Mobile apps that people keep.
Most apps are deleted within a week of install. The ones that stay on the phone are fast and reliable, and they still work offline. That has to be designed in from the start. We build native and cross-platform apps for iOS and Android. Scope and price are fixed before we start, and you own everything at handoff.
Why mobile is harder
A mobile app has a harder life than a web app. Networks drop, the OS kills apps to reclaim memory, two app stores review every release under their own rules, and users uninstall at the first spinner. So we use offline-first data where it matters. Cold-start budgets and crash-free-session targets are set before the first sprint.
On cross-platform builds we use React Native, with one codebase for iOS and Android. Navigation, gestures, camera and payments still get native performance. When a product needs full native, we say so up front.
We shipped a complete two-sided marketplace to both stores in 14 weeks: a customer app and a provider app, plus the backend. We wrote up how we did it, including the cut list. The decisions that got us to the deadline are the same ones that keep an app maintainable.
What’s included
iOS & Android delivery
One team ships to both stores. We handle provisioning, review submissions, staged rollouts and each store’s own rules.
Cross-platform engineering
React Native, with native modules where performance needs them. One codebase gives you two first-class apps.
Offline-first data
Local storage and sync, with conflict handling designed for real networks. The app keeps working on the train.
Push & messaging
Notifications and deep links, plus SMS flows that bring users back without wearing out their goodwill.
Payments & accounts
In-app payments and wallets, with sign-in on platform-approved patterns so the app gets through review the first time.
Backend & APIs
The server side ships with the app. That means versioned APIs and admin tooling, plus analytics your team can use.
How we work
- Scope to a store date. Mobile deadlines include review time. Our written SOW plans past “code complete” through submission and staged rollout, and it allows for the risk of rejection.
- Real devices, every sprint. Demos run on physical phones over TestFlight and internal tracks, because simulators misreport performance and gestures.
- Crash and performance budgets. Targets for cold start and frame rate go into the SOW next to a crash-free target, and we measure them all before launch.
- The digital handoff. Both store accounts, the signing keys, the source code and the backend infrastructure transfer to you.
Related: web application development · API design & integration. Worth reading first: what a 14-week on-demand app sprint actually delivers. Based in Chicago? See software development in Chicago.
Proof
A marketplace in 14 weeks
A full two-sided on-demand marketplace, with a customer app and a provider app plus the backend. It shipped to the App Store and Google Play in 14 weeks.
How we shipped a marketplace in 14 weeksSMS-first loyalty at street level
ChaatPass, our own loyalty platform, reaches customers by SMS every day, and nobody has to install anything. Sometimes the right mobile strategy isn’t an app.
How the Devon Ave platform startedCommon questions
Should we build native or cross-platform?
It depends on what the app does. For most business and marketplace apps, React Native delivers two first-class apps from one codebase at a meaningfully lower cost. For apps built around heavy real-time graphics or deep hardware access, native is the honest answer. We recommend in writing, with the trade-offs, before you commit.
How long does a mobile app take to build?
A focused single-purpose app can ship in 8 to 12 weeks; we have shipped a complete two-sided marketplace to both stores in 14. The written SOW gives you a date that includes store review time, not just development time.
Do you handle App Store and Google Play submission?
Yes — provisioning, listings, review submissions, rejection responses, and staged rollouts are part of the build, not an extra. Both store accounts are created in your name so you own the listings from day one.
Do you also build the backend the app needs?
Yes. Almost every serious app is half server: APIs, accounts, admin tools, notifications. We ship the whole system as one fixed-scope project so there is no seam between an app vendor and a backend vendor.
What happens after launch?
After launch, you can maintain it with the documentation we hand over or keep us on a monthly product partnership.