Mobile App Development
Mobile App Development for iOS and Android
We're a mobile app development studio in Oxfordshire building iOS and Android apps for UK businesses. We've written apps in React Native since 2018, which lets us release a single codebase to both app stores.
Get a project quote →Cross-platform apps with React Native
Writing the app once for the App Store and Google Play usually halves the build cost, and it halves the cost of every change you make for the rest of the app's life.
Some features still need direct access to the phone's operating system, such as background location or a vendor SDK with no React Native bridge. We write those parts in Swift or Kotlin and keep the rest shared, so you only pay for native work where it makes a difference.
App Store and Google Play submission
We set up the developer accounts and signing certificates, prepare the store listings and privacy declarations, and take the app through Apple's and Google's review processes. The accounts are registered in your company's name, so the app and its listings belong to you.
Once the app is live, over-the-air updates let us release copy fixes and most small feature changes on the same day without waiting for store review.
The systems behind the app
Most apps depend on an API, and many also need an admin portal, payments or push notifications. We build those parts too, so one team is responsible for the app and everything it relies on.
For TenantWise we built the tenant mobile app, a matching web portal and the multi-tenant backend they share, and several thousand housing association residents now use it.
Fixed scope and a fixed price
We work in two-week sprints, and at the end of each one you get a build you can install on your own phone. Using the app on a real device early shows up wrong assumptions while they're still cheap to fix.
Most projects take eight to sixteen weeks from kick-off to launch. We agree where yours sits during scoping and fix the price for the work we've agreed.
How a project runs
Discovery
We agree who the app is for, what it has to do and what can wait until a later version.
Design
We design clickable screens and user flows for you to approve before any production code is written.
Build
We build in two-week sprints and put a working version on your phone at the end of each one.
Launch
We take the app through store review and release, then monitor and support it once it's live.
The technology we build on
Mobile
- React Native
- Expo
- TypeScript
- Swift & Kotlin modules
Backend
- Node.js
- REST & GraphQL APIs
- PostgreSQL
- Serverless functions
Platform
- AWS
- Microsoft Azure
- Push notifications
- CI/CD pipelines
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to build a mobile app in the UK?
It depends on how much of the product already exists. Building on an API you already run is the cheaper end, while an app that also needs its own backend, payments and integrations costs considerably more. We quote a fixed price once the scope is agreed, so you aren't committing to an open-ended day rate.
How long does it take to build an app?
A focused first version with a simple backend can be live in about eight weeks. Custom backend work, payments and third-party integrations each add time, and a project that needs all three is nearer sixteen.
Should I build a native app or use React Native?
React Native suits almost every business app because you get near-native performance from code that's much cheaper to change later. Fully native development is worth it for graphics-heavy games or for an app built around something only one platform can do, and we'll tell you during scoping if yours is one of those.
Do you submit the app to the App Store and Google Play for us?
Yes. If your company doesn't have developer accounts yet, we'll help you set them up. Apple asks organisations for a D-U-N-S number before it will open an account and that can take a while to come through, so we start the process early in the project.
Who owns the code once the project finishes?
You do. The IP transfers to you on final payment and the code sits in a repository your team controls, with no lock-in and no licence fees to keep paying.
Do you maintain the app after launch?
We do, through retained support that covers OS updates, bug fixes, security patches and new features. Apple and Google both release breaking changes every year, and an app that nobody maintains will gradually start to fail.
Planning an app?
Tell us what you have in mind and we'll come back with the scope, cost and timeline. If we don't think an app is the right answer, we'll tell you.
Tell us about your project