Mobile Web vs. Native Apps
Should I develop a mobile web app or a native application?
A few years ago developers were faced with deciding between building for desktop or mobile first. Now, developers routinely go mobile-first, and many choose to build a native app for either the iOS or Android operating systems. This is reminiscent of the early days of the desktop computer.
Remember when you had to download AOL to access the internet? What about just a few years ago when Adobe products (e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, etc.) were only available for download as desktop applications? And you can’t forget about Quickbooks and every other desktop accounting program!
With vast improvements to the Internet’s infrastructure, the adoption of broadband internet, improvements to consumer computer hardware, and the like, what was once only available as native desktop applications are now accessible as web apps in-browser. Adobe announced Creative Cloud in late 2011 – and even discontinued their desktop downloads, shortly thereafter in 2013. Quickbooks now offers Quickbooks Online with additional support for those clients who choose the SaaS offering over the antiquated desktop version (you know, the one I use!).
Many technology enthusiasts believe the same transition is inevitable on mobile. Mobile traffic has surged over the past few years and shows no signs of stopping. As mobile makes up more and more of a consumer’s time, mobile app usage has continued to dominate the mobile web – shifting from 80% of time on mobile in 2013 to over 86% in H1 2014.
Even if wireless infrastructure improvements enable mobile web apps to support the necessary technology to compete with native applications, will it be enough to change the user behavioral patterns previously formed? More specifically, will the potential benefits of a mobile web app outweigh the established native patterns of mobile users’?
Mobile web apps would offer a number of benefits over native applications – most prominent of which, in my opinion, would be the ability to link between applications and pages within web apps seamlessly – which is afforded to users on desktop and mobile web thanks to the malleable structure links/URLs present. As I’ve discussed previously, mobile developers are working feverishly on building out a solution to link and form communication channels between native applications: e.g. deep linking & alpha apps.
Unfortunately, leading investors believe the current shift from browser based applications to native apps on mobile means the demise of innovation, and I happen to agree. To summarize Chris Dixon’s latest points, the shift will limit innovation because:
i) apps are, by default, listed in app stores by popularity – thus resulting in a “rich-get-richer dynamic that favors the status quo over new innovations.”
and
ii) app store owners (Apple & Google) control the approval process of new applications, the promotion of apps within the stores, and charge a tax on revenues.
If the future of mobile does see development revert back to mobile web apps, then current challenges facing mobile developers and marketers in the mobile browser will garner additional attention. While I personally like to minimize the current debate of mobile cookies inhibiting the mobile market – a new focus on mobile web apps would bring the issue to the forefront. While in native applications we have static identifiers – Apple’s IDFA and Googles Android ID (or new, AdID) – the mobile web presents an unstable environment where cookies do exist, but have a much shorter shelf-life. Here is a breakdown of mobile cookies per platform:
- iOS Default Settings Block 3rd Party Cookies
- Android Accepts 3rd Party Cookies
- All Platforms Clear Cookies in Cache on App Close or Phone Reset
- Cookies are Siloed; Inaccessible by other applications and browsers
The inability to have an accurate representation of an individual app user at any given time – and in-between browser sessions – would result in the inability to provide a consistent, personalized experience, un-targeted advertisements, and inaccurate usage analytics.
While facing both infrastructure hurdles and software challenges, many see the inevitable advances in technology resulting in the transition of native apps back to mobile web apps. I do not necessarily agree, but I do see the continued improvement of both native and mobile web environments a worthwhile investment by mobile developers as a whole.
What do you think? Do you believe we will revert – as we did on desktop – to an in-browser environment? Or are native apps, with new features like deep-linking, here to stay?
Write your thoughts
Here are a reasons to think apps won't go away anytime soon. - The app store is a major value add to users. Reviews give you a quick idea of whether or not an app is any good. It also offers up useful tools - on the web, search engines often just offer information. On the web, you have to spend a lot more time looking at the websites themselves to determine whether or not you should use them. - The app store is a major value add to publishers. Publishers that serve a niche or have a great product benefit from discoverability. Once you get a visitor, it's much easier to stay engaged with them since you can use push notifications and have a place holder on their phone. - The approval process, especially for iOS, screens out a lot of low-quality apps. You know they are safe to use. - Mobile apps work much better than websites - again, probably because of the reviews. Consider "Spotcycle," an app for city bikeshares that let you see available bikes and docks. By pressing one or two buttons, you can see where to drop off your bike - probably when stopped for 30 seconds at a red light. It would be very difficult for a mobile web substitute to top that experience and the developers would need to optimize for multiple browsers - with no ratings to force them to improve. - Touch screens make the use of apps much more fluid so you don't have the downsides of desktop apps. On desktop, you have to search for them or are limited to the ones at the bottom. Then you have to move your mouse around to pull one up. The app ecosystem is much better suited to a touch tool. I think what you may see is a more fluid app/mobile experience - where they are interchangable, but still exist in app form. OK Cupid is a good example - where the mobile app and mobile web experiences are almost the same. Good question - and definitely something to think about as companies pour money into their mobile apps.