated in IDE | Eclipse, BlackBerry JDE | BlackBerry only, because of RIM API | alx, cod | Free | |
| Codename One | Java | Eclipse, Netbeans | Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, J2ME | The native distribution format of each platform | Open Source GPLv2 and subscription-based build server | ||
| Corona SDK | Lua | Xcode | Android, iOS, Nook Color | Native deployment for each platform | Free unlimited trial; commercial licenses available for deployment | ||
| DragonRAD | Visual drag & drop tiles | Uses third-party emulators | Proprietary IDE | Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile | OTA deployment | Free & commercial licenses available | |
| GeneXus for Mobile and Smart Devices | Knowledge representation and declarative programming-modeling for easy development, then code is automatically generated for each platform | GeneXus utilizes pre-tested code libraries and user debugging of code not necessary after code generation. | Publish in the cloud, test native in the device, no emulator needed | Proprietary IDE | Android, iOS, BlackBerry OS, and even HTML5 if needed | The native distribution format of each platform and also cloud-browser-based | Free to try, commercial and enterprise licenses available |
| IBM MobileFirst Studio | HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and native SDK languages w/ Native Worklight API | , Mobile Browser Simulator or integration with Native SDK Debugger | Emulator is available using native emulators or Browser Simulator w/ Cordova Plugin | Eclipse plugin, Eclipse-based stand-alone | Android, iOS, BlackBerry 6,7, & 10, Windows Phone 7.5 & 8, Windows 8, Adobe AIR, Mobile Web App, desktop browser web page | The native distribution format of each platform | Developer edition free via Eclipse Marketplace, commercial license for deployment |
| Intel XDK | HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and Node-Webkit back-end | Stand-alone, bundled with IDE | Android, iOS, Windows 8, Amazon, Facebook, Chrome, Nook, Firefox Marketplace, Tizen | The native distribution format of each platform | Free | ||
| iOS SDK | Objective-C, Swift | Debugger integrated in Xcode IDE | Bundled with iPhone SDK, integrated with Xcode IDE | Xcode, AppCode | iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch | Only via App Store, needs review and approval by Apple Inc. | Apple tools are free for an Intel-based Mac. Simulator testing is free, but installing on a device needs a fee for a developer signing key. AppCode - commercial licenses available. Since 2015, Apple allows installing the app in your own device without a developer paid membership. |
| iOS SDK | Object Pascal | Debugger integrated in Xcode IDE | Included in Delphi XE2 professional or higher | Embarcadero Delphi XE2 | iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch | Only via App Store, needs review and approval by Apple Inc. | Development requires Intel-based Mac besides the IDE on Windows. Design is on Windows, Compiling and deploying must be done on Mac. Simulator testing is free, but installing on a device needs a fee for a developer signing key |
| Java ME | Java | Free emulator, Sun Java Wireless Toolkit, mpowerplayer | Eclipse, LMA NetBeans Mobility Pack | although many VM implementations have device specific bugs necessitating separate builds | Jad/Jar packaging; PRC files under Palm OS | Free | |
| Lazarus | Object Pascal | , can debug in IDE via ActiveSync for Windows CE | Uses the emulators of the platforms | Lazarus IDE, including integrated GUI designer and debugger | Compiled language available for Windows CE, Linux-based devices, Symbian port in development | The native distribution format of each platform | Free |
| LambdaNative | Scheme | but can build and test on the localhost | Eclipse | All native binaries: Android, iOS, BlackBerry 10, Windows, OS X, Linux, OpenBSD, OpenWrt | The native distribution format of each platform | Free | |
| LiveCode | LiveCode | iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, server, HTML5. Installer packaging | The native distribution format of each platform | free open-source edition, commercial and enterprise editions available | |||
| Macromedia Flash Lite | ActionScript | Bundled with IDE | Macromedia Flash MX2004/8, Eclipse | SIS-CAB deployment or OTA-IR-Bluetooth SWF files | Varies, free but limited with MTASC | ||
