How Apps Are Built

Now that you understand what mobile development is, let's look at how apps are actually built.

If you choose the native approach, each platform has its own language and tools.

iOS apps are built using Swift. Android apps are built using Kotlin.

These are completely different technologies. This means if you want your app to work on both platforms, you usually need to build it twice. Two codebases, two sets of logic, and often two teams working in parallel.

For example, if you create a simple app with a button and a screen:

• You write one version in Swift for iOS;
• You write another version in Kotlin for Android.

Even though the app looks the same, the code behind it is different.

This leads to a clear problem. Building everything twice takes more time, more effort, and more resources. Keeping both versions updated can also become difficult over time.

This is exactly the problem that cross-platform tools try to solve.