This set of articles ends here and now we’re going to talk about mobile developers. There are a couple of other profiles but our goal is to tell you which are, in our opinion, the most common paths. 

In this article, we’re going to talk about mobile development and how a frontend developer can work on mobile APPs. Here we will identify:

Different mobile development strategies

Some technologies a mobile web developer needs to know to work on mobile APPs

The average salary

How can you start if you want to become a mobile web developer?

Nowadays, users need to access websites and web applications using mobile devices. Every smartphone or tablet is a popular device to access online information. It’s not enough to have a website or application that could be only accessed on a computer or laptop. For instance, how many of us check our own email inbox using our mobile devices?

In this section, we will focus on mobile web developers and we are not including mobile game developers for example.

Therefore, different web applications require different development strategies. As a mobile developer, you’ll have to be aware of those strategies and the needs that will lead to them. For example, you might use a strategy if you want to develop a mobile app for your complex web application and follow another approach if you want to develop a mobile version for your website. There are at least four main trends in order to overcome this requirement: responsive web application; progressive web application, hybrid mobile application, native mobile application. Let’s go through these different approaches and see the pros and cons and why sometimes companies need mobile developers.

Responsive web application

A responsive web application is a normal web application that uses additional rules and features to provide a web application that automatically adjusts to a mobile container. This means the same web application in a mobile device, a tablet or desktop will have a few differences in order to adapt the user experience to these different contexts. Those differences could be on the layout structure, the information organization, the type of information, among others.

Progressive web app (PWA)

We believe it’s fair to see a progressive web application (PWA) as a normal web responsive application with some progressive native features. So a PWA is a web app, responsive and it includes some mobile features that increase the user experience, such as:

Connectivity independence – PWA’s can work on both offline or low-connectivity networks;

Push notifications – With PWA’s you can receive nice mobile notifications;

APP-like interface – With PWA’s you can provide an APP like interface that will look quite similar to a native mobile APP.

Hybrid mobile applications

Hybrid mobile applications are mobile applications that you can download at the app stores but they just simulate the native ones. Typically this approach simply provides a web application inside a mobile container. So for the user will be a native mobile. However, there are some common issues, such as, performance, design inconsistencies that could indicate that it’s a hybrid mobile APP and not a native one.

Native mobile applications

Native mobile applications are developed using native technologies. That means, for instance, for android you will develop using the Android official language (Java / Kotlin) and for iOS, you will develop using Swift. 

Native mobile APPs provide native performance, native design patterns and of course native user experience. You have probably noticed some design differences between an android device and an iOS. Typically, native mobile development involves different teams for different devices. So, if a company will develop a mobile APP for iOS and Android, then that decision will probably involve at least a team with two different developers: iOS developer and android developer. 

There are some hybrid approaches to develop native mobile applications. Some hybrid technologies are able to provide native applications providing a hybrid approach in the development and native experience for the user in terms of performance and user experience. Technologies, such as Flutter, React Native or Xamarin, are in the middle between the hybrid approach and the native one.

There are lots of opportunities specifically for these profiles. So companies that choose to develop native / hybrid mobile applications will certainly hire mobile developers (iOS and android). Now you can ask us: what about the responsive web app and progressive web app: for that, you will have opportunities to work on that even if you are a frontend developer or hopefully a full stack developer.

Responsive web application & PWAs

Javascript / Typescript

Angular

React

Native Android

Java / Kotlin

Native iOS

Swift

Native Hybrid

React Native

Flutter

Xamarin

Ionic

So we do recommend you to follow a frontend path, including a mobile technology in the stack, in order to develop some mobile web applications. According to Glassdoor, the average frontend developer salary globally is 65k$ per year.

Obviously, this depends on the country where you live, the company where you will work, the type of projects you will work with, and so on. But actually, in this world, you would have the opportunity to develop your own path. You would be able to choose between multiple companies, types of projects, remote working vs office working, among so many other factors.

Follow this checklist and you will be ready to get a job as a mobile web developer in about 5 months.

Check our study guide

Identify online courses, videos, and articles for each topic of the study guide

Follow the guide using the resources you have identified

So for each section, it’s important that you search for related resources on the internet. Google might be your best friend! However, if you find it too difficult to find the appropriate resources for each section, we can help you. We developed a boot camp where you will find the best free resources for each section we do recommend you to follow. So our boot camp is a way you tackle this issue and reduce the time you need to complete this study guide.