| Marmalade | C, C++ | Visual Studio, Xcode | All native: Android, BlackBerry, BREW, iOS, Maemo, Palm-webOS, Samsung bada, Symbian, Windows Mobile 6.x and desktop, OS X | The native distribution format of each platform | Commercial licenses available | ||
| Meme IDE | MemeScript | Validation is provided in the problems view | , Android emulator can be integrated | Eclipse RCP | Android, Windows Mobile | The native distribution format of each platform | Free for development |
| Mendix | HTML5, Java | , the Mendix app platform | All platforms, mobile apps are browser-based | Not applicable, Mendix is a platform as a service | Commercial licenses available | ||
| Monaca | HTML5, CSS, JavaScript | Preview is available on cloud IDE and local tool | Cloud-based IDE, Visual Studio, third-party IDE/editors | Android, iOS, windows8.1, 10 | The native distribution format of each platform | Free, up to 3 projects. Commercial and enterprise license available | |
| Mono for Android | C# | Visual Studio 2005 and MonoDevelop | Android | The native distribution format of the platform | |||
| MonoTouch | C# | Visual Studio 2005 and MonoDevelop | iOS | The native distribution format of the platform | |||
| MoSync | C, C++, Lua, HTML5, CSS, JavaScript | Eclipse, Visual Studio 2005 and later, MoBuild w/ text editors | Android, iOS, Java ME, Moblin, Smartphone 2003, Symbian, Windows Mobile, Blackberry | SIS, CAB, JAD, JAR, APK, OTA deployment | Free, GPL 2.0, Free Indie Subscription; commercial subscription available | ||
| NetBeans | C++, Java | Java development tools | Android, Nokia, etc... | Free | |||
| Protogrid | No coding needed. JavaScript can be used for Business Logic. | using browser debug tooling | browser-based, iOS simulator | Proprietary IDE | Web, iOS, Mobile Web | The native distribution format of each platform, OTA deployment | Trial and commercial licenses available |
| OpenPlug | ActionScript, XML | OpenPlug ELIPS plugin for Adobe Flash Builder | Android, iOS, Symbian, Windows Mobile | The native distribution format of each platform | Free & commercial licenses available | ||
| OutSystems | OutSystems, CSS, JavaScript | Test directly in browser | OutSystems Service Studio | Andoid, iOS, Windows Phone 7 | NA | Free community edition for personal use, or subscription licensing for commercial use | |
| PhoneGap and Apache Cordova | HTML, CSS, JavaScript | A lot of functionality can be tested directly in browser. Running native emulators on iOS and Android is also possible. | Many IDEs exist for Cordova-based tools like Ionic Studio or Appery.io | iPhone, Android, Tizen, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Symbian, Palm, Bada | The native distribution format of each platform | Apache 2 | |
| Qt SDK | C++, QML | Qt Creator | Android, iOS, Symbian, Maemo, MeeGo, Linux, Windows, OS X | The native distribution format of each platform | Free and commercial licenses available | ||
| Rhomobile | Ruby with HTML interface features compiled through an interpreter into native applications | N/A, applications can run in Win32 runner, or in device emulators for supported platforms. | Xcode or Eclipse, on-demand RhoHub version includes full IDE | , supports Android 1.6+, iOS 3.0+, Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, Windows Mobile 6.0 Standard, BlackBerry 4.6, 4.7, 5.0, 6.0, Symbian | OTA deployment, iOS through App store,.SIS,.CAB,.APK,.COD | Rhodes is free and open source under the MIT License, RhoSync is under GPL or commercial, Commercial support available. Subscription for RhoHub | |
| RubyMotion | Ruby | Any text editor. As an IDE, RubyMine. | Android, iOS | The native distribution format of the platform | RubyMotion is a commercial product. | ||
| Sencha Touch | HTML, CSS, JavaScript | Sencha Architect 2 | Android, iOS, Kindle, BlackBerry, Bada | Web delivered, or hybrid via native shells for each platform | GPLv3, free for commercial, paid for OEM and embedded systems | ||
| Smartface | WYSIWYG design editor with JavaScript code editor | Smartface IDE and SDK | Android, iOS, Kindle, Gear, Google Glass | The native distribution format of each platform | Community license and commercial licenses available | ||
