--- title: "iOS & Android App Development NZ" description: "iOS and Android app development in New Zealand. Native iPhone apps in Swift, cross-platform builds in React Native, designed and built from scratch." canonical_url: https://webscape.co.nz/services/mobile-app-development site: Webscape markdown_url_convention: "append .md to any URL on this site, or send Accept: text/markdown" index: https://webscape.co.nz/llms.txt --- # App Development We design and build apps for iPhone and Android. Native Swift when the app needs to feel like part of the phone, React Native when one codebase across both platforms makes more sense. We work out which one fits your project before any code gets written. An app is a bigger commitment than a website, so the first thing we do is check you actually need one. A lot of ideas are better served by a web app that runs in the browser on any device, with nothing to install and no app store in the way. When an app is the right answer it is usually because you need the camera, GPS, offline access, push notifications, or a spot on someone's home screen. Those are the things a browser handles badly. From there the question is native or cross-platform. Native means Swift and SwiftUI on iPhone, written specifically for the device. It costs more and gives you the smoothest result with full access to everything the hardware can do. React Native means one codebase running on iPhone and Android at once, which is quicker to build, cheaper to maintain, and the right call for most business apps. We have shipped both. Atlas is a native iPhone app that reads the metadata inside your photos on the device itself and maps every city and country you have been to, with no server behind it. The POMP player runs on iOS, Android, tvOS and web displays from a single React Native codebase, with offline support and content that syncs on its own. ## What this includes - **Native iPhone Apps**: Built in Swift and SwiftUI for current iOS. Full access to the camera, photo library, location, HealthKit, iCloud, and everything else the device offers. - **Android Apps**: Android builds that follow Material conventions and cover the range of screen sizes and versions your customers actually have. - **Cross-Platform Builds**: One React Native codebase running on iPhone and Android. Cheaper to build than two native apps, and one thing to maintain instead of two. - **Store Submission & Review**: App Store and Google Play listings, screenshots, privacy labels, and the review process handled end to end. We deal with rejections if they come. - **Backends & APIs**: Accounts, payments, push notifications, and data syncing. We build the server side too, or connect the app to systems you already run. - **Offline & On-Device**: Apps that keep working without a connection and sync when it returns. Where the work can happen on the phone, we keep it there so data never leaves it. ## Process 01. **Discovery & Platform Choice**: We work through what the app has to do, who uses it, and whether it needs to be native, cross-platform, or a web app instead. You get a straight answer on which is cheapest to build for what you need. 02. **Design**: Screens designed in Figma to the iOS and Android conventions your users already know, so the app feels normal on their phone rather than like a website in a box. 03. **Build**: Swift and SwiftUI for native iPhone, React Native for cross-platform. Written by hand, with the backend and APIs built alongside it if the app needs them. 04. **Beta Testing**: Builds go out through TestFlight and Google Play internal testing so you and your team can use the real app on real phones before anyone else sees it. 05. **Store Submission**: We handle App Store and Google Play submission: developer accounts, listings, screenshots, privacy declarations, and the review process. Rejections get sorted by us. 06. **Launch & Updates**: After launch we watch crash reports and reviews, then ship updates. Apps need maintaining as iOS and Android release new versions each year. ## Best for - You need the camera, GPS, or push notifications - The app has to keep working without a connection - You want a spot on the home screen rather than a bookmark - You already run a web platform and need a mobile companion to it - You are not sure whether you need an app or a web app, and want an honest answer ## FAQ ### Do I need an app, or would a website do the job? Often a website does the job. If your idea works fine in a browser, a web app is cheaper to build, cheaper to run, and there is no download or app store review standing between you and your users. An app makes sense when you need the camera, GPS, offline access, push notifications, or a home screen icon people tap out of habit. We will tell you if we think you are better off without one. ### Should I build native or cross-platform? Cross-platform with React Native suits most business apps. You get iPhone and Android from one codebase, so it is faster to build and there is only one thing to maintain. Native makes sense when the app leans hard on the device, needs the smoothest possible interface, or is doing heavy work like live camera processing. We pick based on what your app does, not on what we feel like building. ### Do you handle App Store and Google Play submission? Yes. We set up the developer accounts, write the listings, produce the screenshots, complete the privacy declarations, and put the app through review. If Apple or Google reject it, we deal with the response and resubmit. Note that you will need your own Apple Developer and Google Play accounts, which carry their own annual fees. ### How long does an app take to build? It depends on what the app does. A focused first version with a tight feature set moves quickly. Apps with accounts, payments, and a backend behind them take longer, and App Store review adds time on top that neither of us controls. We scope it properly before we start so you know what you are committing to. ### What happens after the app launches? Apps need more upkeep than websites. Apple and Google both ship a major OS release every year and periodically change what they require of apps in the store, so an app left alone will eventually break or get pulled. Most clients move onto a maintenance plan covering OS updates, bug fixes, and new features. ## Related case study [Atlas, a native iPhone app built from scratch](https://webscape.co.nz/work/atlas): Atlas turns a camera roll into a travel history. It reads the date and coordinates saved inside each photo, works out the cities and countries they were taken in, and draws them on a world map. Everything happens on the phone, so there is no account to make and no server holding anyone's photos. See how we designed and built it. ## Related - Service: https://webscape.co.nz/services/web-app-development - Service: https://webscape.co.nz/services/web-development - Service: https://webscape.co.nz/services/web-design - Guide: https://webscape.co.nz/guides/how-to-write-website-brief - Guide: https://webscape.co.nz/guides/what-to-expect-working-with-web-designer --- > Full site index for agents: https://webscape.co.nz/llms.txt