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Mobile App Maintenance: Why Is It So Essential?

Mobile App Maintenance

The idea of developing a mobile app might pop up anytime, anywhere and within a jiffy. However, developing and releasing the desired app takes a good amount of time, energy, thought process, technology and a bunch of other factors. Most of people think that the job of a developer and owner ends with the release of the app. However, this is a big myth. The real challenge is to ensure that the users come back and engage more on your platform. That’s what demands proper mobile app maintenance after the release.

Let’s say the 2 giants of mobile operating systems, Android and iOS release an update. Would you not update your app in lines with the latest version of these operating systems? Of course, you have to update your application. Moreover, mobile app maintenance is imperative in order to provide convenient service and ever-improving user experience to all the users. Here are a few important reasons to keep a proper mobile app maintenance process?

1. Helps In Keeping Pace With Popular Operating Systems

Both Android and iOS keep updating their OS to introduce new technological advancements. Android has recently launched Android Oreo 8.0 and iOS upgraded their OS to iOS 11 version. A lot of apps that work on the older version of these operating systems don’t run on the latest versions due to compatibility issues. It’s important to maintain your app on the basis of latest OS versions so that the users don’t discard your app due to compatibility issues.

2. Improved Software Libraries

A software library contains codes, configurations, and routines. It is the backbone of any app development process and developers rely heavily on it. A lot of mobile apps these days use third-party libraries that change very quickly and very often. Thus, updating the libraries becomes supercritical. Mobile app maintenance ensures timely updating of these libraries for the smooth functioning of apps. Else your app will be broken.

3. Provides Better UI & UX

The UI of any app should always be up to date and advanced. An impressive interface from yesterday might not get similar attention today. So, we need to continuously update the interface of our app through systematic mobile app maintenance. Similarly, if you want to get more and more audience and top the app ratings, you must provide a smooth user experience. A proper mobile app maintenance process ensures that users get amazing experience thereby resulting in increased traffic and higher ratings.

4. Helps In Overcoming Hardware Issues

The mobile companies are at war with each other and there is cut-throat competition. In a quest to clinch the top slot, mobile companies launch new and updated models every now and then. Your app might not fit in with the latest mobile devices and may become obsolete in absence of a proper mobile app maintenance process.

5. Provides A Monetary Edge

No matter how efficient a developer is or how clear the owner’s vision is, it’s impossible to develop a perfect app. At a certain stage, flaws will come up and will require attention. If you implement mobile app maintenance process and update your app regularly it gives you a financial edge. You can release the app with essential features rather than implementing all the features. This will help you save on the overall initial cost. With a mobile app maintenance process in place, you can keep updating the app and infuse new features periodically.

To conclude, the only thing constant in this world is change itself. The technology world keeps changing and you will constantly bump into the need for updating your app. Moreover, you need to provide the latest and updated version of your app to the users so that they don’t uninstall your app. This is only possible if you maintain your app on a regular basis. Talk to our experts and know how we at NYX Ditech help our clients in not only developing great apps but also match their maintenance requirements.

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Technology

Here’s Why Switching To A Hybrid App Is A Great Idea

Hybrid App Is A Great Idea

It’s been nearly a decade since mobile applications surfaced over the technology world and their growth has been phenomenal. The access to the internet through mobile devices has surpassed all other means by a healthy margin. With an ever-increasing dependence on mobile applications, it becomes critical for mobile app developers to keep providing an amazing user experience. In a quest to do so, he needs to first choose the correct app development approach. Here’s where the developer takes a call between a Native app and a Hybrid app.

The choice between a Native app and a Hybrid app is one of the hottest topic of debates across the world these days. A majority of tech gurus pointed out the need of switching to hybrid apps foreseeing it as the future of mobile app development.

Let’s first understand the basic difference between a Native app and a Hybrid app

A Native app is developed purely around a particular OS. The UX and technical guidelines of that particular OS are followed religiously during the entire development process. Standard native development tools and kits like Android Studio, Eclipse, Objective C, Swift, Visual Studio etc. are used to develop a native app. The look and feel of all the native apps are similar as they are developed using the same guidelines.

A Hybrid app is essentially an app developed on the footprints of a company’s website. A single Hybrid app can be released across multiple operating systems and thus they are easier to develop. The developer’s need to manage only one version of the source code against multiple versions when developing a Native app. Web technologies like HTML, CSS, and Javascript are used while developing a Hybrid app.

There’s no thumb rule or written verdict that one should only develop a Hybrid app. However, there are a lot of reasons which suggest that Hybrid apps are better than Native apps.

1. No More App Store Limitations

Ask, any Native app developer and he will testify that releasing a Native app is a troublesome and time-consuming process. The entire code needs to be packed and sent to the store for approval which can take anywhere between a couple of days to a week as well. Adding more to the trouble, sometimes there’s a need to update the app multiple times in a day, which is not possible with app store limitations. It’s a very irritating scenario for the developers. Here’s where the Hybrid app comes to your rescue.