| Stencyl | Drag-and-drop editor based on Scratch, Objective-C | Xcode | iOS | The native distribution format of each platform | Free and commercial development licenses | ||
| Telerik Platform, and AppBuilder | HTML5, CSS and Javascript | Test right in browser or device | In-browser client, desktop client, Visual Studio, Sublime Text or command-line interface | Android, iOS, Windows phone | The native distribution format of each platform | Free to try, commercial and enterprise licenses available | |
| Unity | C#, JavaScript, Boo, other.NET-based languages | Remote used to simulate device interaction before app is uploaded to the device. | Unity Editor, also works with Visual Studios and MonoDevelop. | Android, iOS, PC, Mac, desktop browser, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii. BlackBerry Playbook, Nokia Symbian, Roku 2 and others available through company's Union program. | Native distribution format of each platform | Free and commercial development licenses. | |
| Verivo AppStudio | WYSIWYG, graphical drag and drop, JavaScript,.NET-based languages. Replaced by Appery.io | Test right in browser or device | Proprietary design studio | Android, iOS, Blackberry | Native distribution format of each platform | Free development licenses; per-CPU deployment licenses | |
| ViziApps | WYSIWYG, graphical drag and drop | Test right in browser or device | Online design studio | Android, iOS, Windows Phone planned | The native distribution format of each platform | Free to design, test, demo, update, app; fee to publish | |
| V-Play Engine | Objective C, C++, JavaScript, QML, Java | Qt Creator | All Platforms | The native distribution format of each platform | Free, Indie and Enterprise licenses are available | ||
| Wakanda | HTML5, JavaScript | Wakanda Studio | Android, iOS, Windows 10 and browser-based apps | apk | Open Source and Commercial licenses available | ||
| Xamarin | C# | Xamarin Studio, Visual Studio | Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Windows Store apps | The native distribution of each platform | Free community edition, pro edition included in Microsoft MSDN licensing | ||
| Xojo | Xojo | Xojo IDE | iOS, mobile web apps | iOS apps are native iPad | Free trial with no time limit; commercial licenses available |
Back-end servers
Back-end tools pick up where the front-end tools leave off, and provide a set of reusable services that are centrally managed and controlled and provide the following abilities:- Integration with back-end systems
- User authentication-authorization
- Data services
- Reusable business logic
| Platform | Programming language | Integrated development environment available | Cross-platform deployment | Deployment options | Development tool cost |
| Altova MobileTogether Server | Browser-based interface | Proprietary IDE | Server available for Windows, Linux, macOS. Supports mobile devices running Android, iOS, Windows 8, Windows 10 Windows Phone, HTML5 browser-based client | On-prem, cloud, or hybrid | Development tools are free, commercial license needed for deployment |
| GO!AppZone by Globo plc | JavaScript. Custom integrations connectors/server-side logic: C#, VB.NET | Yes, GO!AppZone Studio | Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Phone, 8.x, RT | On-prem, cloud or hybrid | Development tools are free, commercial license or subscription needed for deployment |
| IBM MobileFirst Server | HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and native SDK languages w/ Native Worklight API | Eclipse plugin, Eclipse-based stand-alone | Android, iOS, BlackBerry 6,7, & 10, Windows Phone 7.5 & 8, Windows 8, Adobe AIR, Mobile Web App, desktop browser web page | On-prem | Developer edition free via Eclipse Marketplace, commercial license for deployment |
| Metismo | Java | Eclipse | Android, iOS, Java ME, BREW, BlackBerry, Nintendo DS, Palm/webOS, Sony PSP, Samsung bada, Symbian, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7, Windows Desktop, OS X | On-prem | Commercial licenses available |
| Wakanda | JavaScript | Use Wakanda Studio | Android, iOS, Windows Phone 10, HTML5 app | On-prem or cloud | Community and commercial editions |
| Verivo Akula | Java | Use any front-end IDE | Android, iOS, Windows Phone7 | On-prem, cloud, or hybrid | Free development licenses; per-CPU deployment licenses. Replaced by Appery.io |
