Some of the limitations of iPhone development

With the launch of various versions of iPhone as well as iOS, the enthusiasm displayed by the crowd has left no doubts in the minds of people that it is an extremely popular platform. Many users upgrade to the latest versions to stay in sync with the times. Indeed, the latest version comes packed with some really amazing features which have attracted many people towards it. The immense popularity has led to many developers leaning towards app development on this platform. However, the process is not all rosy as there are several limitations associated with carrying through the decision as well.

Running of only one application at one time- It is a general rule while using iPhones that just one application can be run at one time; when you leave an application it simply quits. Although it might not seem to be a huge deal, essentially it means that you cannot do other things while the app is running. This might be an issue when browsing through websites since leaving the browser will lead to a broken connection. So there is no provision that installed apps would gather as well as send information to the users while running in the background. In fact even when some call comes to their phones, the application that was being used is exited. Some developers will find it to be problematic if they want to have location information from a user’s phone so that a track could be maintained. But unless the user keeps the app open all the time and does not work on anything other than it, it is impossible for the developer to find out.

Internet usage through wifi- These days the utility behind most smartphones is to be in touch with the globe while on the go. However, with iPhones, this is not possible, since it only allows internet access through Wi-Fi. Cell networks are not encouraged which is a huge problem for many people.

Xcode IDE- In this respect it might make sense to discuss about JDT tools of Android which has been described by many developers as excellent as well as standard. The great indexing of Java and rich source code model of IDE make refactoring seamless. This has made android development very easy. However, on the other hand, Xcode IDE of Apple is often remarked at for being too bad. Most people do not find it to be at par. It is not at all easy to use or time-conserving. In fact, Xcode often provides wrong content assist which suggests smaller amounts of actually available subsets.

Limitations in developer agreement- Several limitations have been imposed on developers in the agreement. Only published APIs can be used and that too in the manner as specified by Apple. Another notable limitation is that data cannot be written anywhere by the applications excepting in the particular designated area. This essentially means that data cannot be modified by developers from other applications.

Version compatibility- One problem that is faced by several developers is the version compatibility issue. While creating apps for a particular iOS version, it is really difficult to check whether it works on the previous version or not. With so many versions being out in the market, this problem can be a real issue.

Uploading price- Yet again, the comparison between Android and iOS comes into focus. When a developer wants to upload an app, the App Store checks to see whether all standards are met or not. But the app cannot be sold before a $99 annual fee is paid; after this a digital certificate signature is given to them. However, in case of Android, just one-time fee of $25 has to be paid. Also there are no restrictions on publishing of apps; they can be published in other markets as well.

Just like all other software and development platforms, iPhone is also not without its fair share of pros and cons. It is not perfect, it does include some limitations but they should in no way discourage people from using it or developing on the platform. The excellent performance and great security should instigate people to definitely use it. If you are planning to hire service of iPhone apps development company, you must evaluate them to see if they are sufficiently agile or not!

We provide offshore iPhone application development services. To hire iPhone developers from us, please reach out to us at Mindfire Solutions.