A native app, or native application, is a software application built in a specific programming language, for the specific device platform, either iOS or Android.
Native iOS apps are written in Swift or Objective-C and native Android apps are written in Java.
Native apps’ specifics are as follows:
- Technology: Objective C or Swift is used to write iOS apps; Java is used to write Android apps.
- Access to native API: Native apps can fully access device features and API.
- Distribution method: Through app stores (App Store or Google Play).
- Multi-platform capability: Not supported.
Benefits of Native Apps
- Fast and Responsive
- Easy to tap into wider device functionality
- Match app UI/UX to platform conventions
Disadvantages of Native Apps
- Web apps have a limited ability to leverage device features and hardware.
- Usage patterns and performance metrics are more difficult to collect since users interact with different web browsers.
- Less interactive and intuitive compared to native apps.
- Branding opportunities are fewer than native applications and hybrid applications, those with the availability of app store listing.
- When comparing the native app vs progressive web app, PWA ensures less security as they don’t have access to the device’s hardware components, thus not being able to implement additional layers of security.
So why are most apps native? The reason is that native apps have a number of significant advantages over the alternatives.
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