How Long Does It Take To Make an App?
It’s difficult to perfectly estimate the time required for creating a mobile app. Each project is unique and depends on the app’s specific technical requirements. In this article, we’re going to examine the major factors that determine how long it takes to create a mobile app:
Mobile App Features
Algorithms
Sensor Data
Web Services
CRM Integration
High-End Graphics
Big Data
Social Media Integration
At the same time, you can expect a shorter development time for a simple app that doesn’t need complex coding and extensive features. You’ll need careful planning to avoid adding new features after development begins. Otherwise, development time and costs will increase.
UI/UX
Hardware Integration
It’s not uncommon for an app to pair with a custom external device, out-of-the-box devices like Apple Watch, or other commercially available hardware. We have a wide range of experience with hardware to software integration projects like smart jewelry, dog collars, radars for baseball, Golf GPS, and medical devices. Your developer will need to spend time with the device to understand how it works. They will also need the hardware protocol to connect and transfer data to and from.
Some other considerations related to hardware integration include:
• What type of data is being transferred, and how much?
• Is clear communication protocol documentation available?
• How does the hardware connect? With Bluetooth, WIFI, or perhaps a proprietary cable?
While not the same as hardware integration, you may need to consier supporting Apple and Android based watches. For example Golflogix, a GPS solution for golf, operates between both your iPhone and Watch. While the iPhone runs iOS, the watch runs watchOS. This uses a different Software Developer Kit (SDK) and UI, so including it in development will increase the time frame.
Feedback
Third-Party Integration and APIs
Many apps need the integration of third-party software or APIs. In this case, apps need to connect with outside services such as:
Payment Processing
Social Media Platforms
Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
GPS-based Search
Stock APIs
Devices and Operating Systems
Running apps on multiple platforms and devices is a common strategy many businesses adopt, as this helps them acquire the widest possible range of users. However, designing, developing, testing, and launching apps for different platforms requires extra effort on the part of the developers. In most cases, the testing process composes a major part of the timeline, especially if your app is using geo-locational services.
The additional testing is to ensure the quality of the app and help your app work well across different screen resolutions. The time required for this process depends on the number of features, complexity, and third-party integration within your app.
What’s Next?
While most mobile app developers consider these factors as the major determinants of the development timeline, expert developers can efficiently manage this with innovative time management strategy. Zco’s dedicated team of developers use agile software development methodologies in our software projects, which helps us optimize our apps to finish on time and on-budget, without compromising an app’s quality. Get in touch with one of our account executives today to find out how Zco can help make your idea for an app into a reality.
