React Native mobile app development: comprehensive guide for cross-platform solutions

Almost 15% of the top 500 apps installed in the US were created in React Native. React native development services can significantly enhance the speed of native app development. By utilizing this development framework, developers can create a cross-platform mobile app that runs seamlessly on both native iOS and Android devices. This approach allows a single codebase to be used throughout the development, which is not only efficient but also reduces costs associated with app using different technologies for different platforms. Read about the advantages and disadvantages of this approach and find out in which cases React Native can speed up the software development process.

Mobile app development projects in the past 

When the mobile revolution started, most mobile applications were implemented in programming languages designed for a specific platform. Android developers were using Java while iOS developers dealt with Objective C which later was replaced by Swift.  

This approach made sense because the biggest challenge developers faced was performance. The apps were expected to run smoothly. Designers wanted to add some animations. And fast, at the time, mobile devices had less computing power than even the slowest ones we use nowadays.  

Why React Native development has become popular 

Later, with more powerful devices, and optimized technical solutions things started to change. Initially, cross-platform solutions were only suitable for simple, less demanding applications. However, today that is not an issue anymore. Mobile devices are powerful and cross-platform solutions went through an optimization process to be treated as “almost native”. 

Read also: Cloud-native applications: what do you need to know?

What is React Native app development, and why choose it for your development process? 

React Native is one of the cross-platform solutions that developers can use to create apps for multiple platforms.  

The benefits of using React Native: 

• React Native code is partially just a React code that can be reused to create a web application. 
• React Native deals with platform UI implementations and allows us to focus on developing features with React primitives. 
• In React Native, developers can use libraries, and SDKs or write their native code. 
• React Native is based on React, a popular framework for web development. It means it might be easier to find good React developers who only need to learn the native part of development. 
• React Native performs much better nowadays. The core team introduced a new communication method between JavaScript and native elements: “Bridge” asynchronous communication has been replaced with JSI (JavaScript Interface) communication.

React native framework vs. native app development: when to choose Swift or Kotlin for your app development project? 

Even though there are advantages to using React Native, some cons can be found as well. Due to their nature, cross-platform solutions cannot compete with native ones in some aspects. 

Potential React Native issues: 

• Near-native performance is still worse than native performance and some complex projects might need to be developed natively. Especially when they deal with many interactions. 
• Some parts of the app might still need to be developed using native programming languages. That means that either React developers need to learn how to do it, or some help from native developers might be needed from time to time. 
• React Native is a relatively new technology, therefore some modules might need to be built from scratch. It can slow down the software development if the development team is not aware of this limitation. 
• React Native was built by the Facebook team and has less support and backward compatibility than native technologies. It is used in many projects, so it won’t be abandoned in a day. Nonetheless, its popularity heavily depends on Facebook (Meta) and its use in their apps.

How React Native’s development time and cost compare to native mobile app development 

When we try to make a comparison between React Native and native app development, we should first focus on business requirements and company expectations. Some projects should be delivered as soon as possible to be later improved and extended. Other projects have already been developed as web applications and the goal is to port them to mobile applications. Those are probably the most common cases where React Native can come in handy. 

When React Native can speed up the software development process: 

• There is an existing web application built in React and many parts of the code can be reused. Only UI and native elements must be developed. 
• It is known from the very beginning that you need to serve your app on multiple platforms and app development process speed is the main factor. 
• Applications are not complex from the technological perspective and there probably won’t be a need to develop custom or native components. 
• The application is not expected to scale to a point where huge amounts of data could slow it and make it laggy. 
• The team in the company has a lot of React experience. It might be cheaper to allow them to learn native development than to hire dedicated teams for Android and iOS development.

When should you use React Native over progressive web apps (PWA)? 

PWA’s are simply applications running in browsers that use web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. They can mimic the behavior of native applications to some extent. There are many cases in which PWA’s are sufficient for our needs. They can be saved on the home screen, and they can work offline, using push notifications and some device features.  

React Native is a JavaScript-based framework that allows you to build mobile apps for iOS and Android. It has access to native rendering APIs and can take advantage of GPS, camera, and accelerometer. This allows developers to build applications that feel truly native and perform at a nearly native level. 

When should we choose React Native over PWA? 

