Everyone who owns a smartphone or, for example, a tablet has come across a mobile application. It could be software that displays information about the weather in a particular location or a QR code scanner that allows you to quickly find out the composition of a selected food product. And what does developing a mobile app look like from the inside out? Is there still room on platforms such as iOS or Android for revolutionary solutions that can change the market?
What is a mobile app?
Using the official definition of a mobile application, it can be said that it is a program that runs in an isolated environment. It is made up of two layers: an inner layer, i.e. the code that is invisible to the user, and an outer layer: the graphical interface. This is what we encounter when we launch the chosen tool. A simple example can be used here.
Suppose you have ordered a parcel to the nearest Parcel Machine. Thanks to our InPost Mobile app, you will always know exactly where your parcel is. If you agree to receive notifications, the app will automatically notify you that your order is now available for collection.
What's more, you can even pick up your parcel by clicking on the appropriate message on your smartphone! You don't have to scan a QR code or enter your long order number on the machine's physical keyboard.
All thanks to the fact that we had a great idea for a mobile app, which we then turned into a perfect solution - available to you today. What's more, it's free. You don't see thousands of lines of code, just a simple, clear interface. That's what a mobile app is, and it has a good chance of winning the hearts of many customers. 
Types and types of mobile applications
The applications available on the market can be divided according to at least several main keys. It goes without saying that we should start programming mobile applications by choosing the right business model. We can find free and paid applications on the market.
The former are not always truncated, i.e., for example, deprived of features that the developer has placed in the premium version. The choice of the right version is largely determined by the market. Do you want to develop a paid browser? You need to take into account the fact that there are already a number of excellent free solutions on the market, which also have a strong emphasis on security: Opera, Firefox and Chrome are just a few of them. What will make your tool stand out so that it quickly becomes a hit?
Paid applications usually offer unique functionality and are ad-free. We can distinguish between applications that we pay for in a subscription model (the internet user has to make cyclical transfers, e.g. monthly, in order to keep access to premium features) or tools that we pay for once when downloading them from a platform such as Google Play or the App Store.
Such apps can also be divided according to the platform for which the app is available. Just a few years ago, mobile software shops for Symbian and MeeGO were completely different from those for Android and Apple. Today, there are only two major platforms left on the battlefield: Google Play and the App Store from the company with the bitten apple logo.
To download the application we are interested in, we need to make sure we have an internet connection. We can activate WiFi or operator data transfer on the phone. It is worth making sure beforehand that the software we want to download does not take up too much space. In the search results of the mobile application shops, both in the App Store and in Google Play, you will easily find software that takes up even several GB. Downloading such large data packages, for example when you are abroad without WiFi access, is probably not a good idea.
How are mobile applications developed?
It all starts with an idea. However, there is no doubt that the cost of a mobile app that will run smoothly on any device can be quite high. The times when only one person - a programmer - could successfully be responsible for the entire process are slowly becoming a thing of the past.
Modern mobile applications are so technologically advanced that a collaboration of professionals from many different areas of the market is required to create them.
We could use the support of, among others:
- graphic,
- system architect,
- analytics,
- thewelopera.
Creating such a team is not required, of course, but few people can say that they operate as a 'One Man Army', that is, on their own, creating all the code from scratch, optimising the server performance or UX to make the software adaptable to both an Android smartphone, iOS and smartwatch. 
Why develop a mobile app for your business?
First and foremost, because mobile app development is an excellent solution that will make your customers' lives much easier. Whether it is a tool that aggregates business information (e.g. presenting real-time quotations of major stock indices), a mobile RPG game, an application that allows you to quickly do your shopping without spending money on unnecessary products, or a great app that will make operating Paczkomat InPost even more convenient!
However, that's not all. When investing in software dedicated to smartphones, bet not only on a set of great features, but also on security. This is especially important if your software collects sensitive data such as name and contact information.
Remember that mobile app testing should not just be limited to 'user experience', but must also include data encryption, or the ability to establish two-step verification.
How does a mobile app differ from a desktop app?
First and foremost, the language in which such software is developed. The industry standard is SWIFT (if we want to create software for Apple devices) and Java (for Android). Increasingly, CSS or Python are also being 'smuggled in', but the core are the two standards mentioned above.
Developers who focus on the PC market have many more choices available to them. Popular programming languages designed for PCs include:
- Delphi,
- Python,
- JS,
- Bash,
- C++.
As if by design, an application dedicated to mobile users also differs in its interface. The statistical smartphone has a screen with a diagonal of close to five inches. At the same time, laptops with a 14-inch matrix dominate the market, and traditional monitors are usually no less than 21 inches.
This forces developers to make certain compromises. Sometimes they have to give up, for example, the extensive drop-down menu tree or the additional functions that PPM (right mouse button) activates on PCs.
Until a few years ago, mobile software also had to be much less 'resource-intensive'. This criterion is now slowly becoming a thing of the past. Why?
Because the latest processors, whether the Bionic series from Apple or Snapdragons from Qualcom, provide such high performance that they can handle even highly complex applications without difficulty. RAM capacity is also increasing, which additionally boasts a fast bus that does not slow down data transfer.
As you can see, the functionality of mobile apps is increasing year on year. This is much more than simple apps, which can be considered truncated versions of software dedicated to PCs. It is quite likely that the differences between the two types of software will become increasingly blurred in the years to come. Suffice it to say that the mobile app market is already worth almost $300 billion, an increase of 23% relative to 2020!
