What’s a webview mobile application?
Webview mobile app is generally speaking a web page embedded in a mobile application, which of course is downloaded from Google Play or App Store on a chosen mobile device. After running the mobile application we display a particular website without the necessity of opening a web browser. Thanks to this, we can display on a tablet or smartphone responsive websites, which can have various additional functionalities. In practice a well-made webview application is impossible to differentiate from a mobile application. Many popular apps, such as Facebook, Twitter or the Amazon Appstore, use or have been using this solution.
1. Main advantages of webview mobile applications
Webview mobile applications are much simpler to create than native or hybrid applications. What follows, the cost of their production is much lower. Moreover webview apps will implicitly work both on Android and iOS operating systems. This means that we don’t have to create two different versions of the application. This matter surely has a great impact on costs, which we have to devote for creation and maintenance of the application.
2. When it is worth choosing a webview app
Lower level of advancement is usually connected with having fewer possibilities. In this case we also have limited conditions to build individual, bespoke functions with extensive use of mobile device resources. Webview applications also characterise with lower efficiency, in comparison with native applications. Apart from this webview app is a good option for those who need to create an application with fewer elaborated functions, as well as for people who want to just test how their idea will work in practice and what the reactions of users will be. If our concept is successful and we want to expand it in the future, we’ll be able to use a small amount of the code, which was prepared for the webview app, to create a native or hybrid mobile application.