One of the major changes we made in 2021 is the introduction of Flutter into our mobile development process. We are proud of the results! Our team has created three apps with top-notch functionalities in half the time it would take without this development kit. Your head is swarming with questions? Check out the answers to general Flutter FAQs we get from most clients.
Flutter is an open-source cross-platform mobile development framework for creating native mobile applications. Its popularity and community are growing rapidly. This is especially the case since the release of its beta version in 2017.
Flutter has brought many improvements in the mobile development process. The most important one is that native apps for different platforms are based on one code. One code—two (or more) apps. All it takes is some minimal adaptations. Check out the most important Flutter advantages from the perspective of any business owner wanting to get an app for their business:
The general practice is for mobile apps to be developed through a two-fold process. One developer works on an android version of the app in the Kotlin programming language. At the same time, another developer works on an iOS version in Swift language. Flutter, on the other hand, enables you to write only one version of the code. Then, you can use it for any platform with minimal adaptations. In other words, when you write the code in Flutter, iOS and Android adaptations take very short. In short, developers need to write less code since apps for all platforms run on one codebase. This way you cut the development process by almost half, but you get an app with a full set of functionalities.
Flutter cuts development costs by reducing the development time. Developers need to create a single codebase. They will only tweak it in the final stage to adjust it to different platforms. A single developer can handle the whole development in the time they’d create an app’s version for one platform.
It all boils down to the app’s codebase. Flutter lets developers make cross-platform app updates with one change in the code. Testing the apps created in Flutter is also simpler since there’s less code to examine. This makes the update process synchronised, streamlined, and efficient. Each iteration is, consequently, quicker to publish.
Yes. The scalability of Flutter apps is much higher than with native development. For example, a Flutter web app can be developed fairly fast once you have written a mobile app.
Futter is a stable framework overall. It allows you to adapt your code for mobile, as well as web platforms. Even Huawei isn’t excluded and requires minimal adaptations. The stability lies in Dart, the language used in Flutter, which is a null safety language. It means that apps don’t crash easily, but remain stable. When you look at, for example, Flutter vs React Native, Flutter is a much better framework. It fixes all the mistakes that React and Angular had as cross-platform mobile app development kits. Also, bear in mind that Flutter is a Google mobile development platform. It is backed by a huge corporation that intends to keep investing in it and developing it.
Main Flutter cons are that it isn’t the best choice for the development of some types of apps. This includes the apps that rely either on certain platform-specific features or on the device’s hardware. For example, an app that has features such as augmented reality shouldn’t be written in Flutter.
Some issues arise in simpler apps but they are very few. One among them is that the animations in Flutter apps can be jittery at the initial render of the app. Other bugs have rarely appeared.
Flutter may be the best choice for standard business apps if there are no extraordinary demands on the device itself. Almost 90% of business apps from almost any industry can qualify here. A business app built with Flutter has a consistent appearance and superb customer experience across devices. These are the main benefits your customers will notice and appreciate.
One of the most popular apps built with Flutter is the Alibaba Group app. Alibaba engineers use it to quickly implement the new features across different platforms. Seamless graphics and reliable performance are also among the reasons this company’s experts have included Flutter into their tech stack.
Yes, it is possible to migrate an app to Flutter. If your business app development is underway, be quick with your migration decision. The sooner in the development process you do this, the better. Even if you have a complete native app that doesn’t rely too much on the specific features of a platform, migration to Flutter is still possible. It will take some time to write all the components in Flutter, though, so don’t expect an instant transition.
With the rapid improvements that Flutter is undergoing, there is do doubt it will soon be the go-to mobile development kit for any type of app. So, if you have decided to invest in a mobile app for your business, this development kit may be the best tool for your app's creation. However, before reaching the final decision, make sure you check with the professionals. Even if your desired app features are too complex for Flutter, they will find the best development solution and make sure your customers have a superb user experience.