Do you know of the main differences between Cross-Platforms and Multi-Platforms? Let us find out by understanding the top seven differences between these platforms. Cross-platform mobile app development means to target both types of cell phone users (Android and iOS).

In general, there is no difference between cross-platforms and multi-platforms from the users' side. However, developers choose cross-platform mobile app development if they are using tools that allow them to write codes for many platforms. On the other side, multi-platform means that codes run on many platforms.

What are exactly Cross-Platform and Multi-Platform?

We will define these platforms so that you can get a better understanding of these platforms. 

Cross-Platform:

Cross-Platform means developing software that runs on more than one type of hardware system or running software on more than one type of hardware platform. 

Multi-Platform:

Primarily, Multi-Platform means to be able to run software on more than one hardware platform. So, that software can be used by different users using different hardware platforms.

Differences between Cross-Platform and Multi-Platform

Is it still confusing to understand the main difference between these two terms? Let us give you more differences that strictly define, separate, and explain these terms so that you can get better ideas. Let us start with the seven differences between cross-platform and multi-platform.

For your understanding, there are many differences from the sides of developers. If developers are working on cross-platform mobile app development, they use something like FLUTTER or Unity and write codes in C#. However, working on multi-platform development leads them to write codes two times, one for Xcode in Swift or Objective C for iOS users, and one for Android users in Android Studio with Java or Kotlin.

For the simplicity of this article, we will take an example of FLUTTER so that we can give correct differences between these two terms. It is because FLUTTER is the first platform that provided cross-platform development for mobile applications. It primarily focuses on Android and iOS. You can focus on a mobile app's features without worrying about the web or on different platforms. 

Classy Native App Experience vs. Easy Toolchain

While considering native apps, you get the best user experiences for speed, conformity of platforms, and features you would like to add. For the latest features, it is the Best. 

While considering cross applications, you can get the best experience for programming languages and runtime. It is because it simplifies the development of mobile applications.

In FLUTTER, you can get the below benefits:

• It offers you to re-purpose your statements in React to describe it. 
• Native developers are happy by achieving the toolchain. 
• You get new, better, and easy programming language that enhances your coding experience throughout your development.

Expertise in Platform vs. Abstraction Of Costs

The second difference between these two terms relates to the expertise and cost of abstraction of platforms. An expert in this field means that he has the ideas and knowledge of APIs and SDKs to develop mobile apps. If you are a Native developer, it does not cost you.

However, cross-platform development is like a blind move. It does not give a clear roadmap to develop your apps. It is unknown for developers, and they have to integrate the knowledge of the cross-platform and multi-platform so that their development experience increases with ease of coding. 

Trending Platform Development vs. Play Catch-Up

If you are a Native app developer, then we should congratulate you! Native app developers are always in touch with the latest updates for platforms and capabilities for the latest features and codes. However, you can only react to changes while considering cross-platform development.

Sometimes, you might have to see setbacks due to significant delays in cross-platform development. Whereas in native app development, you can bounce back even after you have embraced because of its poor performance or delays. So, it is better than cross-platform development.

Series of Compromises & Shortcomings

Cross-platform development has recently approached the series of compromises and shortcomings that are absent in Native development. It can be a reason to choose the cross-platform development of mobile applications over multi-platform development. 

However, you can still go through the following differences that will change your thoughts regarding cross-platform development.

Specialties of Platform in Programming Languages Vs. The Generalist Languages

We discussed that you could use Swift and Kotlin for Android and iOS development, and these are the core languages for Apple and Android. Google and Apple have optimized these Languages for compilation and runtime performances to support tooling features. The language that Flutter apps use is Dart, and it specializes in this language, which is unknown.

Whereas cross-platform development, it takes the source of language from the outside platform for the development context and provides a perfect environment to develop mobile apps for developers. Developers in Native development can reuse these environments for the simplicity of development and coding.

Test Frameworks of Platforms vs. Generalized Testing Frameworks

Do you think testing your mobile apps is challenging? Testing these apps require isolation for unit tests and access to platform Services or Library for instrumented tests. In general, native developers have all the access that they need to test their apps. 

On the other hand, if you are a cross-platform developer, you have to consider the usual black box or non-mobile frameworks to test your apps on Appium or anything. It is laborious, and some developers do not like to do it. Therefore, they use Native development instead of cross-platform development.

Multi-Code Support & Test Efforts vs. Singular Code Support & Increasing Tests

If you are a Native developer, you might have tried to develop on Android and iOS. If you want the end product for both types of hardware platforms, it requires working on both the platforms simultaneously. This is the reality of native development. It increases your efforts for development, tests, and costs for development and testing.