2. Smooth & Standard User Experience

Providing a standard user experience across all platforms is a must for any business. Lack of consistency in the look and feel across different devices and platforms hampers the brand image. A Hybrid app allows you to provide a smooth and consistent UX across all platforms. Moreover, a single update is enough to renew the app on all platforms.

3. Cost Effective

A Hybrid app will instantly become your favorite when you will realize how cost effective it is. A Native app requires a lot of engagement from the developer’s end, thereby increasing the time devoted by the developer. More time means more money spent. However, a Hybrid app utilizes a different set of libraries which are then linked with tools which drastically reduces the development time, which means less money spent.

4. Single Code, Multiple Uses

Most of the Native apps have an Android version and an iOS version which are developed using platform specific languages like Objective-C or Swift for iOS and Java in case of Android. On the other hand, a Hybrid app allows you to develop an app using the same language. Simply write the code once and deploy it across all your mobile platforms. Similarly, mobile app testing is also simplified because you don’t need to write unique test scripts for each app type. The entire QA process is benefited as it reduces the amount of QA infrastructure requirement.

5. Extensive Reach

The reach of any business is not always collective or gathered. It’s always scattered around. Since a Hybrid app can be downloaded from any store, it has a better reach to the scattered audience of the business. Hybrid apps have an upper hand over the native apps when it comes to reaching out to the audience quickly and effectively.

Looking at the recent advancements in technology and future projections, one can bet that Hybrid apps will pin down Native apps very quickly. The sublime benefits of a Hybrid app make the development process much easier and efficient. Having said that, Native still holds good for a few specific apps like gaming apps, intensive graphics apps, immersive 3D experience apps, etc. But taking a call on a holistic level, our bet is on Hybrid apps. Talk to our Mobile app development experts and know more on how you can get an exceptional mobile app of your own.

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Technology

Your Next App Should Ride On The 12-Factor App Methodology

12-Factor App Methodology

Often when the development of an app starts there is a particular approach towards development which is followed. The actions taken during the development process and the entire architecture revolves around this methodology. There are many  app methodology available for a developer to choose from. However, a new methodology has surfaced in order to develop apps that have a great structure and scalability. We are talking about the 12-Factor methodology and it will completely change the way your advancement towards the architecture of your next app.

First things first! What is the 12-Factor app methodology?

In simple terms, 12-Factor app methodology is a methodology for building software-as-a-service apps that has a clear connect with the basic operating system. It enables continuous deployment with maximum pace increasing the scalability significantly. It provides independency to the app over programming languages and backend services. The 12-Factor App Methodology was derived from Heroku (a Sales Force Paas platform).

Why do we need the 12-Factor app methodology?

If you don’t have a process and good platform, even the greatest of the codes is bound to tumble down. The complexity increases furthermore if you have diverse programming environments. The 12-Factor app methodology helps you to apply some constraints so that you can easily track, use and share applications.

The 12 factors

1. Codebase – One codebase tracked in revision control, many deploys

The first and the foremost factor is your codebase. Maintain all your code in one single repository. Just put it on Github right at the beginning only. Once you grow up substantially, you may have a distributed system with multiple apps talking to each other. At this point you can treat them as separate apps with their own code repositories However, it should still be in source control. The critical point to note here is that your application must be tracked with revision control, and that it sits in a central repository that is accessible to your developers.

2. Dependencies – Explicitly declare and isolate dependencies

All the environments within which your code runs has some dependencies. It may be a database, or an image processing library, or a command-line tool. At no given point in time your application must assume that all of these things will be in place on a given machine. Back the dependencies into your software system. Anything your applications rely on to run should be controlled and managed to minimize conflicts. Most languages and frameworks provide a natural way to do this. You list out all the versions of all the libraries you want to have in one place, and when the code is deployed, a command is run that downloads all the correct versions and stack them in place.

3. Configuration – Store configuration in the environment

Configuration should never be hardcoded. The reason behind this is because it relates to services, API keys, and database credentials. Not hard coding your application eliminates the risk of both production errors and production data leaks. You must rely on environment variables to handle this sensitive information rather than hardcoding the configuration.

4. Backing Services – Treat backing services as attached resources

A backing service is one that requires a network connection to run. This is a very popular example found in modern application development. The 12-Factor App methodology advises developers that the changes or modifications should occur without making any changes in the code. This factor is best handled by calling each backing service through an API, with credentials stored in a configuration file that lives in your runtime environment.

5. Build, release, run — Strictly separate build and run stages

Build, release, and run stages should be treated as completely different from one another. Automation and tooling will help to make this principle simpler.
This can be accomplished by using existing tools to fully automate your build. The idea here is that the build stage does a lot of heavy lifting, and developers manage it.

6. Processes — Execute the app as one or more stateless processes

It’s likely you will have your application running on many servers, because that makes it more fault tolerant, and because you can support more traffic. As a rule, you want each of those instances of running code to be stateless. In other words, the state of your system is completely defined by your databases and shared storage, and not by each individual running application instance. Stateless applications are designed to degrade gracefully. That means if a dependency fails, the app itself does not become a failure.

