Mobile app development for Android and iOS

One code base for Android, iOS and the web

Building a separate Android app, iOS app and website means three projects to pay for and keep in sync. We build your product once, with React, and package it for Android and iOS with Capacitor. The apps and the web version share the same user accounts, the same database on Firebase (Google Cloud) and the same features.

• One project to design, build and maintain.
• The same account on the phone, the tablet and the computer.
• Updates that reach every version at once.
• A web version that works in a browser for users who do not want to install the app.

When a mobile app makes sense

Not every project needs an app in the stores. A well-built website already works on a phone. An app becomes worth it when your users come back every day, use the phone's features, or expect to find you in the App Store or Google Play.

On the last point: Apple and Google have their own rules for in-app purchases, and we take them into account when we plan your app. Often the best path is to start with the web platform, see how users use it, then publish the apps once the product has found its rhythm.

A platform we designed for the phone: GORIFIT

GORIFIT is a strength training app that also tracks meals and hydration, with a programme built on the user's schedule and a space for coaches. Our team designed and publishes it. The athlete ticks off sets, meals and water from a phone; the coach follows all their athletes from a computer. It shows what one code base can do for a product used on every screen; see the GORIFIT case study.

Design for the smallest screen first, and the large ones follow.

What a mobile app can include

• Accounts and roles: the same login on the app and the website, with spaces for each type of user.
• Dashboards adapted to the phone screen: what to do today, at a glance.
• Photos and documents: taking a picture, signing on screen, attaching a file.
• Payments and subscriptions with Stripe for the web version, within the stores' rules for the apps.
• Notifications and reminders to bring users back at the right moment.

Gwadadrop, the delivery platform we designed, is a good example of phone-first work: the driver follows the route, records each delivery and collects a signature from a phone, while the carrier manages everything from a computer.

Timeline, cost and method

A mobile app is a platform project: it is quoted according to the number of screens, user roles, payments and phone features you need. As a reference, a first version of a platform takes about four weeks. The quote is free, Canadian clients can be invoiced in Canadian dollars, and payment can be split between a deposit and the balance. Our guide to SaaS development costs explains what drives the price.

1. 01
   Brief

   We define your users, the screens they need and the phone features that matter.

2. 02
   Mock-up

   You approve the main screens, designed for the phone first.

3. 03
   Development

   We build the web version and the apps from the same code, then test them with you.

4. 04
   Launch

   We put the web version online and prepare the apps for the stores, then follow up.

Store developer accounts are generally opened in the name of the business that publishes the app, so the app appears under your name on Apple and Google. Plan for the stores' review time before a launch date: each new app and each update is checked before it goes live.

Rules for apps used in Canada

An app used by Quebec customers collects personal information and must follow Law 25: consent, a designated person in charge and a privacy policy written in clear terms. An app aimed at Quebec must be offered in French, with a French version at least as accessible as any other. Our guide to Law 25 and website privacy covers the privacy side. If your project is first a web platform, see SaaS development.