Why Go for Xamarin to Develop Cross-Platform App?

September 8 , 2023 Posted by Admin

A mobile plan is significant for companies that must perform well online. This is because most folks use smartphones to enter the digital world. So, when we say “going mobile,” we mean making the finest cross-platform apps for Android and iPhones. Acquiring the skills to develop cross-platform apps and identifying the optimal tools is beneficial.

Developers use several frameworks for cross-platform app formation like Flutter, react native, Cordova ionic, Xamarin, Unity, etc. Each has its skills and value. But in this article, our cross-platform app services provider explains a popular “Xamarin” tool. Let’s Begin!

Current Stats of Mobile Market Penetration

Examining mobile device usage statistics can aid in understanding their significance. Here’s what we know about the mobile marketplace in 2023:

• In 2023, more than 6.7 billion people, above 83% of the world’s population, will use smartphones.
• In 2021, about 4.32 billion people used the internet on their phones.
• More than half of the internet’s traffic arrives from mobile devices.
• Most people use Android (about 71.6%) or iOS (about 27.68%) on their phones. Other systems like Samsung, KaiOS, and Windows Phone create up less than 1% each.
• A survey discovered that 53% of developers use tools that help them create apps on different kinds of phones.

This data shows that mobile devices are significant in our lives and will remain more significant in the future. So, there will be a significant need for people who can create mobile apps.

Also, utilizing tools for cross-platform apps is becoming more popular. This is because cross-platform mobile apps provide people with an enhanced experience.

Let us discuss Xamarin, which helps create the best cross-platform apps.

What is Xamarin?

Microsoft purchased Xamarin in 2016 and created it as part of the .NET platform. Today, it’s a popular tool that helps create the finest cross-platform apps.

Xamarin utilizes a technology called C# and .NET. Developers can create apps that serve Android, iOS, and Windows. You can reuse a lot of the code, making apps fast.

Xamarin, originally a separate software company, set implementations for the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) before Microsoft in 2016 acquired it. Xamarin targets iOS, Android, and Windows as a universal development platform for creating mobile apps.

How good is Xamarin? A lot of people like it. Many big companies, like Bosch, Siemens, Slack, and Pinterest, use it to create their apps. Around 1.4 million developers globally are operating Xamarin to build apps. This shows that it’s a reliable and efficient tool.

A website named Statista says that many software engineers use Xamarin. It’s one of the 5th most excellent and popular tools they use to create apps, correct after Flutter, React Native, Cordova, and Ionic.

Platforms Supported by Xamarin

Xamarin enables you to create a single code that is valid for multiple devices. These devices integrate Android phones (even the wearable ones like smartwatches), iPhones (including Apple Watch and Apple TV), Windows devices (such as computers and specific types), Linux (for computers), Mac computers, and Tizen (a different kind of device). However, it’s significant to note that Xamarin doesn’t help Windows Phones in editions 3.X.

How does Xamarin work?

The central concept behind Xamarin operations is code sharing. Instead of making new code for every different device, developers write the code once and create small changes to use it on numerous devices. The basis of Xamarin is .NET, which helps with duties like memorizing and cleaning up unused things.

Xamarin Development Approaches

There are two ways to create the best cross-platform apps utilizing Xamarin.

1. Xamarin.Forms: This method lets you create the visual parts of the app once and add a specific unique code for every device. This shared code functions on Android, iOS, and Windows with a few changes. It’s quicker and expenses less. However, optimizing for speed might be necessary for the app’s optimal performance.
2. Xamarin Native: This includes different libraries for every device: Xamarin.iOS for iPhones, and Xamarin.Android for Android phones, and Xamarin.Mac for Mac computers. While you create separate designs for each device, the core code is shared, similar to Xamarin.Forms. This method takes more time and money, but the app operates very smoothly on every device, as it should.

Features of Cross-Platform App Development For Xamarin:

• Base Class Library (BCL): It is an essential tool for data storage, web interaction, and other functionalities (data and string manipulation, Threading and Concurrency, etc.).
• Visual Studio: Visual Studio is a pivotal software application in Xamarin app development. It offers real-time code suggestions, change tracking, and various valuable tools (Code Autocompletion, Code Navigation, Integrated Debugger, etc.).
• Working with Different Languages: Xamarin can utilize code from C, C++, Java, and Objective-C. This makes it possible to perform more things with your app.
• Xamarin Component Store: Inside this store, you can add numerous extra things to your app. Some are free and certain you have to pay for. They integrate beneficial tools, services, and parts of the app’s design.
• Connecting to Backend Systems: With Xamarin, you can easily link your apps to robust backend systems such as SAP, Azure, and Parse. This makes your apps even stronger by tapping into the features of these systems.

Developing Cross-Platform Apps with Xamarin: Advantages

Building cross-platform app is becoming more prevalent, and employing Xamarin has specific advantages compared to creating apps just for one device. Why ought you to choose Xamarin for constructing cross-platform mobile apps? In short, it’s like a dream tool for developers. They can write the code once and operate it on multiple platforms without slowing the app, updating, or sacrificing the consumer experience.

