iOS and Android app development, from prototype to store release

Both are mature choices, and the right one depends on your situation rather than the framework itself. React Native suits teams already working in JavaScript or TypeScript and products that share code with a React web app. Flutter suits design-led apps that need a highly customised, identical interface on both platforms. We compare them against your existing code, team skills, integrations and design in writing before you commit.

A native app is usually the better option when the product depends on one platform's newest features, intensive graphics, heavy background processing or deep hardware integration. For most business apps, such as ordering, booking, field service and customer portals, cross-platform frameworks perform well, and one codebase costs less to build and maintain than two. Where a single feature needs native code, we write a native module for it rather than rebuilding the whole app.

A progressive web app is often enough when people use the service occasionally, arrive from search or shared links, and mainly read content or fill in forms. A store app earns its extra cost when users return weekly or more and need dependable push notifications, offline work or device features such as Bluetooth and background location. On iPhone, web apps have more limited access to background tasks and hardware, and push notifications only work once the user adds the app to the home screen.

Cost depends on the number of screens and user roles, the back end and integrations required, payment and offline needs, and whether you launch on both platforms at once. During discovery we scope a lean first release and give a fixed quote for it, then estimate later features separately. We also outline running costs such as hosting, store developer accounts and third-party services, so the full picture is clear.

Timelines depend mainly on scope, the readiness of any APIs we connect to, how quickly designs are signed off and store review. A small, well-defined first release with one core journey and an existing API can usually reach store submission in weeks rather than months. Larger apps with several user roles, payments and offline sync are delivered in phases, with a test build to review every one to two weeks.

Yes. We begin with a code and release audit covering framework and dependency versions, build configuration, signing setup, test coverage, crash data, store reviews and the APIs the app relies on. You receive a written report recommending whether to fix, gradually refactor or rebuild, with the reasons for each. We usually start by making the build reliable and fixing the most frequent crashes before any rewrite is considered.

Yes, we manage the full submission process for both stores. That covers store listings and screenshots, privacy and data safety declarations, permission explanations, test accounts for reviewers and responses to any review feedback. We use staged rollouts so a new version reaches a small group of users first, which lets us pause it quickly if crash reports rise.

Yes, provided offline use is designed in from the start. We store the data each user needs on the device, queue actions such as form submissions and photos while there is no signal, and sync them when the connection returns, with rules for resolving conflicts when two people edit the same record. This matters most for drivers, inspectors, field engineers and users in areas with patchy coverage.

We assume any phone can be lost and any app package can be inspected, so sensitive data and secrets stay on the server wherever possible. Tokens go in the iOS Keychain or Android Keystore, traffic is encrypted, and every API request is authorised per user on the server rather than trusted from the app. Sessions can be revoked remotely, biometric sign-in is added where the risk warrants it, and personal data is kept out of logs. Personal data in the app is handled with UK GDPR in mind.

Yes, through APIs, either ones you already have or a small integration layer we build. A mobile app should not talk directly to an ERP, CRM or database, so we place a secure API between the app and your systems to handle authentication, caching and data shaping. For payments we integrate providers such as Stripe or local gateways, and use Apple and Google in-app purchases where store rules require them.

Yes. Apps are published under your own Apple and Google developer accounts, and the source code, design files, signing keys and back-end infrastructure belong to you, with full access handed over at the end of the project. We document the build and release process so another team could take over if needed, and ownership terms are written into the contract before work starts.

Under a support plan, we test the app against each new iOS and Android beta and prepare compatibility fixes ahead of the public release. Apple and Google also raise the minimum SDK and target versions they accept, so an app left unmaintained can be blocked from publishing updates until it is rebuilt. The same plan covers crash monitoring, bug fixes, and dependency and security updates between OS releases.

Yes, and we usually run AI features through your back end rather than inside the app. That keeps model keys off the device, lets us control cost and logging, and means improvements ship without a store update. Features we can add include in-app assistants that answer from your own content, photo or document capture that extracts data, and smarter search. Small on-device models are an option where privacy or offline use requires them.