| WebORB Integration Server | C#, VB.NET, Java, PHP, ActionScript, JavaScript, Objective-C, XML | Works with Eclipse, Visual Studio, intelliJ IDEA and Amethyst IDE | Android, iOS, BlackBerry Playbook, Windows Phone 7 | On-prem | Free development licenses; free and commercial deployment licenses |
Security add-on layers
With bring your own device becoming the norm within more enterprises, IT departments often need stop-gap, tactical solutions that layer atop existing apps, phones, and platform component. Features include- App wrapping for security
- Data encryption
- Client actions
- Reporting and statistics
System software
| Platform | Programming language | Debuggers available | Emulator available | Integrated development environment available | Cross-platform deployment | Installer packaging options | Development tool cost |
| Adobe AIR | ActionScript, HTML, CSS, JavaScript | Flash Builder, Flash Professional, IntelliJ IDEA | Android, iOS, BlackBerry | The native distribution format of each platform | Flash Builder, Flash Professional, IntelliJ IDEA - commercial licenses available - Free | ||
| BREW | C; the APIs are provided in C with a C++ style interface | Debugger support for the native ARM target code. Can use Visual Studio to debug the x86 testing code | No Emulator for the target ARM code, has a simulator for the x86 testing code | Visual Studio 6.0, Visual Studio 2003.NET, Visual Studio 2005 | Compile for the specific BREW version available on the handset | OTA | Related dev fees typically needed for Brew App Certification - VeriSign annual fee for becoming a certified developer. Realview ARM compiler for BREW. TRUE BREW testing fee for distributing the application. |
| Firefox OS | HTML5, CSS, JavaScript | No, but simulator available. | Firefox browser, Firebug | Web browser on other platform | Firefox Marketplace, Web URL | Development requires Mozilla Firefox and the simulator add-on | |
| .NET Compact Framework | C#, VB.NET, Basic4ppc | Free emulator, source code available, also bundled with IDE | Visual Studio 2008, 2005, 2003, Basic4ppc IDE | Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Symbian-based devices via third party tools | OTA deployment, CAB files, ActiveSync | Most tools free, but commercial editions of Visual Studio needed for visual designers | |
| OpenFL | Haxe | IntelliJ IDEA, FlashDevelop | Android, iOS, BlackBerry Playbook, WebOS, HTML5, Flash, Windows, Linux | The native distribution format of each platform | Free | ||
| Palm OS | C, C++, Pascal | OS 1.0 - 4.1: free emulator provided by PalmSource ; OS 5.0: - 5.4 device-specific simulators provided by Palm | Palm OS Development System, CodeWarrior, PocketStudio, HB++, Satellite Forms | Palm OS handhelds, or Windows Mobile with StyleTap emulator | PRC files, PalmSource Installer | Free, or commercial, or various commercial rapid-development frameworks | |
| Python | Python | Add-on to Nokia Emulator | Several, including plugins for Eclipse | Interpreted language available natively only on Nokia Series60 though ports exist to other mobile platforms, including Palm OS | Sis deployment with py2sis or can use Python Runtime | Free | |
| Symbian | C++ | Free emulator | Many choices | Compile per target | SIS deployment | Commercial and free tools available | |
| Tizen | Web-based: HTML5, CSS, JavaScript Native: C, C++ | Free emulator | Tizen SDK | Web-based app to be available on web browser | Tizen through App store, Web URL | Development needs Windows, OS X, or Ubuntu Desktop | |
| Ubuntu Touch | Web-based: HTML5, CSS, JavaScript Native: QML, C, C++ | Ubuntu SDK | HTML5 app to be available web browser. | Ubuntu Touch through App store, Web URL | Development requires Ubuntu Desktop 12.04 or higher, Free | ||
| webOS | JavaScript, CSS, HTML, C and C++ through the PDK | Free emulator | Eclipse | webOS, Palm only | OTA deployment, webOS through App store, Web URL, Precentral,.ipk | Free | |
| Windows Mobile | C, C++ | Free emulator, also bundled with IDE | Visual Studio 2010, 2008, 2005, eMbedded VC++, Satellite Forms | Windows Mobile, Windows CE | OTA deployment, CAB files, ActiveSync | Free command-line tools or eMbedded VC++, or Visual Studio | |