Xamarin is like a toolkit that lets you make a single set of instructions with C# and .NET, and it works on three mobile platforms simultaneously.

Let’s explore more about why you go for Xamarin for cross-platform app development:

• Unified Tools: Xamarin uses a single programming language, C#. You don’t need to switch between different tools. You can simplify development processes and save time because developers can perform everything anywhere.
• Reusable Code: Xamarin is often named a “write once, utilize everywhere” tool. You can write the code once and reuse most of it on various platforms. You can create small changes, but you don’t need to start from scratch every time.
• Easy Testing: Xamarin lets test apps to recognize difficulties before release. You can ensure that the app does fine on every platform.
• Authentic User Experience: Xamarin lets apps perform equally across all platforms. It utilizes the same tools and designs. It gives users a constant experience as if operating an app designed particularly for their device.
• Effortless Maintenance: If you require updating the app or fixing something, it’s simpler because you have to change the code in one place. The shifts will automatically use the app on all platforms. You can streamline the maintenance process.

Besides, the Xamarin community is known for its client’s support, providing help and information, making it more straightforward to know and use.

Also, Microsoft supports Xamarin, a strong tech company. You can ensure reliability and quick-issue solutions. Microsoft also delivers learning resources and training to aid developers in enhancing their skills in employing Xamarin for cross-platform mobile app development.

Challenges Occur During Cross-Platform App Development Using Xamarin

Like any software product, Xamarin may be the wrong pick for some projects. Particular difficulties can make this cross-platform mobile app development tool unsuitable.

1. Heavy Apps: Large Apps developed using Xamarin can be more impactful than those developed for a single platform. This may be a problem for projects where file size matters a lot.
2. Complex Graphics: Making apps with fancy graphics and animations is complex with Xamarin. This would be more suitable for applications that require advanced visuals or games with high graphics.
3. Delayed Updates: When updates come out for Android, iOS, and Windows, Xamarin apps can’t use them correctly. It takes a certain amount of time to create them and perform with the new features, resulting in postpones in updating the app.
4. Performance: While Xamarin apps perform pretty well, they’re slower than apps created merely for one platform. If speed is significant for a project, there may be better options than Xamarin.

Xamarin’s Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

When it comes to making apps via Xamarin, there are different programs you can use. In the past, there was Xamarin Studio, which makes apps on either Mac or Windows, but it’s not used much anymore. Instead, Visual Studio for Mac has taken its place.

Today, the primary tool for working with Xamarin is Visual Studio are four editions available. Visual Studio Community is outstanding for small teams, students, and projects open to everyone. You can additionally utilize Visual Studio Professional. But it is meant for small groups of skilled developers and provides powerful coding tools.

Visual Studio Enterprise is a different option for working on big, intricate projects. This edition is the one to utilize for massive projects. While Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is not a finished IDE like the others, it’s a lightweight code editor for making simple applications.

Launch of “.NET MAUI” in 2022

Xamarin’s platform is advancing. In 2022, it launched .NET MAUI. MAUI means Multiplatform App UI and is a mixture of .NET and Xamarin.Forms. It is an enhanced edition of “Xamarin.Forms” and more straightforward ways to create apps. Xamarin.Native is included in the .NET 6 platform, giving access to the unique features of each device.

Microsoft will still help Xamarin but won’t create new editions anymore.

Developers are excited to know about MAUI and utilize it for new projects. At “App Development Pros,” we’re holding an eye out for updates and will help move our present Xamarin-based apps to this new thing smoothly.

Our Knowledge of Xamarin

At “App Development Pros,” our team of Xamarin experts boasts more than a decade of experience, finishing several prosperous projects. As a top cross-platform app services provider, we excel in numerous Xamarin competencies, inclusive requirements analysis, app development, support, UI/UX design, improving native apps, mobile testing, and more.

One extraordinary illustration engaged a customer needing two separate mobile apps for specific customer groups to collaborate seamlessly. Creating separate applications for iOS and Android requires a good amount of time and incurs significant costs. As a result, the customer chose to pursue Xamarin’s cross-platform development approach.

The outcome was a prosperous cross-platform solution deployed on either iOS or Android. We create the finest cross-platform app utilizing phases like requirement definition, development, testing, design, execution, and ongoing support.

In different projects, we are met with difficulty in IoT mobile app development (iOS and Android). Smart home systems require control over electronic locks. Our Xamarin team skillfully undertook assignments spanning system architecture, development, superiority assurance, and automated testing. This endeavor resulted in the proud initiation of the IoT app, following the cross-platform technique throughout.

Conclusion

Discover the efficiency of Xamarin for mobile app development – a cost-effective solution with native features. While Android and iOS dominate, the pick-out between native and cross-platform (like Xamarin) relies on speed, cost, and efficiency.

AppDevelopmentPros is one of the best app development companies in the USA, UK, UAE, Canada, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. We can be your top cross-platform app services provider, as we are specialists in creating cross-platform, native, and hybrid apps along with single-page app development.