Are Native Mobile Apps Dead?

by Ascensor Limited Big Things coming in digital 2018

There’s been a number of questions regarding the future of mobile development, especially concerning native and hybrid/progressive mobile development and Web Apps Leeds.

When mobile apps were at their most popular about 3 or 4 years ago, app enthusiasts declared that the web was dead and that everything was going to be app based and that if you didn’t have one, you’d be left behind.

Since then however, the web is much more popular than ever, meanwhile native apps have been dwindling. This is not to be confused with mobile as a whole. Mobile is more alive and well than it ever was. Facebook, Google and other web giants are reporting more traffic on mobile than other devices and most of that traffic isn’t from an app.

What Happened?

Statistics show that the average mobile user barely downloads any apps on any given month. So, why the shift? Simple: the web is still so prevalent with its operating system being web browsers. Mobile browsers are smarter and more powerful as they now support even the most technically sophisticated applications.

Progressive Web Apps can even access some of your phone’s native features such as GPS, photo’s etc. While they’re not up to scratch with the power that native mobile apps have, they are very close. Call Digital Agency Leeds for more!

Is this Really the End Then?

No, and it’s not likely to be the case any time soon. The Native apps that you use to communicate, make transactions or other apps reliant on your device’s native features are likely here to stay. You’re not very likely to ditch Gmail, Facebook or other apps that you use every day.

The problem with mobile web apps for platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram etc. is that they’re slower, poorer in terms of User Experience and much more limited to using integrated services. This is why most of these brands have chosen to release a native app to provide their users with extended functionality and a better experience.