| Windows Phone | C#, Visual Basic, C, C++ | Free emulator, also bundled with IDE | Visual Studio 2012, Visual Studio 2010 | Windows Phone | OTA deployment, XAP files |
Criteria for selecting a development platform usually contains the target mobile platforms, existing infrastructure and development skills. When targeting more than one platform with cross-platform development it is also important to consider the impact of the tool on the user experience. Performance is another important criteria, as research on mobile apps indicates a strong correlation between application performance and user satisfaction. Along with performance and other criteria, the availability of the technology and the project's requirement may drive the development between native and cross-platform environments. To aid the choice between native and cross-platform environments, some guidelines and benchmarks have been published. Typically, cross-platform environments are reusable across multiple platforms, leveraging a native container while using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the user interface. In contrast, native environments are targeted at one platform for each of those environments. For example, Android development occurs in the Eclipse IDE using Android Developer Tools plugins, Apple iOS development occurs using Xcode IDE with Objective-C and/or Swift, Windows and BlackBerry each have their own development environments.
Mobile app testing
Mobile applications are first tested within the development environment using emulators and later subjected to field testing. Emulators provide an inexpensive way to test applications on mobile phones to which developers may not have physical access. The following are examples of tools used for testing application across the most popular mobile operating systems.- Google Android Emulator - an Android emulator that is patched to run on a Windows PC as a standalone app, without having to download and install the complete and complex Android SDK. It can be installed and Android compatible apps can be tested on it.
- The official Android SDK Emulator - a mobile device emulator which mimics all of the hardware and software features of a typical mobile device.
- TestiPhone - a web browser-based simulator for quickly testing iPhone web applications. This tool has been tested and works using Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2 and Safari 3.
- iPhoney - gives a pixel-accurate web browsing environment and it is powered by Safari. It can be used while developing web sites for the iPhone. It is not an iPhone simulator but instead is designed for web developers who want to create 320 by 480 websites for use with iPhone. iPhoney will only run on OS X 10.4.7 or later.
- BlackBerry Simulator - There are a variety of official BlackBerry simulators available to emulate the functionality of actual BlackBerry products and test how the device software, screen, keyboard and trackwheel will work with application.
- Windows UI Automation - To test applications that use the Microsoft UI Automation technology, it requires Windows Automation API 3.0. It is pre-installed on Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and later versions of Windows. On other operating systems, you can install using Windows Update or download it from the Microsoft Web site.
- MobiOne Developer - a mobile Web integrated development environment for Windows that helps developers to code, test, debug, package and deploy mobile Web applications to devices such as iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, and the Palm Pre. MobiOne Developer was officially declared End of Life by the end of 2014.
- eggPlant: A GUI-based automated test tool for mobile app across all operating systems and devices.
- Ranorex: Test automation tools for mobile, web and desktop apps.
- Testdroid: Real mobile devices and test automation tools for testing mobile and web apps.
Patents
On May 31, 2011, Lodsys asserted two of its four patents: U.S. Patent No. 7,620,565 on a "customer-based design module" and U.S. Patent No. 7,222,078 on "Methods and Systems for Gathering Information from Units of a Commodity Across a Network." against the following application developers:
- Combay
- Iconfactory
- Illusion Labs
- Shovelmate
- Quickoffice
- Richard Shinderman of Brooklyn, New York
- Wulven Game Studios of Hanoi, Vietnam