There are many types of apps out there. The most confusing part: each one of them has their own processes to create.

That’s the same with Android and iOS apps. Both are mobile apps with different building and launching processes. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the seven basic steps you need to build an app — whether it’s for Android or iOS.

What is Mobile App Development?

Mobile app development is the process of designing and building apps for mobile devices. Most builders think of building mobile apps by coding from scratch. But you don’t need to code anymore to create mobile apps, thanks to AI app builders like Natively.

Types of mobile apps

You must’ve thought that all mobile apps are the same. Technically, there are four types of mobile apps: Web apps and PWAs, wrapped apps, hybrid apps, and native apps.

Web apps and PWAs (Progressive Web Apps): Web apps and PWAs are designed for browsers and can be accessed on any device. They have more functionality than static websites and thus, they’re categorized as ‘apps’.
Wrapped apps: Wrapped apps are web apps wrapped in a native container that gives them ‘mobile-like’ functionality. Unlike web apps, wrapped apps can be downloaded on mobile devices via app stores.
Hybrid apps: Hybrid apps are essentially the same as wrapped apps. They are web apps built within a framework or container designed for mobile. While they look and function like native apps, they are slower and prone to bugs.
Native mobile apps: Native mobile apps are designed for specific operating systems, such as iOS and Android. They are built with programming languages native to the platform the app is designed for (such as Kotlin or Java are used for Android apps).

Native mobile apps have the best performance and security measures. But because they’re so time-consuming and resource-intensive to develop, most founders go ahead with web apps.

However, new ways to app development — such as Natively’s AI-powered approach — has made native mobile app development much faster and resource-effective. You don’t need to write any code but prompt the agent.

With Natively, you can build an app as functional and effective as a traditionally developed one — at a fraction of the cost. You can go from ideation to launching within a week, really.

Different development approaches

There are three main approaches to building an app: AI app generation, AI-assisted development, and traditional development.

Traditional app development is the most time-consuming and resource-extensive of all. You need months of work even to build an MVP, and then another few months to gather user feedback and iterate.

AI-assisted development makes traditional development easier. With tools like Cursor, you can prompt the AI to write the code for you. You can then edit and debug in the code editor, making it as you want.

AI app generation is best for non-coders or those who want to validate their ideas quickly. Platforms like Natively let you build apps from scratch without writing a single line of code. The best part: the app works exactly the way you expect it to.

How to Create a Native Mobile App in 7 Steps?

Native apps can be easy or difficult to build depending on the way you’ve chosen. But there are seven common steps that you must take to create a functional app.

You can consider the following steps:

Validate your app idea
Do market research
Define your app’s features
Build your app
Test and refine
Launch your app
Iterate and scale

1. Validate your app idea

It’s almost impossible to find an app idea with no competitors. Developing a good mobile idea goes beyond simple categorization and problem-solution framework. You also need to consider things such as:

A clear problem and solution: What is the problem you’re aiming to solve, and how?
A differentiating point: How does your app solve your users’ problems differently than your competitors? Why should your customers choose your platform?
A strong product-founder fit: What makes you the right person to build on this app idea? Are you familiar with the audience and the industry?
A defined audience: Who are the customers for your app?

To validate your idea, you can build a minimum viable product (MVP) and iterate based on user feedback. Stay flexible to the idea of pivoting or making maximum iterations.

2. Do market research

The next and most crucial step to validating your idea is market research. You need to understand the market you’re stepping into to succeed in it.

A good market research plan includes:

Competitor analysis: What are the existing solutions for the problem you’re solving? These could include other businesses, mobile apps, or traditional solutions as well.
Market gaps: What are the pain points that exist even with these solutions? These market gaps could be the differentiation point for your product.
User feedback: Know the feature requests and pain points that users want. You can find it out through competitor’s reviews, and online forums. If possible, conduct a survey to get answers yourself.
Audience demand: Is there a demand for your offer among your target audience? Is this the solution your audience also wants from you?

This market and audience research allows you to find a strong product-market fit. Once you know what your competitors are missing, you can easily create an app with features that your audience wants.

3. Define your app’s features

With market and user research, you will be able to define:

How your app is structured
How someone will navigate through your app or “user journeys”
Essential features that your app V1 must have

The best way you can identify these features is from your users. You want to ask yourself: “What are my users’ core problems? What tasks or goals do they want to accomplish with your app?”

As you get your answers, map out the user journey for each of the tasks to define which features users will need to use. Each step leads to your app’s feature and the user’s final goal.

Make sure that you start with minimal features at first. Use the MoSCoW method to prioritize which tasks you need to build first. It goes like:

Must-Have: These are the core features that are a must for your app’s first version.
Should-Have: These features are important and should be added in the upcoming versions.
Could-Have: These features aren’t as important but can be added in future versions.
Won’t Have: These features are completely unnecessary and shouldn’t be on your app.

You can plan out your features and map out user journeys using this method.

4. Build your app

If you build your app traditionally, it could take months to roll out the first version. It’s expensive, time-consuming and not really feasible in a competitive market.

On the other hand, AI app builders like Natively allow you to build native mobile apps at an affordable budget within minutes. Here’s how it works:

Create your Natively account to get credits.
Describe your app idea in the prompt box. It’s best to start with the app idea and then focus on its interface and features.
Add your app’s backend via integrations.

This way also makes iteration easier — just with prompting. You can actually build an app with zero coding experience with Natively.

5. Test and refine

Even if your app seems ready, it could have friction points and bugs. That’s when you need to test it thoroughly with real users.

With a native app preview tool like Expo Go, you can view your app and test its functionality while building it. All you need to do is scan the QR code next to your app’s web preview. The best part: The mobile screen preview is much better than the web.

There are several more stages to testing, such as:

Internal testing
Beta testing and feedback

In each testing stage, you want to focus on every aspect: functionality, usability, and performance. It could take you weeks to get real feedback from user testing. But that’s the key to iteration.

6. Launch your app

After multiple iterations and testing phases, your app is ready to go. You need to submit your app to the App Store and/or the Google Play Store to launch an app.

Get started by aligning your app with the app stores’ guidelines. Let’s have a quick glance at the process for both the app stores.

On the App Store: Apple has a lengthy review and deployment process that involves several steps. It majorly includes:

Signing up for a Developer account and verifying your identity
Paying a mandatory app registration fee
Configuring and packaging your app for deployment
Submitting the app for review
Publishing and making it live for users

On the Google Play Store: Unlike the App Store, Google Play Store has a fairly easier and more automated process. It still involves similar steps as the App Store. These steps include:

Setting up an app in the Google Play and Google Cloud Console
Configuring app settings for Android
Deploying the app for testing and review
Launching the app for users

7. Iterate and scale the app

Launching your app is just the beginning. The real work starts from here with consistent iterations and updates. You’ll need to gather user feedback, make updates and announcements, and stay up-to-date with security measures.

Build your app with Natively

Natively is a no-code, AI app builder that allows anyone — coders and non-coders — to build native mobile apps in minutes. All you need to build an app is a strong app idea and a prompt describing it.

The best part: you can add any feature you want by prompting the agent. It requires no coding, minimum effort and building time. Start creating your app with Natively.