PWA’s have limited access to certain hardware features of a device. This can impact the way the app functions. We should be aware of that and choose React Native when a specific device feature is a key factor to app success.

• Battery consumption is higher in PWA’s. It happens because they run in the browser which is less effective compared to native apps.
• Performance is better in React Native apps because the have access to native rendering APIs.
• React Native uses native UI components specific to each platform. That results in a seamless User Experience.

Read also: Angular – Let’s create our own Progressive Web Application

Best practices for React Native mobile app development

Most of the best practices for React mobile applications will be the same as in the case of React web app development best practices.

• Carefully plan code structure.
• Keep your components small and reusable.
• Extract reusable parts of logic to promote modular code.
• Try not to overcomplicate state management. Sometimes local state is all you need.
• Optimize performance where needed. Avoid unnecessary re-renders, and use optimized elements like FlatList.
• Avoid inline styling, use shared styles.
• Try to build dynamic components that can rely on server-side data. That might limit the number of app releases when some minor logic changes are introduced.
• Don’t forget to test your code.
• Use React Native’s built-in accessibility features
• Introduce crash analytics to ensure your app is healthy and the number of crashes is low.
  Log errors. That will help you with debugging issues and gathering analytics for future development.

Advantages of React Native cross-platform app development 

There are business and technical advantages of using React Native. Most important are the following. 

• React Native is gaining popularity. It holds around 13% of the market share among cross-platform mobile app development frameworks.
• There are many experienced React developers who can switch to React Native development relatively easily.
• React Native community is large.
• React Native targets many platforms at once.
• If there is a need for web application development with similar features, parts of the codebase can be shared between React and React Native.
• React Native is fast because it uses native APIs. It gives a near-mobile experience in terms of application smoothness.

Disadvantages of React Native cross-platform app development 

Just like every cross-platform solution built by a third party, React Native has its cons. The most important are: 

• Relying on third-party solutions can be risky even if the company that created is large and if it has a large community.
• Some custom modules are missing and others can be underdeveloped.
• Upgrades are not always easy to apply.
• Native developers might be needed from time to time to develop more sophisticated plugins written in native languages.
• It is easy to write an app that won’t perform as expected. You need to pay extra attention to developing an optimized application.
• Complex designs and interactions can run slowly in React Native.
• Even a well-optimized application won’t reach the speed of a native application.

12 reasons to choose React Native to develop mobile apps 

Let’s summarize it with a list of reasons that should encourage you to use React Native. 

1. It targets many platforms at once.
2. React Native can have a shared codebase with the React web application.
3. It has a large community.
4. React Native speed can be described as near-native.
5. The framework is gaining popularity in mobile development.
6. React Native uses native APIs and has access to specific device features.
7. React Native deals with platform UI implementations.
8. React Native developers are not limited to existing modules. They can write native modules.
9. The React community is big, and this might help to build a React Native team.
10. New features and improvements are often released.
11. Good developers’ experience during the development process (e.g. hot reloading).
12. React Native was developed by Facebook (Meta) and it is used in most of their mobile applications. Even though it’s a third-party solution, it might be considered a relatively safe one to use.

React Native case study 

Our client is a company in the heavy industry area. It is a European leader in laser metal processing equipment. End customers who buy the machines get a complete solution bundled with a control system for operators and service technicians. 
 
They needed a desktop application that would serve as a control panel to monitor cutting processes in the factory. The initial decision was to use React and Electron to build Windows desktop applications. During technical conversations the team decided to switch to React Native to leave a gate for native app development or performance improvements.   

This was due to the risk that the application displayed in the browser on slower tablets might not be efficient enough to correctly preview the live cutting process.  

Additionally, the client didn’t make a final decision whether the app should be made available in App Store and Google Play. In the end, the application was made available on the Windows display but the use of React Native creates opportunities for future mobile development. 

Summary 

This development framework allows developers to create cross-platform mobile apps that function seamlessly on both iOS and Android. By leveraging JavaScript and React, a React Native app development company can build an app using native features, ensuring a smoother User Experience. The react native development services enable the integration of native libraries, allowing for the use of native device capabilities throughout the development process. A native app development company can bring significant benefits resulting in faster development. If you are interested in React Native development services, contact us to see how your project can speed up.