


Pokémon Go efficiently accesses system functionalities - GPS for mapping locations, the camera for augmented reality, and the accelerometer to measure acceleration - for the best possible user experience. Examples of native applications range from navigation programs, such as Waze, to social apps, such as Twitter, or games, such as Pokémon GO. With the ability to tap into specific resources, native apps can quickly access multiple services on a device, such as the microphone, accelerometer or push notifications. Complex tasks can be rebalanced, such as networking done in the background of the main thread or program, which drives the UI. However, the app was slower for iOS users, leading Facebook's app developers to create separate code for iOS. If the app is marketed to users of various device types, developers create a separate app version for each one.įor example, the Facebook application was once written in HTML5 to use the same code for iOS, Android and mobile web. Native apps work with the device's OS in ways that enable them to perform faster and more flexibly than alternative application types. For example, developers write iOS applications in Objective-C or Swift, while they create Android-native apps in Java. Native apps are written in the code preliminarily used for the device and its OS. The two main mobile OS platforms are Apple's iOS and Google's Android. However, in the context of mobile web apps, the term native app is used to mean any application written to work on a specific device platform. The term native app is used to refer to platforms such as Mac and PC, with examples such as the Photos, Mail or Contacts applications that are preinstalled and configured on every Apple computer. Native apps can provide optimized performance and take advantage of the latest technology, such as a GPS, compared to web apps or mobile cloud apps developed to be generic across multiple systems. Gillis, Technical Writer and EditorĪ native application is a software program that is developed for use on a particular platform or device.īecause a native app is built for use on a particular device and its OS, it has the ability to use device-specific hardware and software.
