Skip to content
222 IT Solutions logo

Mobile app development

An app is a bigger commitment than a website and a much bigger one than most people expect. It has two platforms, two review processes, an update cycle, and users who keep the old version installed. It is worth doing when the thing genuinely needs to live on a phone — and worth talking you out of when a good mobile website would do the same job for a fraction of the cost.

Mobile apps

Most businesses asking for an app need a better mobile website

This is the most useful thing we can tell you, and it costs us work to say it. An app has to be found in a store, installed, kept installed, and updated. That is a lot of friction for something a customer uses twice a year. If the requirement is 'people should be able to do this on their phone', a fast mobile website does it with none of that friction and none of the store fees.

An app earns its keep when it needs what a browser cannot easily give: push notifications people actually want, offline use, the camera or GPS as a core part of the job, or a tool your own staff use every day. If your requirement is on that list, an app is the right answer and we will build it properly. If it is not, we will say so first.

What you receive

Written down, not assumed

Everything below is part of the service rather than an upgrade, and each item is something you can hold us to.

  • iOS and Android apps from one codebase
  • A written specification you approved before the build
  • Store listings, screenshots and privacy declarations
  • Published under your own Apple and Google developer accounts
  • Source code and accounts in your name
  • A written handover covering releasing an update

Why it matters

Most businesses asking for an app need a better mobile website

This is the most useful thing we can tell you, and it costs us work to say it. An app has to be found in a store, installed, kept installed, and updated. That is a lot of friction for something a customer uses twice a year. If the requirement is 'people should be able to do this on their phone', a fast mobile website does it with none of that friction and none of the store fees.

An app earns its keep when it needs what a browser cannot easily give: push notifications people actually want, offline use, the camera or GPS as a core part of the job, or a tool your own staff use every day. If your requirement is on that list, an app is the right answer and we will build it properly. If it is not, we will say so first.

What's included

What mobile app development covers

One codebase, both platforms

React Native, so iOS and Android come from a single codebase rather than two separate builds priced separately and drifting apart.

Specification before build

Screens, flows, permissions and offline behaviour agreed in writing first, because changing an app after release is far costlier than changing a website.

Push notifications, done responsibly

Set up so they are useful rather than the reason people uninstall. Opt-in handled properly, and a reason for each notification type.

Offline and poor-connection handling

Phones lose signal. What the app does when it happens is designed, not left to whatever the network error produces.

Store submission

App Store and Play Store listings, screenshots, privacy declarations and review submission — the part that surprises people most.

Your developer accounts

Published under your own Apple and Google accounts, in your name. If you ever leave, the app and its reviews go with you.

How it runs

Four stages, agreed as we go

  1. Is an app the right answer?

    An honest conversation first. If a mobile website does the job, we will tell you, because a shelved app is worse for both of us than a good website.

  2. Specification and flows

    Every screen and transition agreed in writing, including permissions, offline behaviour and what happens on first launch.

  3. Build and test on real devices

    Tested on actual phones, not just a simulator, because that is where the differences show. You get builds to try as it progresses.

  4. Store submission and release

    Listings prepared, privacy declarations completed, submitted, and shepherded through review — including the rejections, which are routine.

Deliverables

What you actually receive

Set out here so there is no ambiguity later about what was included in the price.

  • iOS and Android apps from one codebase
  • A written specification you approved before the build
  • Store listings, screenshots and privacy declarations
  • Published under your own Apple and Google developer accounts
  • Source code and accounts in your name
  • A written handover covering releasing an update

Questions

Mobile App Development: common questions

Do I need separate iOS and Android apps?

No. Both come from one codebase, which is roughly half the cost of two native builds and — more importantly — means the two never drift into being different products with different bugs.

How long does store approval take?

Usually days rather than weeks, but it is not in anyone's control and first submissions are frequently rejected for something procedural — a missing privacy declaration, a screenshot at the wrong size. We plan for at least one round of that rather than promising a launch date we cannot hold.

What are the ongoing costs?

Apple and Google both charge developer account fees annually, and both platforms release OS updates that eventually require app updates. Anyone who tells you an app is a one-off cost has not maintained one. We will set out the realistic annual figure before you commit.

Can you update our existing app?

Often, depending on how it was built and whether the accounts and source code are available. That last part is where takeovers usually fail — make sure you can obtain both from whoever built it before assuming the app can move.

Also available

Our other services

Web Design

Websites that load quickly, read clearly on a phone and give visitors an obvious next step.

Learn more

Web App Development

Portals, dashboards, booking systems and internal tools — software rather than a brochure site.

Learn more

WordPress Development

WordPress built to be edited safely and maintained properly — including rescuing sites that have gone wrong.

Learn more

SEO

Technical fixes, content that answers real searches, and reporting that shows what actually brought enquiries.

Learn more

Digital Marketing

Search, content and social handled deliberately, with reporting that shows what is actually working.

Learn more

Graphic Design

Brand identity, print and digital artwork, supplied as source files you own outright.

Learn more

Video Editing

Footage edited for where it will actually be watched — captioned, correctly sized, ready to post.

Learn more

Thinking about mobile app development?

Tell us what you are working with and what you need it to do. You will get a straight answer and a fixed written price.

Get in touch