Before That we Will See, Why There is Actually a Need to Port iOS App to Android?

If we see the previous year statistics, we will find that there is a significant increase in the number of android users. More and more people are showing interest in Android devices, which resulted in huge investment in Android version of iOS apps. The owners of iOS apps are discovering that they are missing out on a large market, and it is must to port iOS app to android. It is better to focus more on freemium strategies and in-app purchases rather than making it a free app.

Android market is open to all and there is no restriction on what your app can do. This might affect how you want your android app to be designed. The app updates are almost instantaneous, which means there will be only a few users who are not satisfied with your app.

Things to Consider When Porting iOS to Android

You need significant adaption when porting iOS app to android. We recommend you not to use design tools that are intended for iOS. Most of the common app design tools provide iOS templates and you may think that they fit the android platform as well. However, one should know that porting iOS app to android will lead to conflicts between the ported app interface and design of the android device. There are many contradicting features between iOS and Android, such as – buttons, lists, tabs, date/time, widgets, navigation etc.

The next thing to consider is fragmentation that is derived from different screen resolutions. You should consider app’s data and graphics to be displayed both on small and large screens, considering vertical as well as horizontal layouts. Though you can ignore some of the older versions, you should consider 10% of screen resolution. Some of the popular versions of android system are – Ice-cream sandwich and android 2.X, KitKat, Jelly Bean, Lollipop and Marshmallow.

Android Design

Now, once you have decided to port an iOS app to android, you should consider thinking android design. The problem is that there are many iOS tools that have iOS templates and designers use them to design android apps. However, the designs conflict with the feel and look of the app. It will take a lot of effort and time to implement. Moreover, there are problem areas such as round buttons, tabs at the bottom, lists with right pointing arrows and so on.

To avoid these problems, the first thing you need to do is avoid using iOS design tools. Just use drawing tools such as Photoshop, Visio, Balamiq next etc. If you want to get a quick overview of android UI, you can check the official website of Android. Google also has created a page describing how to design for pure android app. 

Should you Adapt New UI?

With the changing algorithm of Google, it changes the way apps can be architected internally for smartphone and tablet layouts. Google provided compatibility library that allow the latest UI elements to run on new and old android devices without changing the look and feel of the app. When re-designing the app for android, you should focus on how the data and graphics will be displayed on screens of different sizes.

Google strongly recommends following the UI language known as “Material Design”. This will help android audience get familiarized with common UI. Material design has a few common UI elements that have better support for developers.

Read More: Mobile App Design Basics: Common UI/UX Mistakes to Avoid

How to Export Graphics?

Android has a different graphic asset and you need to adapt your app’s graphic assets for android. This means, you need to resize, export and name new files. It can be a bit easier than exporting assets for iOS. For instance, if you are exporting .png images, you should consider grouping the assets in different sizes 1X, 2X, 3X and 568h@2X. It would be a big headache to create precisely sized assets for each android device. Hence, the best solution is to scale assets to correct size for relevant device screen. This could be one of the reasons why graphic images on android are not as crisp and beautiful as they do in iOS.

Code Porting

The next thing to consider is the code porting, Check if it is possible to take objective-C or recompile it for android. The android apps use Java and if your iOS app uses Vanilla C, it is possible to reuse the same code for android. This is beneficial for porting complex libraries as well as to enhance the performance of the app.

Some mobile app developers make the mistake of sharingembedded UI designs into the app. Sometimes, the specificationsinclude UIs that gather information to be sent to social networking apps. There is no need of such sharing for android apps. Instead, mobile app developers should consider using action_send intends to other social networking apps.  This means users should be able to share to other apps and there is no need to write a separate code against server-side sharing APIs.

In short, it is essential to consider which characteristics of your product are time-sensitive and use the programming tactics accordingly.

How Long Does it Take to Port?

Since the app has already been developed for iOS, it will not take much time to port to android. Though porting seems to be a straight forward process, it is not quick. The time to complete the porting process will depend on the complexity of the app and selection of supporting devices. Device inconsistency will create surprise for the mobile app developer, and hence even a small change will mean additional time for porting. Different devices use different hardware components which causes your device to interact with OS and hardware in an unexpected way.

How to Submit the Ported App at Play Store?

Once the app is ported successfully to Android, it should be submitted to Play Store in the similar way it is submitted to iTunes. You need to provide screenshots, regions, ratings and other details about the app to the developer. Go through the guidelines of submitting the app to Play Store. Google will review your app and approve or reject it on the same day.

Conclusion

There are many mobile app developers who have huge experience of porting iOS app to android. To bring amazing results, the template for app porting should have – adaptation plan formula, UX testing, source app business logic analysis, proper coding & testing, etc.

At BrainMobi, we have ported several apps from iOS to android and have huge experience in android and iOS development. The porting process can be a smooth sailing, if you understand how to prepare the assets for Android before you start!!

The post How to Port a Mobile App from iOS to Android appeared first on Mobile App Development | BrainMobi Blogs and News.

