Mobile app development: how to build an app, step by step
Building a mobile app is a process of analysis, design, development, testing and store release. This guide walks through the six steps from idea to launch. It also sums up the technology choice and the factors that drive cost.
How to build a mobile app in 6 steps
- Analysis and scope: You define the target user, the core screens and the limits of the first release.
- Interface design: The designer draws the screen flows, and you then approve them before development.
- Back end and API: The team sets up the server side that the app reads its data from.
- Development: The team writes the app in stages and shares each build with you.
- Testing: The team tries the app on different screen sizes and on real devices.
- Store release: Finally, the team submits the app to the App Store and Google Play.
These steps run in order, but they are not isolated. For example, a finding during testing can change the design. Therefore keeping the first release small speeds up the whole process.
A mobile app or a mobile-friendly website?
Not every need calls for an app. Sometimes a mobile-friendly website does the same job for less. To decide, look at how often people use the product and which device features it needs.
| Criterion | Mobile-friendly web | App |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | None, opens in the browser | Download from a store |
| Push notifications | Limited | Full support |
| Offline use | Limited | Possible |
| Camera, location, sensors | Partial access | Full access |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
In short, if people open the product every day, a mobile app is the right choice. For someone who visits once a month, however, the web is usually enough.
What belongs in the first release?
The first release is the shortest path on which a user completes the main job from start to finish. In a booking app, for example, that path is sign-in, time selection and confirmation. A points system or a campaign screen, however, can wait for a later release. As a result, you protect the budget and see real user reactions early.
Native or cross-platform?
With a native approach, the team writes two separate apps for iOS and Android. With a cross-platform approach, however, one codebase serves both stores. Which one is right depends on your need.
| Criterion | Native | Cross-platform |
|---|---|---|
| Codebase | Separate per platform | Shared |
| Development time | Longer | Shorter |
| Cost | Higher | Lower |
| Performance | Highest | Enough for most business apps |
| Hardware access | Direct | Ready for common features |
In short, cross-platform is usually enough for business apps built on forms, lists and notifications. For apps with heavy graphics or special hardware, on the other hand, native comes first.
What drives the cost of a mobile app?
There is no fixed list price, because a two-screen app and a multi-module platform do not take the same effort. These factors usually drive the cost:
- Screens and features: Every screen in the first release adds time.
- Platform: iOS only, Android only, or both together.
- Back end and admin panel: The panel you manage content in is a separate work item.
- Integrations: Payment, maps, notifications, ERP and CRM connections.
- Maintenance: Updates after release and the support you expect.
Store release: App Store and Google Play
To publish, you open a developer account in both stores. Apple reviews each submission against the App Store Review Guidelines. Google, meanwhile, runs the release process through the Play Console.
Review times vary. For this reason, plan your launch date after store approval. Also prepare content such as the privacy policy, screenshots and store description in advance.
Maintenance after release
Release is a beginning, not an end. Apple and Google publish a new operating system version every year. Consequently, you need to update your app for those versions. User feedback also leads to new feature ideas. So set aside a maintenance budget from the start.
4 common mistakes
- Forgetting the back end: In fact, a mobile app rarely works without a server and an admin panel.
- Bloating the first release: Every extra screen raises both the time and the cost.
- Leaving store rules to the end: A submission that breaks the guidelines fails review, so the launch slips.
- Not planning maintenance: An app without updates eventually causes problems on new devices.
These mistakes share one cause: seeing the project only as screen design. In fact, the screens are the visible part of the work. Data, security and the release process, however, are invisible and just as important.
Enterprise mobile app examples
- Apps where customers raise requests and track orders
- Apps where field teams record work orders and visits
- Apps where members update their details and receive announcements
- Booking, reservation and reminder apps
What these examples share is that the app does not work alone. It usually uses the same data as a web panel, an ERP or a CRM. Therefore the project is really a custom software project.
Mobile app development with Coratlas
At Coratlas we build enterprise apps for iOS and Android. Depending on the project, we choose a native or cross-platform approach and integrate the app with your core systems. We also manage store submissions and updates after release.
The initial analysis meeting is free, and we reply to your request within 1 business day. For details, see our mobile app development page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to build a mobile app?
A first release with limited scope is ready in weeks. A multi-module app, however, takes months. You also need to add store review times to the schedule.
Can one app run on both iOS and Android?
Yes. With a cross-platform approach, the team writes one codebase. It then publishes the same app in both stores.
Does an app also need a web panel?
In most projects, yes, because you manage content, users and notifications from a panel. That panel is also the data source of the app.
Should we publish the app from our own account?
Yes, we recommend it. As a result, ownership of the app in the store stays with your organisation. You then add the development team to your account as authorised users.