In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of mobile and web applications. The current global smartphone user base has reached nearly 3.8 billion people. This translates to 48.20 percent of the world’s population owning a smartphone.
With the advancement of technology, people prefer to operate primarily through the screens of their smartphones. To connect with existing and potential customers, entrepreneurs have turned to mobile applications. Needless to say, this has resulted in unprecedented growth in the app market, which is expected to continue in the coming years.
The rise in mobile applications, like a domino effect, means an increase in app developers and mobile app development companies. These organizations are working hard to make the mobile app development process easier and faster.
Before proceeding, you should be aware that there are two types of platforms for which mobile applications can be developed.
iOS refers to apps designed for Apple devices. These apps are created with the Swift programming language and an extension of .ipa.
Android apps are those that are designed to run on Android devices. Java and Kotlin are used to create these Android apps. They have the.apk extension.
However, both of these platforms coexist. They command their own devoted user base, which necessitates app developers to build apps for both Android and iOS at the same time.
This is a time-consuming and difficult process that is not, to say the least, cost-effective.
Some of the most difficult challenges that cross-platform developers faced were as follows:
- Time Constraint
- Steep development cost
- More number of employees
- No cross-platform dependency
What is Flutter?
Google introduced Flutter in 2007 as a solution to all of the ongoing issues in the mobile app development industry. It is a strong language that comes with a solid mobile framework. This means that it can be used in both iOS and Android apps.
It is Google’s user interface toolkit for creating beautiful, natively compiled applications for mobile, web, desktop, and embedded devices from a single codebase. It provides a simple, efficient, powerful, and easy-to-understand SDK for developing mobile applications in Dart, Google’s own programming language.
Apart from the obvious benefit of being able to create cross-platform apps, Flutter also includes its own material design and graphics library. This allows for faster app development while still producing stunning visuals regardless of the platform.
How does Flutter work?
Before we get into how Flutter is changing the way mobile app development is done, let’s take a look at how Flutter works to provide a simple, high-performance application network.
1. Platform
Flutter makes use of the platform Shell, which serves as the Dart VM’s host. The Shell performs a variety of tasks. It communicates with the appropriate IMEs. It also allows you to use native APIs. Shell also hosts a canvas that is platform-specific.
2. Engine
The Engine is housed within the platform’s Shell. Skia, Platform Channels, and Dart Runtime are just a few of the features provided by the engine.
3. Framework
This is without a doubt Flutter’s most important feature. Through the use of the appropriate themes, Flutter apps can be made to look like native Android and iOS apps.
Widgets are UI controls that can be compared to app building blocks. Cupertino and Material widgets are used for iOS and Android, respectively. There are Stateless and Stateful widgets in Flutter.
Flutter’s framework has been designed in such a way that app developers are provided with a core UI model. This aids in the generation of widgets as needed. Flutter will render it for you because it includes advanced animation, painting, and gesture support. This allows you to create widgets and customize their behavior.
4. Rendering Pipeline
Skia Canvas is used by Flutter UI to build and render UI. It implements GPU and updates the UI at 60 frames per second, which is the secret to its smooth UI.
How is Flutter Setting the App Development Trends
1. Single codebase
The write-once principle is Flutter’s most distinguishing feature. As a result, developers are no longer required to manually adapt to multiple platforms. This was a challenge with traditional cross-platform approaches.
The Flutter app development platform requires only one-time coding for both Android and iOS, rather than a second time for both. According to most developers, this makes Flutter a wise choice. With its Hybrid App Development framework, Flutter reduces both user and developer effort. This improves the application’s quality, design, and speed.
2. Efficient code writing and app testing
Flutter application development is a very efficient process. Because only one code is required, the process is simplified and accelerated, making it simpler and more efficient. The single codebase approach enables developers to reuse it with different plugins, reducing development time. In terms of testing, a simple quality assurance process is sufficient to validate the functionality, features, and program of a cross-platform mobile app.
3. ‘Hot’ reloading
By allowing changes to a live running application, ‘hot’ reloading speeds up the re-development cycle. This allows the app to resume where it left off without having to restart whenever something changes in the app. This feature makes all design changes visible, which speeds up the process of fixing bugs, creating UI, and adding new features to Flutter apps in real-time.
4. Best suited for MVP
If you are unsure about using Flutter, consider this. The speed with which you can create your MVP (Minimum Viable Product) for any app on Flutter is unparalleled. To create an MVP in Flutter, you only need to invest a small amount of time and effort. However, this has its own drawback: Flutter’s MVP development is somewhat limited.
Because nearly all codes are swapped between iOS and Android apps, the Flutter SDK has less coding. As a result, the cost of Flutter app development services for a startup, especially for MVPs, is significantly reduced.
5. Use of custom widgets
You should be aware that widgets are an essential component of the application interface. Flutter-integrated apps offer a variety of widgets, such as navigation, scrolling, and fonts, that are customizable regardless of screen size.
There is no denying that Flutter mobile apps provide a much smoother UI experience than other cross-platform frameworks.
6. Easy development of language
Dart, a programming language based on Google’s in-house language, is used by Flutter. This is a one-source and general-purpose language, so developers of any level of expertise will find it simpler and easier to use than other languages. Dart is not only a mobile app development framework, but it is also widely used for developing web, server, and desktop applications.
7. Easy setup and maintenance
The Flutter app is relatively simple to develop and maintain due to a single codebase. It improves application performance when compared to other app development platforms and reduces maintenance efforts. Because of the simple and single code used in programming, flutter maintenance is simple. Whenever team members notice an issue changes are made quickly without the hassle of going back and forth on the codes. As a result, it is less expensive because you do not need to spend extra money on powerful machines. That being said, with the team’s assistance, anyone can easily begin developing a Flutter app.
This summarises why the flutter trend in mobile app development is popular. Now that I’ve gone over the facts about why Flutter mobile app development is the best option. Let’s take a look at some businesses that already have Flutter mobile apps.
Final Words
Google’s Flutter is a game-changer in the world of mobile application development!
It has enormous potential for companies that work on various platforms and has a quick turnaround and go-to-market aspect. Not to mention that it will save you money, resources, and a significant amount of time. Flutter is an excellent choice for your company; all you need to do now is contact flutter mobile app development companies to assist you with your concept.
Flutter’s free and low-cost features contribute to its status as an easy-to-use and dependable app development platform. Companies with limited resources can certainly expect to grow significantly with Flutter app development services in order to meet the needs of the future market. In this digital age, you can also choose to work with experts from outside your area. If you live in the European region, for example, you can look for a Flutter app development company in India or a Flutter app development company in Chennai. An expert team will assist you with your query and needs.