As there are several top rated developers with a well-renowned array of services, you would be surely left in the midst with head full of confusion. “How to choose ?” and “What to look out for ?” are some of the questions with much potential to pile up more confusion.

In this blog post, we have tried to rack out some important points to help you battle out the confusion around choosing the best app developers. Every point has its own significance while app development and contributes to great work collaboration. Let’s swing through the points:

• Understand the basics

Jot down all the queries you come across while going through A-Z  of app making. Take help from Google to clear all the surrounding drama to build a successful app. This point brings out the maximum from either team in the form of exemplary work. A unique idea with strong base leads to better work collaboration as compared to unclear ideas.  In the history of mobile app development, we have always witnessed a strong inclination towards stroke of innovation. 

• Set a ballpark budget

Choose a team that agrees to deliver under your terms and conditions when you are looking forward to debut as an Entrepreneur. A development team that offers services with expected quality and with financial bandwidth would be a good choice. Taking this step right will help you attain peace at financial front. Once price costing is fixed, all your focus can be solely concentrated over the execution part.

• Identify the services that you need

Before hovering over a team for services to process your idea, be sure of what you want, why you want it and how you want it. A good R&D on market trends will surely help you to grasp a good hold on building a strong project configuration. Answers to the above questions will surely turn your collaboration journey into a cakewalk.

Need help to decide the best of services you should implement in your app?

Get in touch with us for hassle free app development services at your price.  

• Evaluate their talent and experience

Once the coast is clear at budget and services front, peep into the developer’s work and a list of their associated clients. Client feedback could also help you to gain a good insight into one’s work ethics and professionalism. Make sure to thoroughly evaluate those projects with your interest of work. Give preference to the development company that passes the evaluation with flying colours. The company website, Portfolio, client feedback and rating etc are some of the sources to squeeze out required details.

• Consider the Work Logistics

Your compatibility with the chosen app development team in terms of execution style also holds great importance. Interview each member separately to rate their work style and process in accordance to yours. Skillset compatibility helps to accelerate the whole process with amazing results. Possibilities are maximum that teams which share technical compatibility end up collaborating on more than one project. To head with that perspective, underline this point to get hold of a strong partnership.

• Zombies VS Ninjas

A team which adds valuable inputs & drive the whole development process to another level is one of the several quality you should look out for. Prefer to choose agile processors that deliver much more than you expect. This quality only reflects in people with good work experience and never give up attitude.

          Tip: PingPong lovers deliver more agile and spontaneous work. 

• Maintenance and Support

Both Developer and Client team generally ignore this term. But product maintenance is as important as any other parameter. Many times it brings quarrel across the whole collaboration just by missing the discussion. To avoid any conflicts at the end, it’s recommended to go through support clause at length before signing on the dotted line.

Still not sure? Give us a chance to understand your requirements and deliver at par excellence while developing your app. Our app & web developers are well versed in working with latest technologies and process user-friendly mobile architecture.

Drop us a hint: sales@brainmobi.com

The post How to select the right App Development Team ? appeared first on Mobile App Development | BrainMobi Blogs and News.

He shared a fun fact that coincidently F8 and recently released movie “Fast and Furious 8” share the same notation. He also mentioned his regret for not being able to bring THE ROCK on the stage to discuss breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. With some striking announcements at the event, Day -1 wrapped up with great enthusiasm among attendees and billions of people tuned in from different online channels. This blog is a recap of some key updates from Day – 1 of Facebook Developers Conference.

F8 2017: Day 1 Opening Notes

AR Studios – Experience the excellence of AR in real time through your camera

The event started as Mark Zuckerberg pointed out his desire to bring “extend the physical world online” and asked the audience “think of how many things in our life don’t need to be physical,” before using the monitor behind him to detail a world of virtual chess, or watching TV — sounds riveting.

He also pointed out that the Facebook team is rigorously working towards enhancing real time experience by integrating more of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality across various features.

Using SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) technology, Zuckerberg gave a demo of a bowl of cereal with sharks circling the bowl, bobbing up and down through the table as if it were water. It was impressive AR experience and shows just how powerful SLAM is in detecting the most minute of location details and mapping it to add digital incredibility to real-world experiences.

Image Recognition – With Better Features

Facebook CTO, Mike Schroepfer took over the stage next to talk the other highlight feature of the event – Image Recognition. This time the company has upgraded the technology to recognise multiple objects in an image and (mostly) mask them accordingly. And with the help of a technology known as Mask 4-CNN, Facebook can tell the computer (or human) exactly orientation in relation to the scene. Just released last month, Mask 4-CNN gives Facebook to remove an object entirely from an image in near real-time. Schroepfer showed an example video in which he was able to remove a windsurfer entered the scene and display only the ocean behind him.

Facebook Spaces – VR Feature

Head of Social VR, Racheal Franklin took the stage to introduce Facebook’s First Social VR App, Spaces. Her commencing words at the Facebook Annual Event were “VR is a naturally social platform, and we’re building it with people at the centre”. Spaces allows a user to interact virtually with connected people on Facebook. Using Spaces, you can connect with up to 3 people to watch 360 videos together, hold a virtual game night or show off new home to family and friends.

