Development of digital software solutions has always been a complicated, challenging industry. Difficulties in mobile app development are absolutely not unheard of, and those who are new to the niche do not always know how to cope with them. The typical reasons are a lack of information, inadequate specifications, design complicators, etc. 48% of devs report the lack of internal resources being the recurring issue.
Let’s review the five most common challenges a beginning developer may face due to the aforementioned factors. In case you do not feel like resolving any of the challenges completely on your own, contact Weelorum with your project details to claim a free strategy session.
5 Challenges in Mobile App Development
Now, let’s proceed with the top five troublesome challenges you may face as a beginner developer.
Highly Competitive Market
The app market is crowded, and it is becoming gradually harder to release a leasing solution and fill a particular niche. If you click with Android, you probably use Google Play Market a lot. Do you ever wonder how many apps this marketplace hosts? As of 2021, the number of unique applications was at about 3.48 million!
As for iOS and Apple Store, respectively, this number equals roughly 2.11 million. As you can see, the risks that the niche of your choice will have at least several strong competitors are extremely high.
If you are not prepared for this situation, you may find your app less popular than you expect. There are things you can do about it, but it’s always better to address a potential problem rather than solve one that has already arisen.
Screen Size and Device Compatibility
Another thing that many developers pay sufficient attention to is compatibility. In the present day, there are hundreds of device models on the market. They feature different screen sizes, operating systems, and software. As a developer, it’s your responsibility to build a digital solution, the designed layouts of which renders perfectly on as many devices as possible.
Mobile App Security
Another of the common problems in mobile development is a failure to comply with industry-leading security standards. Not to mention that no one is going to use a software solution that gathers sensitive personal information but fails to protect the data from leaking.
This situation also leads to the app not being accepted by any reputable marketplaces. For example, both Apple Store and Google Play Market impose strict security requirements on any app dealing with users’ information. They can easily ban an app if it has security issues.
Development Technology Chosen Incorrectly
A frequent mistake is to go with native development when your target audience may prefer a web or cross-platform solution. The worst thing about this is that it instantly limits the reach of your app.
But on the other hand, if you decide to go with a cross-platform or web solution, you may end up having an underperforming app with an inadequate UX/UI design.
Unnecessary or Lacking Functionalities
Another frequent mistake leading to problems in mobile app development is to pack an app with so many functionalities that the basic purpose of the app is just barely fulfilled. It overcomplicates the interface and overwhelms users. They end up confused and would rather delete the app instead of wasting their time trying to understand its functionality.
In contrast, having incomplete functionality will lead to the same or even worse outcomes for obvious reasons — users would not get what they came for.
Need help resolving mobile app development challenges?
Contact Weelorum to claim a free strategy session
Contact usHow to Overcome Current Challenges in Mobile Application Development
Here are some of the immediate solutions you can implement to address the current problems in mobile application development.
Redefine Your Market and Start Promoting Your App
It’s possible you have not targeted your market with your app’s functionality. That placed your solution in a row with huge competitors that have better tech and marketing capabilities. The obvious solution here is to narrow your reach. It’ll help to make your app more specialized, overcoming difficulties in mobile app development this way. Actually, software solutions that address the need of a smaller audience are fully capable of attracting enough attention to be not only viable but profitable.
An alternative or complementary solution, if you wish, is to promote your app. Building the program is just the first step of the process. Even if you hadn’t planned a marketing campaign in advance, it’s exactly the right time to do so. Successful marketing efforts will drive downloads and engage users.
Put an Emphasis on the Testing Phase
If you have your app developed already and cannot just change your tech stack, you need to put a great deal of effort into the testing phase. It will help to determine the devices and operating systems your app does not just click with.
Once you have a pool of devices, you should approach each of them distinctively. Start from the most popular mobile phones, and advance further with each update. Sooner or later, you’ll have the issue completely fixed and challenges in mobile app development addressed.
Adhere to Platform-Specific Guidelines and Perform Security Checks
Every operating system or marketplace has specific requirements regarding the safety policies of any app allowed in the market. You should carefully examine those and ensure your solution complies with them. Don’t forget that every region has its government-protected security policies you need to pay particular attention to if you don’t want to get banned.
Once you have added the necessary security features, perform some tests and checks to ensure that your app has the minimum required level of security protection against scammers, hackers, etc.
