Are Native Mobile Apps Dead?
There have been a lot of questions surrounding the future of mobile development, especially concerning native and hybrid/progressive mobile development.
When mobile apps were at their peak around 3 years ago, app enthusiasts declared that the web was dead and that everything was going to be run on an app and that if you didn’t have one, you were to be left behind.
Since then, the web is stronger and more popular than it ever was while native apps have been dwindling. This isn’t to be confused with mobile in general. Mobile is more prevalent than ever before. Facebook, Google and other web giants report more traffic on mobile than other devices and the bulk of that traffic isn’t from apps.
What Happened?
Statistics show that your average mobile user hardly downloads any apps each month. So what happened? It’s simple, the web is still so prevalent with its operating system being web browsers. Those mobile browsers have gotten smarter and more powerful as they now support even the most sophisticated apps.
Progressive Web Apps can even access some of your phone’s native features like GPS, photo’s etc. While they are not yet quite as powerful as native mobile apps, they are very close.
Is This Really the End Then?
Certainly not! Native apps that you use to communicate, make transactions or apps that are reliant on your phone’s native features are likely here to stay. You’re probably unlikely to ditch Gmail, Facebook or other apps that you do use daily. These apps have become forms of browsers themselves.
The problem with mobile web apps for platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram etc. is that they’re slower, poorer in terms of UI and more limited to using integrated services. That’s why most of these brands have chosen to release a stand alone native app to provide their users with extended functionality.
Ascensor Builds Apps!
Ascensor develop progressive web apps and native apps for both B2B and B2C use. The UK’s leading provider of horse racing software, Proform Racing, approached us to build a new web app called Bet Finder. The app lets users make their choices in a matter of seconds on any device. It’s the only tool available that allows punters to find the best bets, lays and trades.
The app lets users apply more than 100 dynamic filters to refine the list of bets based on your preference and updates upon your selection so you on get the relevant data at every stage.
If you’ve got a web app or a native app you want to develop, get in touch with Ascensor today!