Messenger Platform 2.0 – With Spotify and Apple Music Integration

FaceBook VP of Messaging product closed the keynote event. He revised all the four updates since the release of Messenger and how every update helps people to get more involved with Facebook. For instance, Messenger bot helped many retailers to elevate their business sales rates and customer service. In a new update, both Spotify and Apple music will make a debut for a seamless transition between vividly followed apps. He also put forward his desire to “invest in discovery” to provide users with more comprehensive features.

For more updates, stay tuned with BrainMobi.

The day-2 highlights of Facebook Developer Conference will be shared in our next blog.

The post Facebook Developer Conference, F8 2017 – Day 1 Recap appeared first on Mobile App Development | BrainMobi Blogs and News.

What are Hybrid Apps?

Apps developed using HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, and Native Shell. Hybrid apps make it possible to embed HTML5 apps inside a thin native container, combining the best (and worst) elements of native and HTML5 apps. Why hybrid applications use native shell? This is because the elements used in Native apps such as multitouch, fast graphics, fluid animation, built-in components and more which changes the overall experience of using hybrid apps. On the other hand, HTML5 uses standard web technologies which can run on multiple devices and thus creates a cross-platform app. This is because hybrid apps are also known as web apps. Thus the combination of native and HTML5 helps in creating cutting edge hybrid apps. PhoneGap, Apache Cordova, Ionic, and AngularJS are some of the most popular containers for creating hybrid mobile apps. There are a number of hybrid apps available on app stores. Some of my favourite apps include Floyd, GameMasters, and Hometurph.  For more check out our Behance portfolio.

Advantages of Hybrid App Development

Consequently, the technology has its advantages and disadvantages. Here are some features that provoke most of the top app development companies to give strong preference to cross-platform app development platform:

• Maximum code usability

Hybrid app development allows using a single piece of code across multiple platforms. Like other software, Hybrid apps are also a composition of web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. In order to bring maximum synchronization with other apps, Hybrid apps are built and designed using mobile device’s programming modules.It makes the app work well with GPS, cameras, messaging and other device information to provide a better service to your customers. It helps provide seamless user experience while using the app. In terms of functionality, Hybrid apps are no different than native equivalent. Our agile team of top notch developers is well versed to turn complex ideas into successful hybrid apps.

• Cost effective

As one single code is defined for multiple platforms, development and designing cost for ‘n’ number of OS help cutting down on the overall cost. Most of leading app development companies refer clients to chose the hybrid platform for comparatively fewer expenses. At BrainMobi, our developers and designers are well versed to guide the best app development plan for maximum ROI.

• Maintenance

Maintenance cost is proportional to the number of app versions. Hybrid apps demand less maintenance cost as compared to native approach. In Native Approach, you need to maintain several codes whereas a single code is monitored and maintained for an app developed with the Hybrid approach. Some of the popular app development platforms are Ionic, KendoUI, Jquery, etc. Top app development companies rely on choosing best development platform as per app requirement. Our team is highly flexible to provide every app development project with the best coding, designing, and maintenance environment.

• User experience

Consistent user experience is the key to success of the Hybrid platform. The reason that many top app development companies prefer to chose Hybrid App development when seamless user experience is required across multiple devices. Hybrid app development platform is known to render consistent experience along with slight difference when to switch from mobile to the web. The hybrid approach also allows updating all the available versions for different devices with required change implemented in one code.

• Offline support

As Internet access is not similar across the world. Hybrid mobile apps have the feature to allow user access the data without internet connectivity. If you want to provide well-rounded support to your user, the hybrid approach is the best option. Probably one of the strongest point for Hybrid apps. Offline capabilities with local storage, as well as offer support for SQLite database for local storage.

When Should You Go For Hybrid App Development?

Hybrid mobile apps are more appealing and enable you to target more than one platform. When you can hire a single developer to target multiple platforms then why hire each developer for an individual platform. Below are some of the factors that you should take into consideration. These pointers will help you decide when should you go for hybrid app development.

• • Not sure which platform to go first?

• • Not sure which technology is best?

• • Confused between iOS, Android?

• • Very less amount of time with strong budget constraints?

• • Don’t know the technical abilities of your development team?

• Don’t know how your app will work on different mobile devices?

These and the other questions are worthwhile you are going to develop your own mobile app. If you are looking for an app that works on every mobile device with a low budget then going Hybrid is the best option for you. At BrainMobi, our designers and developers believe in transforming app ideas to add maximum credibility that can manage maximum users with one single code and exemplary designs. If you are confused about how to approach a mobile app development studio, and finding out the process to develop an app? Check out: Things to Know while Developing a Mobile App

For a free consultation on redesigning your app and employing the right development practices,
Contact Us or drop us a line at – sales@brainmobi.com

Liked our blog? Share your thoughts in the comments section below and get in touch with like-minded people.

The post When Should You Go For Hybrid App Development? appeared first on Mobile App Development | BrainMobi Blogs and News.