All answers supplied by mobile engineers at Enyata
Evidently, one of the tech industry’s skills that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves is mobile engineering. Therefore, we decided to speak with the team that handles our mobile engineering and compile a list of frequently asked questions.
The frequently asked questions for mobile engineers are highlighted in this post. If you are a novice, you can learn a thing or two from this article. Even if you are an expert, you will still find it interesting and relatable.
Here is a compilation of all the Q&As. Enjoy!
Q: How would you describe mobile engineering to someone who isn’t familiar with it in layman’s terms or in basic terms?
A: Mobile engineering simply means building software applications that can be installed on your mobile devices. It encompasses all aspects of mobile application design, development, and implementation. So basically, mobile engineers create software for mobile devices such as phones and tablets.
Q: How would you classify mobile engineering? Would you say it falls under the category of back-end development or front-end development?
A: Yes, mobile development is a kind of front-end development. Mobile phones are mostly used by consumers of the service, so they are the front end of those services (for example, Uber and Bolt).
Since mobile apps are client apps by nature and are therefore front-end applications, it is possible to classify mobile engineering under front-end development.
Q: Are there types of mobile development? If so, what are they?
A: Well, there are two types of mobile app development which include;
- Hybrid mobile app development
- Native mobile app development
Q: What do you mean by “hybrid mobile app development”?
A: It entails developing multiple operating systems with a single codebase, such as iOS and Android. Hybrid development is the creation of a single app that can run on multiple operating systems, such as Windows, Android, and iOS. When hybrid software is created, developers include a single code bar for all platforms. This means they only need to write the code once, and it can then be run anywhere.
Q: Alright, if a person wants to go into hybrid mobile app development, what programming languages should be learned?
A: The major languages used for developing these apps are HTML, JavaScript, and ReactJS. As they are cross-developed apps, the codes need to be written on a platform whose engine can convert snippets into native code depending on the OS.
Q: Do you think a company should opt for hybrid mobile development, and why?
A: It depends on what the company is looking to achieve. If a company opts for hybrid, the company will save time and money by not having to develop and maintain apps for many platforms. It’s perfect for applications that focus on content delivery.
Q: What are the advantages of hybrid mobile app development?
A: These applications run on multiple platforms simultaneously. They require the least maintenance.
Q: What about the disadvantages of hybrid mobile app development?
A: The features are complex and hard to decode for defect identification. The applications need additional security features as per the OS.
Q: Now, moving on, what is native mobile app development?
A: Basically, it means building a specific operating system platform using different programming languages. You can have native Android mobile apps as well as native iOS mobile apps, in addition to all the other platforms and devices. You can’t use a Blackberry app on an Android phone or an iOS app on a Windows phone because they’re only designed for one platform.
Q: As a beginner, what programming languages should you learn if you are going into mobile app development?
A: Swift — for iOS.
The world’s top tech companies all use Swift for developing their native apps, including Facebook, Slack, and LinkedIn.
Java/ Kotlin — for Andriod.
Java and Kotlin are comparable to each other since they’re based on the same architecture. Kotlin, on the other hand, can compile slightly faster in some cases because it supports inline functions.
Although there are a lot more languages, we advise you to start with these.
Q: What are the advantages of native mobile app development?
A: These applications can be run offline as well. It is less difficult to develop.
Q: What are the disadvantages of native mobile app development?
A: If the application is released for another operating system, the codes should be changed. App development requires specialized skills.
Q: There is a ton of information in this article; in conclusion, do you have any advice for people looking to start careers in mobile engineering?
A: Know the basics and keep learning. You’ve got this.__Hepzibah(Native Mobile app developer)
Remain curious__Gerald (Hybrid Mobile app developer)
Never give up!__Femi (Hybrid Mobile app developer)
You can’t know it all, join a community__Ogechi (Native Mobile app developer)
Special thanks to our mobile engineering team; we appreciate the work you do and are glad that you made the time to provide answers to our questions.
If you would like to join a community where you can interact with like-minded individuals and also have free workshop sessions with experts in their fields, join our community.
Check out this resource to get started in your mobile engineering career. Click here