7. Port binding – Export services via port binding

All application services should be accessible via a URL. It happens automatically for web applications. This enables 12-Factor Apps to be fully self-contained, avoiding the need to rely on various methods of runtime injection in order to create web facing services.

8. Concurrency – Scale out via the process model

It basically means that when you scale up your applications or deploy applications to the cloud, the process must be very simple. It means you create new instances of the same app concurrently. Each process should be able to scale, restart, or clone itself when needed. This approach will improve the sustainability and scalability of your application as a whole.

9. Disposability – Maximize robustness with fast startup and graceful shutdown

Whenever you app starts or shuts down, the process must be very swift. Let’s say if the system shuts down automatically with an error, so it should clean up all the resources which it was using so that it can gracefully shut down. It should not maintain any state or take any data and burn in itself.

10. Dev/prod Parity – Keep development, staging, and production as similar as possible

It’s crucial to strike consistency in any process. This factor is solely based on consistency. When your environments are similar, testing and developing gets much simpler.
With this approach, fewer bugs will find their way into your production environment, since your test cases can be applied on production-level data.

11. Logs – Treat logs as event streams

Log files keep track of a variety of things, from the basic to the critical aspects. Logging is important for debugging and checking up on the general health of your application. At the same time, your application shouldn’t concern itself with the storage of this information. You should be capturing errors and sending them to an error reporting service.

12. Admin processes — Run admin/management tasks as one-off processes

Once you have a live app you will wish to do a lot of administrative tasks like data cleanup, running analytics for a presentation etc. When a developer does these tasks he should do it from a machine in the production environment that’s running the latest version of the production code. In other words, run one-off admin tasks from an identical environment as production. Don’t run updates directly against a database, don’t run them from a local terminal window.

Some of these elements hold a mystery while some looks very promising. The whole idea is that a robust and reliable architecture is the key to a happily running system. The 12-Factor methodology helps you to create that architecture which surprises you the least and functions very smoothly. Talk to our experts and get more info on how we use great development methodologies to create amazing apps.

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Technology

How To Develop An Amazing Hotel Mobile App?

Amazing Hotel Mobile App

So you are all set to take a leap forward and develop a hotel mobile app for your hospitality brand or group in order to take advantage of the many benefits of mobile guest engagement. So what should be your next step? The next step is to figure out the way to develop the best hotel app not only for your organization but for your guests as well. Here are a few tips that will help you to create an awesome mobile app for a hotel or hospitality business.

1. Join Hands With A Right App Development Agency

It’s really critical to identify an appropriate app development agency which can cater to your development needs. This is a very crucial decision and thus must be executed with utter caution. Most hoteliers are not app developers and have limited knowledge of the requirements. Therefore, it’s important to surround yourself with experts who know what they’re doing, and who have hopefully gone through the steps before. There is a huge difference between developing a mobile app for the hospitality sector as compared to creating an app for any other industry. Find a third-party hotel app developer that can address your specific needs and answer your questions to boost your confidence.

2. Gather And Use Inputs From Multiple Departments

All the players need to contribute in order to make a team successful. Every department needs to contribute: Sales & Marketing, Hotel IT, Operations, etc. The best hotel apps serve multiple purposes for every aspect of a hospitality business. You aren’t investing money in your app to end up with something that will just sit in the app stores with your logo on it. Set meetings with department heads to discuss the app development.

Collect feedback, set goals and define roles. Who will be responsible for managing what aspects of the development process? Discuss and get answers for questions like who will gather all of the images necessary? Who will upload digital menu content? Who will proofread the copy? Everything must be fully organized in order to ensure maximum engagement with all members of hotel management and staff.

3. Keep A Margin To Grow

When you have a thought of launching your mobile app, you tend to read a lot about the same. You would learn about all the latest features of mobile apps and will dream to utilize it in your app as well. But you need to think logically about the scope of the project. Outline your immediate needs, your overall timeline, and your available resources. Talk about your requirements and get the feedback from the development agency.

Certain hotel app features take a lot more time to develop than you would expect. Features such as hotel mobile key to allow guests to use smartphones to open hotel room doors can be time-consuming because of the necessity to coordinate activity between multiple third-party hospitality technology vendors.
Understand the fact that you will not be able to launch your app with all the features that you wish. However, you’ll be able to scale up as time goes on. It’s best in your interest that you keep a scope of growth. You want an app that you can update and expand in the future as you come to learn and understand mobile technology for hotels more completely.

4. Think About Revenue

Mobile hotel apps can be a great source of additional revenue. Generating revenue through hotel technology is of great interest to most hoteliers, and it’s obvious you’d like to think you’ll be able to generate ROI from a hotel app.
But how do you generate revenue through a hotel app?
There are numerous ways actually, and you have to decide which is best for your hospitality business. Here are a few of them:

  • Hotel reservation booking
  • Direct marketing and advertising via mobile
  • Allowing mobile in-room dining orders
  • Enabling reservation booking at spas and restaurants

If you are looking to get an app for your hotel/ restaurant or any hospitality venture, get in touch with us. Our industry experts will love to know your requirements and will shape up the best app for you.