Switch to More Suitable Dev Strategy
Even if your app is already finished, you should consider porting it to a more suitable platform to have strategy problems in mobile app development addressed. Depending on the tech stack and programming language used, there are different ways in which you can approach porting. In the worst-case scenario, just use all the materials and content you have to prepare a second release of your digital solution.
Gather the Feedback and Release an Update
Users’ reaction is the best indicator of the challenges in mobile application development. Normally, users leave feedback about problems they experience. They report what functionalities they found unnecessary and what features they want to be added in the future. Carefully gather the feedback, analyze it, and incorporate it into your future updates.
Looking for ways to prevent or address problems in mobile app development effortlessly? Consider outsourcing your needs to a reliable dev company.
Contact usWhat Actions to Take to Prevent Problems in Mobile App Development
Actually, the current challenges in mobile app development can be fully prevented at the development stage. And here are the ways to do it:
Proper Market Research at the Beginning of Every Project
The discovery stage, also called the market research stage, is what every successful app development begins with. The right call here is to carefully research the market, the competitors, and your target audience.
This way, you’ll determine what features and characteristics your app should have, what limitations to address and strengths to emphasize, and much more. At least, you can perform direct calculations of the number of potential users interested in your product and see if you can get enough downloads for the project to be profitable.
Responsive Design and Alternative layout
The correct way to prevent any issues with device screen size and compatibility is to go with a responsive design, It enables an app to automatically self-adjust to fit different screen sizes.
Responsive design works pretty well. Yet, it does not always ensure the best user experience across every screen size. For even better outcomes, you should also utilize alternative layout resources to enable the app to optimize the UI for different screen sizes automatically.
Carefully Plan Safety and Security Features in Advance
Platforms and marketplaces typically offer software development kits (SDKs) that contain necessary information on how to approach security aspects. The right call is to decide on regions where you’ll be selling your product. And then, using the SDK and publicly available info, ensure full compliance with existing requirements and legislations in advance.
You should also have a plan of how you are going to maintain and improve the security of your application over the years. Since requirements are updated regularly, you should also consider monitoring them closely.
Strategize with Your Target Audience in Mind
In the best-case scenario, you plan the tools, frameworks, and platform from the very beginning of the dev process for a better user experience and wider audience reach. Your decision should be grounded in solid market research. Remember, your goal here is to ensure that the final product reaches all your potential users and matches their needs.
Start with MVP
The best way in which you can approach the entire development is to build a minimal viable product first. It’s simply a basic version of your app that has only the most necessary functionalities. It’s more affordable to develop yet can already be marketed to some users.Use an MVP to validate the functionalities to be added, find your ideal customer image, and address the difficulties in mobile app development that have got left.
The development of market-leading solutions is always about experience. Maximize the outcomes of your project by requesting dev services from an agency with extensive expertise.
Contact usConsider Weelorum Your Trusted Partner in Developing Your Mobile App
Once again: if you have a project to implement, you do not have to struggle with mobile app development challenges completely on your own. You can outsource your needs to a reliable provider who knows how to prevent them from occurring and help you bring your best ideas to life.
Weelorum is an experienced dev agency that has been on the market for more than 10 years. We’ve delivered multiple mobile apps, helping our customers to meet their business goals. Among our cases are a CRM app, fitness software for the Apple Watch, a music app, and many more.
Our service lines are Ruby/Cloud Backend, Analytics & Support, Planning & Groundwork, UI/UX design, Web and Mobile Development, QA Testing, and more.
Contact us should you need to address problems in mobile development, develop a mobile app from the ground, or any other related work.
Final Thoughts
App development is never a simple thing to do, so some mistakes are pretty much unavoidable. Luckily, there are some ways to cope with them even if the app has already been released. However, a much better approach is to prevent them from occurring. For this, you should research industry standards, carefully examine the market and your competitors, and start with a simple MVP before going all-in with full-fledged development.
FAQ
What are the current challenges in mobile development?
Typically, young developers do not approach market research correctly, have security and compatibility issues, and choose the wrong functionalities.
How do I overcome difficulties raised during the development process?
In case you did not address them in advance, you should take urgent measures to fix the situation. It may include app updates, strategy changes, etc.
How impactful are real challenges in mobile app development?
Since app development is a highly competitive niche, letting even one problem stay unresolved may result in a notable reduction in the app’s performance on the market.
