Mobile app development for iOS and Android
iOS and Android apps for your business, built with you from prototype to launch.
Mobile app development for a business starts with three decisions worth taking before any code is written: native, cross-platform or an installable web app; whose developer accounts the app is published under; and how it reaches your staff or customers. This page covers all three, for business apps that don't fit one of our more specific categories.
If any of these sound familiar, we can help.
- 01Your idea is unlike any app you know.
- 02It combines several of the above.
- 03You need to validate it before investing for real.
What's included
We agree the exact scope with you in the proposal.- Field services
- Associations
- Wholesale
- Any sector
- 01
Discovery
We decide together what to build first.
- 02
Prototype
You try it before any code is written.
- 03
Sprint-based development
A working demo every two weeks.
- 04
Ongoing development
It grows as real use demands.
An app for a wholesaler's trade customers to reorder, track deliveries and check their statements.
It could start with reordering and delivery tracking, and later add price alerts and documents.
What makes a business app different from a consumer app
A consumer app competes for attention: open sign-up, notifications to bring you back, engagement metrics. A business app has a narrower goal: a known person doing a known task quickly and without mistakes. That changes the design and the budget:
- Known users: you create the accounts, with permissions by role, and switch them off the day someone leaves.
- Real conditions: gloves, direct sunlight, time pressure, warehouses without signal. Large buttons, few steps and offline use where needed.
- The half nobody sees: the admin panel, the API and the link to your ERP or CRM are often half of the project.
- Device security: if a phone is lost, you need to sign it out remotely; with company phones, that is done through mobile device management (MDM).
- A long life: the app has to keep working for years, through every new version of iOS and Android.
Native, cross-platform or PWA: how to choose
This is the decision that moves cost the most. For most business apps our default recommendation is cross-platform: one codebase for iPhone and Android. Native is for when the hardware demands it, and a progressive web app (a website that installs on the home screen) for when you need neither the app stores nor advanced device features. On iPhone, web apps added to the home screen have supported push notifications since iOS 16.4.
Market price ranges by type of app are in our guide on how much it costs to build an app.
| Option | What it is | Fits when | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native | One app for iOS (Swift) and another for Android (Kotlin) | Heavy hardware use: industrial Bluetooth, scanners, augmented reality | Two codebases: more to build and more to maintain |
| Cross-platform | One codebase, for example Flutter or React Native, for both platforms | Most operations, field, ordering and customer apps | Some very specific system features need extra native code |
| PWA | A web application installed from the browser | Internal tools used in the office and on the phone, with no need for the stores | More limited access to hardware and background tasks, especially on iPhone |
Publishing under your company's own developer accounts
The app should be published from developer accounts in your company's name, not the supplier's. If the agency owns the account, changing team means transferring the app, and it is better not to depend on that. What each store asks for:
Apple Developer Program. Apple requires an organisation to be a legal entity (it does not accept trading names or branches), to have a D-U-N-S number, which is free in most jurisdictions, to enrol through someone with authority to bind the company, and to have a work email and a public website on the company's domain. Apple quotes the annual fee as 99 US dollars, charged in local currency where available.
Google Play. An organisation account also requires a D-U-N-S number, and there is a one-off registration fee of US$25. Personal accounts created after 13 November 2023 must run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 consecutive days before publishing, one more reason to use an organisation account. Google also raises the target Android version every year: from 31 August 2026, new apps and updates must target Android 16 (API level 36).
If the app is only for your own staff, it does not have to be public. Apple's private distribution makes a custom app visible only to named organisations through Apple Business Manager, installed by MDM or redemption codes. It has to be chosen before Apple approves the app.
Validate one flow before building the rest
The prototype you try on your phone is there to decide what goes into the first version. The rule we apply: one type of user and one main flow, complete and used every day, before adding anything else. A franchise network, for example, could start with an app for branch managers to place the weekly order with head office and read announcements, and leave training or incident reporting for a second phase.
If your idea matches a case we already describe in more detail, see field service app development or customer app development.
What drives price, timescale and running costs
You see a working demo every two weeks, installed on your own phone, and you have one fixed price for the project before work starts; the rest of the method is on how we work. What weighs most:
- Type of app: native, cross-platform or PWA.
- User roles and permissions.
- Admin panel and back end.
- Integrations with your ERP, CRM or other systems.
- Offline use and synchronisation.
- Hardware: camera, barcode scanner, NFC, Bluetooth.
- Afterwards: hosting, store fees and maintenance for each new iOS and Android release.
Frequently asked questions
See all FAQs →What kind of apps fit here?
Any app that doesn't fit the other categories. We'll talk it through on a call.
Can we validate the idea before building it?
Yes. We start with a prototype you can try on your phone.
Who publishes the app?
We handle it, under your company's name.
Do we need a D-U-N-S number to publish the app?
Yes, for organisation accounts on both the App Store and Google Play. Your company may already have one; if not, it can be requested free in most jurisdictions. Ask for it at the start of the project rather than the week before launch.
Can we have an app just for our employees, without it appearing in the stores?
Yes. On iPhone, Apple's private distribution through Apple Business Manager limits the app to your organisation, and it must be chosen before approval. Another route is a PWA that staff install from the browser, if it needs no advanced device features.
What happens to the app when a new version of iOS or Android comes out?
It needs updating to keep being publishable. Since 28 April 2026 Apple requires uploads to be built with Xcode 26 and the iOS 26 SDK, and Google sets a new minimum target version each year. That work belongs in the maintenance plan, not in a surprise invoice.
Will one app work on both iPhone and Android?
With a cross-platform framework, yes: one codebase produces both apps, with the same screens and logic. Some features specific to one system need a small amount of native code, which we identify during discovery.
You might also be interested in
- Mobile appsOffline-first appsApps that work the same with or without signal.
- Mobile appsTime and attendance appsClocking in from the phone, with GPS, complex shifts and site work, exported to your payroll or ERP.
- Advisory and supportCode audit of existing softwareAn independent opinion on the software you already have.
Tell us about your project.
We'll reply within one working day. We start by understanding the problem, not by selling you a solution.