logo
logo
Sign in

How to Make an App Using Cross Platform Development: A Beginner's Guide

avatar
Steve Johnson
How to Make an App Using Cross Platform Development: A Beginner's Guide


Cross-platform development is the process of developing an app that can run on multiple devices. This approach helps you reach users who have different types of devices and operating systems. Using cross-platform development, you can build an app for desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. With this approach, you don’t need to develop separate apps for each device.


What is Cross Platform Development?

Cross-platform development is the process of developing an app that can run on multiple devices. This approach helps you reach users who have different types of devices and operating systems. It also makes your app more accessible since most users use the same type of smartphone or tablet. With the rise of mobile, apps have also become more accessible. People use apps to access online services, e-commerce platforms, or any other type of application. With the increasing popularity of mobile apps, developers also focus on creating apps for smartphones and tablets. But, there are still a large number of devices that are not supported by mobile apps. Users with older computers or laptops, or users with certain types of devices, e.g. Apple Watch or Amazon Fire TV, cannot use mobile apps. Therefore, cross-platform development is a great way to create an app that can reach out to a larger audience.


Types of Cross-Platform Development

The types of cross-platform development include native app development, hybrid app development, and Progressive Web App development. Native app development is when you create an app for a specific type of device. For example, you develop an app for the iPhone that can run on the iOS system. Hybrid app development and web app development are the two other types. Native app development means you develop an app for a specific device and operating system. On the other hand, hybrid app development means you create an app that can work on a combination of different devices. Your app will look native on one device, e.g. an Android device. But, it will work as a hybrid app on a different type of device like an iPhone. Progressive Web App development is yet another way to create a cross-platform app. It works in a very similar way to mobile apps. However, the difference is that it runs on the Internet using the web browser as the delivery platform.


How to make an app using cross-platform development?

For creating an app using cross-platform development, you will first need to decide which type of development you want to use. Next, you will need to research the tools that can help you create an app for multiple platforms. As a developer, you can use app scaffolding tools to help you create an app with a single code base. The tool will generate a code base for your app and you can customize it as per your requirements. The best app scaffolding tools let you choose the platform your app will run on along with the required device specifications. You can also use an app scaffolding tool to create a prototype or a sample app. If you want to learn how to make an app using cross-platform development, the below subsections will help you out.


App scaffolding tool

App scaffolding tools automate the steps required to build an app. The tool lets you customize the code base, select the platform, and select the required device specifications. The tool is useful for both hybrid and native app development. The best app scaffolding tools let you choose the platform your app will run on along with the required device specifications. You can also import an app store listing, track app store rankings, and create app screenshots. If you want to make an app using cross-platform development, then you can use the following app scaffolding tools.


Android Studio 3.0 and above

Android Studio is an app scaffolding tool for creating Android apps. It is an official tool for building Android apps. With this tool, you can create an app for multiple platforms. You can also use this tool to create hybrid apps and create an app for multiple devices. You can also create a native app by using this tool. You can create apps for any Android version of Jelly Bean 5. x to the latest With the latest version, you can create apps for both consumer and enterprise users. You can also create apps for the Internet of Things. This tool lets you build apps for both personal and professional use. You can also use this tool to create web apps and generate code for IOS, and other platforms.


App Scaffolding Examples

With an app scaffolding tool, you can create a single code base for all your apps. This is useful when you want to make sure that all your apps share the same code base. You can start by creating a basic app and then slowly expand the app as per your requirements. You can also customize the app as per your requirements. While using this tool, make sure you have a good understanding of the tools used. You can use the below example to learn how to make an app using app scaffolding. Create a new project in Android Studio with the default app name your app name>. Next, select Android from the Project Window. Now, you can choose the version of the Android platform you want to create an app for. For example, if you want to create an app for Android 7.0, select Android 7.0 from the drop-down menu. Now, you can choose the device type you want your app to support. For example, select Consumer to create an app for the Android 7.0 version and Consumer 4.0 as the device type. Now, you can save the project. Now, your project is ready. Next, you can choose the tool you want to use to create an app.


App Scaffolding Tool

An app scaffolding tool is an application that helps you build an app from scratch. You can use this tool to create an app, no matter what type of app you want to build. It can help in native app development, hybrid app development, and web app development. The app scaffolding tool lets you create an app, select the platforms, and create a code base for each app. Now, you can use the code base for any future app updates. You can also use the tool to create a prototype or a sample app. The tool lets you build apps for both personal and professional use. You can also create a PWA with this tool.


Conclusion

Cross-platform development is a great approach to building apps for a large audience. With this approach, you don’t need to develop multiple apps for different devices. There are a number of tools available in the market to help you build an app. You can use an app scaffolding tool or you can also use a combination of tools to create your app.

collect
0
avatar
Steve Johnson
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more