As an entrepreneur looking to build custom software, you’re likely to have come across a range of run-of-the-mill app development myths. False information is everywhere, making it more important than ever that you do your due diligence before you actually kick-off the development process.
If you’re having trouble separating fact from fiction, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll explore and debunk the 10 most common app development myths and misconceptions. Let’s begin!
1. App Development Is Cheaper than Web Development
Clients are usually quick to assume this and often don’t realize that both processes can be just as complicated.
Like web development, Mobile app development also requires a proper budget as you need a full-cycle team of developers, quality assurance testers, designers, and analysts to name a few.
Additionally, the whole development cycle can even demand more effort and time. By investing in the right team, you can cater to your user’s dynamic needs while gaining a competitive edge in the market.
2. Apps Based on Original Ideas Equal Instant Success
No matter how innovative and original, just the idea alone does not guarantee your app’s success. Although there are 2.2 million apps available on Apple’s App Store and 2.8 million on Google Play Store, not every app makes it to the big leagues. (Source: buildfire). All noteworthy apps such as Instagram, Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, YouTube, Google Maps, Gmail, etc. can attribute their success to a range of factors, including market strategy, functionality, ease-of-use, great user experience, etc.
To help your app be successful, we at App Wow Zap offer a full 360-degree strategy that goes beyond just design and development and also covers app store deployment and marketing.
3. The Development Cycle Ends After Deployment
The app development cycle does not end after your app is launched. To keep your audience hooked, you need to integrate user-friendly features and maintain your app through debugging and regular updates. Feedback from users post-launch proves quite valuable in this regard.
4. Apps Don’t Need To Be Cross-platform
According to IDC’s 2019 Market share survey Apple, Samsung and Huawei sold 36.9m, 71.9m, and 59.1m units respectively. To capture a greater market share for your app, you must target both Android and iOS users.
Source: CounterPoint Research
Cross-platform app development will also help establish your business’ uniformity in terms of brand image and awareness. Furthermore, technical issues can be fixed instantly for all platforms due to the use of a single code base.
5. More Team Members Mean Instant Results
Unlike traditional production methods, app development doesn’t get faster as you add more team members. Among other factors, team members need to get acquainted with project details, and how quickly they adapt can prove detrimental to the project’s deadlines.
Moreover, it’s not possible to divide all tasks among team members, and therefore, they can’t be carried out concurrently. Adding more team members also makes communication difficult, which only contributes to the overall project’s complexity.
6. Stuffing Features Guarantees App Success
Feature-stuffing means bombarding your app with excessive and complex functional features. This is not only likely to make your apps bigger (and load times longer) but will also have a devastating effect on your app’s overall user experience. As a result, people may stop using your app altogether. Therefore, it’s vital to ensure a balance between features and user experience as this plays a crucial role in ensuring your app’s success.
7. Native Apps Should Be Preferred Over Hybrid Apps
Although native apps may offer a slicker look, more optimization, and features like offline app access, they also have their downsides like long downloading times and little-to-no flexibility. Additionally, they need regular upgrades, and their development tends to be pricey and time-consuming.
Hybrid app development also has its pros and cons. You only need a single codebase, have enhanced reliability and access to the device’s hardware and its internal APIs, etc. However, initial development costs are high, and maintenance can also be complicated.
As a stakeholder, it’s your utmost responsibility to conduct extensive market research to identify your target users and their preferences and choose a development approach based on your findings.
8. App Store Optimization Boosts Traffic Remarkably
App store optimization alone isn’t enough to help your app rank in the Top 10 or Top 50. There are other features of your app that play a role in traffic generation, including UX/UI design, usability, functionality, services offered, etc. Moreover, the pricing model offered (free, premium, freemium) also plays an important role. In addition to ASO, you can also leverage Social Media Marketing as almost everyone uses at least one platform.
9. It’s Simple Porting An iOS App To Android (and Vice Versa)
Clients sometimes assume that just because an app has been developed for one platform, it would take considerably less time to port it to another. It is essential to understand that the whole development cycle for Android and iOS is vastly different and makes use of distinct tools and technologies.
Android app development usually makes use of Java and Kotlin, while iOS development requires Swift. Also, the former uses Android Studio as its development environment, while the latter uses Xcode. Additional differences can be found in the table below.
10. Developing An App is Super Expensive
This is by far is one of the most common app development myths. Every entrepreneur assumes that development for an app is going to set them back an amount somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000 or more. However, this is often not the case.
Don’t believe us? Get in touch with one of our team members and get a quote for your app idea.
We at App Wow Zap pride ourselves on building innovative mobile and web applications at highly competitive rates.
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