Cross-platform development eliminated these laborious tasks present in native development. Therefore, you can achieve all these things in a single development environment. Additionally, FLUTTER gives codes for different OSs of mobile Phones, which is what developers choose as an option. Honestly, no developers wish to write the same procedures for various OSs and to test the same.

Wrapping Up

We hope you understood the difference between cross-platform development and multi-platform development. The article mentions the top 7 Differences between cross-platform and multi-platform, explaining a developer's platform choice.

By 2023, the installed user base for AR integrated products like mobile devices, mobile apps, and smart glasses will cross 2.5 billion people. According to industry players, the AR industry should hit $75 billion and the year 2020 will be marked as a turning point in the industry growth. 

Augmented reality solutions took a strong position in the market because of the support of big tech names like Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google by making strong commitments.   

According to the Gartner report, nearly 100 million users are expected to use AR-enabled technologies in 2019. The boom in mobile app development services that employ AR has become a necessity for mature mobile app development that’s the reason developers, retailers, and customers are now comfortably using Augmented Reality business applications as part of their daily experience. Based on the BRP report, approx. 32% of retailers plan to deploy augmented reality applications over the next three years.

Future of Augmented Reality App Development 

Over the next year, AR mobile app development will become highly sophisticated and devices will get more powerful and capable of creating higher quality visuals. That’s the reason the future of Augmented Reality mobile app development is bright. Today with Augmented Reality solutions humans can easily interact within virtual or augmented environments. 

• Experts predicted that by 2025, the AR/VR industry will reach more than $25B and the proliferation will continue steadily. 
• The screen-less display becomes a reality as wearables have overtaken the world. With AR, any flat surface can be used as a screen. 
• 3-D visualization and mapping capabilities in alliance with AR solutions help navigate places with updated situational awareness. 
• Now, visualization of data has become seamless as users can use centralized data on the go through wearable technologies.
• With the help of AR technology, humans can use body language and actions to control technology.
• Haptic technologies also are known as 3D touch redefining training session within government bodies including defense, law enforcement, and health care.

AR Trends which will Come Soon

Here are some of the augmented reality trends that are expecting to mature soon.

AR Mobile App Development

With the introduction of AR integrated solutions, mobile app developers have started infusing the latest technology trends while developing feature-rich mobile applications. Now, AR services have come up with more advancement for the measurements, predictable tracking, improvements rendering and 3D detection. Apple has revealed some of their experiences by sharing the AR spaces with the usage of a new file format for detecting the objects.

Offering Natural Experience

For a long time, we waited to see enhancement in gesture recognition and now with AR solutions our wait is over. AR integrated mobile applications are offering the natural experience to the users, to make a better product.

Previously gaze direction was something that was out of control of mobile app developers but now it is interesting to work on.  This is something mobile app developers can implement in real life by eliminating the job of a person from turning his head. 

Currently, mobile app development companies are focusing on minimizing some major issues seen in the latest AR devices. Though these issues do not last for a long time, but they still show a level of irritation. In 2020, we will see more issues resolved with the help of AR testing as it can track anything.

Acceptance of Extended Reality 

Extended reality is a combination of Augmented Reality, Augmented Virtuality, and Virtual Reality. It combines real-and-virtual world and human-machine interactions generated by electronic devices and wearables.

Imagine walking in a dark cave filled with a variety of creatures and animals while being at home. Exciting right? Now your dream comes true with the mixed reality development services. 

With much more improved sensors and processors combined with advanced computer vision, display technology, graphical power, and input systems, people can feel situations and circumstances that they never thought could happen.

AR is shaking the Automobile Industry

AR breaks down the limits of the physical world with the digital world. Its evolution in the Automobile Industry has been taking shape and hopefully, in 2020, we will see more mobile app developments in terms of voice assistants like Siri for vehicles. Currently, Automobile companies are working in “dashboard-mounted display graphics” to see vehicles nearby with the help of camera footage. This technology will reduce the occurrence of accidents to some extent.

Tweaking Entertainment Field

Nowadays, the entertainment industry is experiencing the full beatitude of AR solutions by making the best possible use of augmented reality along with virtual reality. It has a huge potential to stay in the entertainment field for many more upcoming years.

Augmented Reality development companies like Apple used AR in gaming while other companies used it for educational purposes and for making educational mobile applications. We will continue to witness the rapid growth of mobile AR in the entertainment industry.

Summing Up 

 
AR app development market is graveling its path towards innovative and modification. With the rapid advancements in the AR app development services, many top mobile app development companies like Apple, Samsung, OPPO and others are doing their best to bring AR into the cross-platform mobile app development by implementing much better features.

If you have a meaningful idea, then augmented reality solutions can help you to take you towards success with its modernized abilities. Hire AR app developers and transform your vision into reality.