
PWAs are built to take advantage of native mobile device features, without requiring the end user to visit an app store, make a purchase and download software locally. This enables developers to use a single codebase for Apple iOS, Google Android and progressive web apps ( PWAs). Modern cross-platform tools use common languages such as C# and JavaScript to share code across projects more importantly, they integrate well with application lifecycle management tools, such as Jenkins. Essentially, each device required its own mobile app development project with its own code base. In the past, if an app needed to be cross-platform and run on multiple operating systems (OSes), there was little, if any, code that could be reused from the initial development project. Today, the majority of mobile applications developed are device-agnostic. This meant that new code had to be written specifically for each device's specific processor. In the early years of mobile apps, the only way to ensure an app could perform optimally on any device was to develop the app natively. Android devices also come preloaded with similar apps and you can install more using the Google Play Store. Phones and tablets from Apple come preloaded with essential applications, including a full web browser and the Apple App Store. Today, the two most prominent mobile platforms are iOS from Apple and Android from Google.


For example, a gaming app might be written to take advantage of the iPhone's accelerometer or a mobile health app might be written to take advantage of a smartwatch's temperature sensor. One critical difference, however, is that mobile apps are often written specifically to take advantage of the unique features of a particular mobile device. Like web application development, mobile application development has its roots in more traditional software development. Mobile application development is the set of processes and procedures involved in writing software for small, wireless computing devices, such as smartphones and other hand-held devices.
