The time required to develop a mobile application depends on many factors such as the complexity of the application, requested features, mobile development platforms, type of application or even the required and available resources. . In general, the development of a mobile application can extend over a random period of between 2 to 6 months. 

It is important to note that development time can be influenced by several external factors such as: 

• specification changes in customer demand, 
• expectations in the approval of the latter
• Other delays in the approval of the application by mobile platforms (Apple store or Google Play for example), etc.

At Oshara, we work with our clients to estimate development time based on their needs and ensure we meet agreed deadlines.

The steps in the mobile app development process are as follows: 

• planning, will understand the needs of the mobile user and the objectives of the business
• design, which consists of developing the model of the mobile application, its user interface and its graphic charter.
• development, which represents the stage of programming (coding) the mobile application using the appropriate languages ​​for each iOS and Android platform
• tests, which will ensure the optimal functioning of the mobile application, but also detect and correct any errors (bugs). 
• deployment, which is the phase where the mobile application is published on mobile platforms such as: Apple Store or Google Play
• maintenance, which will consist of maintaining a constant technological watch in order to identify and correct possible bugs, but also to update the mobile application and its various functionalities, sometimes taking into account user comments. 

Mobile application data security is and must remain a top priority. There are several possible measures to ensure the data security of your mobile application such as:  

1. implement security protocols such as cryptography to protect data in transit and at rest. 
2. implement additional security measures such as two-factor authentication and regular security audits to identify potential vulnerabilities. 

At Oshara, we always follow the security best practices recommended by mobile platforms and available in the Apple App Store and Google Play security policies. 

To protect your company’s intellectual property and your users’ data, we also make sure to sign a confidentiality agreement with you before the start of the project. 

To ensure the proper functioning of the mobile application, our developers carry out a series of tests, among which we can cite: 

• unit tests for each individual component of the mobile application to ensure they work correctly
• integration tests to ensure that the different components of the mobile application work well together
• performance tests to measure response times and speed of the mobile application under different conditions, especially to simulate high load.
• usability testing to make sure the app is user-friendly and easy to use for users. 
• validation tests of the mobile application on the different mobile platforms.

The process of deploying a mobile application on different mobile platforms involves submitting the application to the respective app store, such as Google Play Store or Apple App Store. This process may vary depending on the requirements and specifications of each platform. In general, the following steps can be followed:

1. Registration with different mobile platform providers (Apple, Google, etc.) and configuration of developer accounts.
2. Compilation of the mobile application for each platform, using the appropriate development and programming tools for each platform.
3. Generating installation files, such as . APK for Android and files. IPA for iOS.
4. Extensive testing of the mobile application on each platform, using emulators and physical devices.
5. Publication of the mobile application on the various mobile application stores, such as Google Play for Android and App Store for iOS, following the publication procedures and policies of each platform.
6. Regular updates of the mobile application to ensure its compatibility with mobile platform updates and its optimal functioning on each platform.

In general, developers must adhere to each platform’s guidelines and go through a rigorous review process before your mobile app is available for download.

A cross-platform mobile application provides several advantages, among which we can cite the following:

1. Reduced costs: Developing a cross-platform mobile application requires less time and resources, making it less expensive compared to a native application.
2. Faster development: By using cross-platform development frameworks, the development of a cross-platform mobile application is much faster than that of a native mobile application.
3. Expanding scope: a cross-platform mobile application can be deployed on several mobile platforms (iOS, Android, Windows) from the same single source code. This then makes it possible to reach a wider audience.
4. Easy maintenance: A cross-platform mobile application requires less maintenance because updates can be applied to all platforms simultaneously.
5. Consistency of user experience: By using the same development technologies for all platforms, a cross-platform mobile application will provide a consistent and seamless user experience.
6. Flexibility: Cross-platform mobile apps can be developed to work on different types of devices, including smartphones, tablets and desktop computers.

A cross-platform mobile application is an application developed to work on different mobile platforms like Android and iOS. A cross-platform application is built from a single code base and can be deployed on multiple platforms simultaneously. As a result, developers do not feel the need to code the application separately for each platform and the mobile development and application maintenance budget can be significantly reduced. Cross-platform applications also offer a user experience similar to that of native applications while allowing businesses to reach a wider audience.

Choosing the type of mobile app will depend on your business goals, budget, and feature needs. 

There are three types of mobile applications: native applications, hybrid applications and cross-platform applications.

1. A native mobile application is specific to a platform (iOS, Android, etc.). This type of application offers an optimal user experience thanks to their complete integration with the dedicated operating system. Developing a native app will generally cost more and take more time. However, a native mobile app will provide better performance. 
2. A hybrid application is an excellent compromise between a native mobile application and a cross-platform application. They are developed with web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) but are encapsulated in a native container, which allows them to access certain native functionalities of the mobile device. Hybrid apps are cheaper than native apps and faster to develop. They may also have slightly lower performance and less optimal user experience.

Choosing the type of mobile application will depend on the specific needs of the business and its budget.