Cross-platform solutions are a popular choice for mobile app development for many reasons, such as cost-effectiveness and shorter development cycles, as well as accessibility across platforms. But creating an app is not the hardest endeavor, the biggest challenge is building a product that goes viral. What is the secret behind top applications like Facebook, Instagram, Alibaba, and others? We will share our best tricks for cross-platform app development and help you to create a software solution that becomes a huge success. 

Cross-Platform App Development 

Before we go over the tips on how to make a viral app, we will talk about the benefits of choosing cross-platform app development. What competitive advantage will you gain from building a platform-independent app, and which tools are best for the job?

Benefits of cross-platform app development 

• One codebase

The number one advantage of cross-platform app development is the reusability of code across all platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows, Linus, macOS, etc. Imagine how much time and resources you will save by writing a single code base and applying it across the operating systems you are planning to target. 

• Broad potential audience

By launching your app across platforms, you will be able to reach a tremendous amount of users at the same time. The more people who gain access to your app, the higher your chances are of becoming a success. 

• Time and cost-effectiveness

Cross-platform mobile development allows you to create an app that works on different platforms with only one development team on staff. As a result, you will launch your app in a shorter time and on a smaller budget. The freed-up money can be used for marketing and promotion. 

• Easy maintenance

Having a single code base for all apps also simplifies post-release maintenance. Every time you make changes to the app, the updates will be synced across all the platforms. In other words, cross-platform mobile app development allows you to fix bugs and add features in a shorter amount of time.

• Building MVPs

MVPs are basic applications that developers build to test and validate the idea before getting into the lengthy and costly app development process. Cross-platform app development provides the much-needed rapid turnaround to allow you to test your concept, collect feedback, and fix problems before going live. 

Top 3 tools for cross-platform app development 

• React Native

Since its launch in 2015, Facebook-developed React Native has become one of the most popular frameworks for cross-platform app development. RN is known for the “write once, use everywhere” paradigm, and is widely used to build working prototypes or MVPs and native-like mobile apps with great UIs.

Famous apps: Instagram, Skype, Pinterest.

• Flutter

Flutter is a cross-platform framework created by the Google team in 2018. Flutter is in the top three of the most loved frameworks among developers for its simplicity and high performance. Advanced features like Hot Reload and widgets continue to make Flutter a favorite choice for cross-platform mobile application development. 

Famous apps: Google Ads, Xianyu, Reflectly

• Xamarin

Xamarin is another prominent cross-platform framework acquired by Microsoft in 2016. Xamarin is a popular choice for building mobile games and on-demand apps such as food delivery services. The framework is user-friendly and offers a variety of debugging and UI designing tools. 

Famous apps: Storyo, Transistor, OLO.

How To Make An App Go Viral

Creating a well-functioning application is only half the way to success. How to make an app go 

viral and reach thousands and millions of users? 

5 factors that determine an app’s success 

• #1 Keep it user-friendly

Create an app that is easy to navigate and understand so as to avoid a prolonged learning curve. Users will not spend hours learning the intricacies of your application.

• #2 Provide fast loading time

These days, people are accustomed to a high-speed connection and a rapid loading time, which is why you should make sure your app loads as quickly as possible. 

• #3 Offer an offline mode

When the internet is out of reach, an offline mode is a lifesaver. Especially for traveling apps, providing a way to use your app without a connection could be a great competitive advantage. 

• #4 Build in intuitive error prevention

Users might make mistakes when using your product, so make sure to include context-sensitive assistance to prevent typing errors, as well as exit or cancel buttons. 

• #5 Provide value

Last but not least, make sure you are providing value to your customers and giving them something that other apps cannot offer. 

3 ways to make an app go viral

Understand your product/market fit

Your product/market fit is an important indicator of future success as it refers to finding oneself in a good healthy market with a product that will satisfy the demand. Simply put, calculate your user retention index and make sure that at least 20% of people who downloaded the app stayed onboard. If your number is even higher than 20, then you did a great job. To gain a better understanding of how the market works, use reliable mobile app development services. 

Organize a viral marketing campaign

A marketing campaign that turns your app into a viral application is a goldmine for a business. Usually, they do not require too much initial investment, and if they are executed correctly they can bring you a ton of new users. For example, launch a viral contest with an enticing reward to motivate potential users to download, share, and/or buy your digital product. The cross-platform development process allows you to reduce your app development cost and redirect it to marketing activities. 

Incentivize users with referrals

Finally, make sure your application is shareable and reward users for referring your product to their friends and family. For example, in a gaming app, invite users to post their milestones on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. You can also offer users the ability to play against their friends by sharing the app with them. 

Conclusion

There are a plethora of tricks and tips that can help you develop a successful mobile application. Learning how to adequately and efficiently market your application is a lengthy process, but a reliable cross-platform app development company can help you create a successful software solution. 

FAQs

What is cross-platform app development?

Cross-platform mobile apps development refers to building a single code base and launching it across operating systems: Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, macOS, embedded. 

How much does it cost to develop a cross-platform app?

Mobile app development costs depend on multiple aspects, such as app complexity, feature density, technology stack, and location. Average cross-platform development costs lie somewhere between $30,000 and $700,000.

How to make an app go viral?

Make sure you understand your product/market fit and know your potential growth. Besides this, launch various marketing campaigns and reward users for referrals. 

Author

Vitaly Makhov, CEO at DOIT Software, custom software development and IT Staff Augmentation company.