Mobile Application Development

We’re a mobile app design and development company, an agency you can trust with your project. With an experienced in-house app design team, you can have the confidence that we can deliver complex projects quickly and efficiently.

With experience developing complete end-to-end software solutions, we have the perfect blend of aesthetic and technical skills to deliver sophisticated and polished software projects, including apps. With a detailed understanding of front-end and back-end development for the major mobile app platforms, we’re best placed to advise and deliver on your new app or business idea. We’ve worked with companies such as Tesco, Rotary, Autoline Insurance and CoverBox. And in a number of industries including gaming, automotive, leisure, insurance and luxury brands.

Our App Development Services

Partner with us for accelerated software delivery and a stress-free experience when building your product.

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iOS App development

Our iOS team are experts in designing and delivering apps for Apple’s mobile platform. We produce apps for all iOS devices including iPads, iPhone and the recently released Apple Watch. Our production values and services align with Apple’s philosophy of delivering quality and highly desirable products.

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Android App development

With an unrivalled market share, Google’s Android platform is the most popular mobile operating system in the world. We design and deliver for all Android devices including Tablet, Phones and Watches (Android Wear)

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APIs and Backend

Apps facilitate communication. They get information for us or send information for us. This is achieved via a service, usually a server or cloud service. Apps communicate to servers using APIs. We develop the backend architecture and APIs to power apps.

App Consultancy

It all starts with an idea, a business challenge or opportunity. But how do you get started? That’s where Lightflows come in… With our rich history of both app development and the technology which powers them, we advise on the strategic, operational and technical elements of delivering an app.

Mixing our understanding of the marketplace, trends and innovative thinking, we work with you to deliver the perfect experience for your customers. With strong client relationships and a collaborative spirit, we work with you to hone and refine your ideas, advising and overcoming design or technical challenges. Once a plan is established we can produce the necessary specification documents and technical plans required to produce your apps.

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App Design

We make beautiful apps that are brilliantly intuitive. Our designers and developers take time to fully understand your target audience and carefully construct the perfect user interface to match their requirements. The Lightflows design team have a keen eye for the latest design trends. We’ll always try and innovate, pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved. We’re working for you to unlock the best user experience for your customers.

Case Study: View the Chilli Drive Young Driver Insurance Mobile App

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App Development

Web based mobile applications have come a long way. But sometimes you need more than the web can offer. Native apps open up many opportunities to businesses. With two-way communications; the ability to capture, send and receive audio, video and pictures; as well as using the arrays of sensors such as GPS, accelerometers and the compass; apps deliver more.

We work with the major mobile platforms iOS from Apple and Android from Google. And because we develop natively for both iOS and Android, we can deliver a richer experience to your audience. Our apps make optimal use of the device hardware meaning that performance is maximised, providing a better user experience. With the arrival of Apple’s Watch, a whole new world of apps are about to explode on the scene.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The easiest way to answer most of these questions is to have an initial consultation to establish the size and shape of your app. If you’re ready to do that, get in touch.

Our most frequently asked mobile app related questions are below.

This is usually the first question we get asked, and it’s the hardest to answer. The honest answer is, it depends. If you asked someone how much a house cost, the answer would be, it depends.

The price or app development cost is based on the specification, functionality and requirements. The more complex the app, the longer it will take to develop and therefore cost

Related to the first question – the amount of time to develop an app is determined by a number of factors. The size of the project, the number of platforms, iOS Apple, Android, device format, phone or tablet and what the app needs to do.

Rest assured, we have built many apps, in many cases to tight deadlines. With an initial consultancy and a discovery phase, we can understand your requirements and provide an accurate timeline.

All of our app development takes place in-house, in the UK at our offices in Guildford, Surrey. We’re very particular and only want to deliver at the highest level, for this reason, we keep everything in-house and don’t outsource a single thing. We are registered Apple Developers and Android Developer and can launch your app into both the Apple App Store or Google Play store.

A native app is a software application built in a specific programming language, for the specific device platform, either iOS or Android. Native apps are installed directly onto the device and can take full advantage of all the device features – they can use the camera, the GPS, the accelerometer, the compass, the list of contacts, and so on.

A hybrid app is a software application that combines elements of both native apps and web applications. Hybrid apps are essentially web apps that have been put in a native app shell. Once they are downloaded from an app store and installed locally, the shell is able to connect to whatever capabilities the mobile platform provides through a browser that’s embedded in the app.

Native apps are faster, more reliable, and more responsive. They offer better support for gestures and can tap into the wider functionality of the device including push notifications. Hybrid apps, however, are typically easier and faster to develop for multiple platforms, as they don’t need separate coding for each platform.

The answer depends on your app needs, budget, and time to market. If performance and user experience are top priorities, native apps might be the way to go. But if you need to quickly get an app out on both iOS and Android, and you’re constrained by budget and resources, a hybrid app could be a better choice.

Yes, there are several popular hybrid apps including Instagram, Uber, Gmail, and Twitter. These apps need to be on both iOS and Android platforms, and need to be updated frequently, so the ease and speed of development that hybrid solutions offer can be a big advantage.

Yes, you can, but it involves rewriting your app in the native language for the platform (Swift for iOS, Java/Kotlin for Android). This can be a time-consuming and costly process.

For native apps, Swift and Objective-C are used for iOS development, and Java or Kotlin for Android development. For hybrid apps, technologies like React Native, Ionic, or Flutter are often used, which allow for JavaScript, TypeScript, or Dart programming respectively.

Hybrid apps can be easier to maintain because you have a single codebase for multiple platforms. However, native apps have the advantage when you want to incorporate the latest platform-specific features quickly after they are released.

Yes, hybrid apps can have performance issues. Because they run through a kind of “middle man” (the web view), they can be slower than native apps. However, technologies are always improving, and hybrid app performance is constantly getting better.

Both native and hybrid apps can be built to be secure, but native apps have a slight advantage due to their direct access and control to the underlying operating system features. However, hybrid apps can still be made secure with the right precautions and strategies.

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