Cross-Platform Integration in Legacy Mobile Apps for Code Reuse and Reduced Development Efforts
Hannan Arif, Hafiz Syed Muhammad Bilal, Fahad Ahmed Satti, Syed Imran Ali, Muhammad Moazam Fraz · 2024
In the ever-evolving landscape of business app devel-opment, companies face the challenge of whether to update their existing apps, originally built using native methods, to a hybrid approach. Many organizations hesitate due to concerns about disrupting Business as Usual (BAU) operations and the potential impact on current implementations. This study delves into the feasibility and benefits of integrating hybrid methodologies into existing native apps. It highlights advantages such as reduced development time, cross-platform code reuse, and hybrid apps' performance nearing that of native apps. The study highlights several advantages, such as shortened development cycles, the ability to reuse code across multiple platforms, and the performance of hybrid apps approaching that of native ones. It exam-ines both traditional Android and iOS platforms, as well as mod-ern frameworks like Flutter and React-Native, which facilitate iterative development. To tackle the challenge of updating existing applications, the study presents innovative solutions like Flutter Add-to-app for seamlessly integrating Flutter features into legacy apps. It also covers Method Channels and Native Modules for adding new functionalities, and Platform Views for incorporating native views into hybrid apps. These solutions enhance flexibility by leveraging existing legacy capabilities. The research details how to adopt a hybrid approach with minimal impact on business operations. By offering detailed analysis and practical advice, this study supports Small & Medium Enterprises in managing the complexities of app updates, fostering a flexible and faster development process while maintaining agile practices.