Mobile app development for iOS and Android from one codebase

What is included in mobile app development?

Mobile app development is more than screens on a phone. A working product has four parts, and I build all of them myself:

1. Interface — screens, navigation, forms and notifications that are easy to use with one hand.
2. App code — one React Native (Expo) project that is built for both iOS and Android.
3. Backend — the server, database, sign-in and an admin panel where your team manages products, orders or content.
4. Store release — builds, descriptions and screenshots for the App Store and Google Play.

If you only need a prototype to test an idea or show investors, the first two parts are enough. If the app takes orders or stores user data, it needs a backend.

Why build iOS and Android from one codebase?

The classic route is two separate apps: one in Swift for iPhone and one in Kotlin for Android. That means two codebases and roughly twice the work for every change. With React Native and Expo, the code is written once and built for both platforms, while the interface still uses native system components.

What this gives your business:

• one budget — you do not pay for the second platform;
• simultaneous releases — new features reach iPhone and Android users at the same time;
• simpler maintenance — a bug is fixed in one place;
• faster small fixes — Expo supports over-the-air updates for changes that do not touch native code, while bigger updates go through a normal store release.

MVP or full version: where should you start?

Start with the smallest version that proves the idea, then grow it. The packages in the pricing table below follow that logic:

• choose the MVP (from $1000) when you need to test demand or show the idea to partners with a few core screens;
• move to Standard (from $2000) as soon as users must sign in, save data, receive push notifications or place orders, because that needs a backend;
• ask for a Complex custom quote when the app takes payments or subscriptions, talks to several outside systems or needs ongoing monthly support.

Screens, integrations and backend logic are what move the price most. The article on how much it costs to build an app explains each factor and the running costs after launch.

How does publishing to the App Store and Google Play work?

Both stores review every app before it goes live, so the release date also depends on their review. I prepare the builds, store listings and screenshots and submit them from developer accounts registered in your name: the app, its store listing and its reviews belong to your company, not to the developer.

One rule is easy to miss: a new personal Google Play developer account must run a closed test with at least 12 testers who stay opted in for 14 days before the app can go to production. An organisation account for your company is not subject to this rule, but Apple and Google both ask for a D-U-N-S number to register one, and getting it can take time, so we decide on the account type early.

What kinds of apps do businesses usually need?

Business apps usually fall into one of these scenarios:

• ordering and delivery — a catalogue, cart, order status and notifications;
• online booking — choosing a service, a time slot and getting reminders;
• customer account — order history, loyalty points, documents and a chat with your team;
• staff app — tasks for field workers, photo reports and stock checks.

If your case is different, we define the screens and features in the brief and match them to a package.

Why hire one developer for the app and the backend?

Because the app and the server have to be designed together. When one person builds both, the data structure, the admin panel and the app screens fit from the start, and nobody blames the other team when something breaks.

The public projects in my portfolio are websites, but they show the same backend skills an app needs: iron-group.kz runs on Next.js with a custom admin panel and SQLite, and aktobe-lighting.kz is a store with a cart and an admin panel on Fastify, Prisma and PostgreSQL. If you also need a website for the app, it can share the same backend — see website development. To get a quote, fill in the project brief.