C# for Mobile App Development: How Xamarin Empowers Cross-Platform Apps?

While many considered this Microsoft powered language to be enterprise software-centric, the next evolution to its concepts adapts to excellent mobile app development. 

C# is one of the best programming languages to start learning and development. Developing enterprise-grade software using C# is one of the most popular uses of it as it has Microsoft supported and enhanced Visual Studio IDE to support the development tasks. But C# has more to it than what sees the eyes. And with Xamarin, it also delivers excellent support for cross-platform mobile apps.

What Are Cross-Platform Apps?

The number of mobile app users is skyrocketing and reaching new heights. As more and more businesses are concerned about developing a dedicated mobile app that delivers excellent results and services to their customers, mobile app development is also exploring new heights.

While the native mobile apps are platform-specific, i.e., different apps for Android and iOS mobile platforms, their development costs are high, and they do not fit in every business's budget. But cross-platform apps provide them a way to escape from excess spendings. As cross-platform apps can run across multiple platforms, they offer an excellent user experience, which is the same across all the mobile app platforms.

How C# Supports Cross-platform App Development?: A Brief Introduction to Xamarin

Apart from its well-versed enterprise software development support, C# also includes support for excellent mobile app development. While most other cross-platform app development frameworks are known for their common performance issues, C# paves a new way by introducing Xamarin as the best cross-platform app development framework among all.

Xamarin has become one of the go-to options of developers when the client asks for a cost-effective cross-platform app solution. It is not only easy to deliver excellent performance, but it also makes it possible to deliver a native-like experience through cross-platform app building.

Xamarin enhances the mobile app development process as it offers almost 95% of code reusability. The advantages that Xamarin offers to developers are unique and primary reasons why Xamarin is popular for cross-platform app development.

Advantages of Using Xamarin for Mobile App Development

Even though it is a cross-platform app development framework, Xamarin takes good care of the user experience a developed app delivers. By introducing a native-like experience without excess spending, it has become one of the favorites of businesses and developers alike.

1. Excellent Compilation Support

Xamarin introduces an easier compilation process via delivering support for Android and iOS app development. The Android-centric app built with Xamarin gets compiled to an intermediate language and gets converted to assembly code when it is run. Just like JIT (Just in Time) compilation.

The iOS-centric app built using Xamarin gets converted to the assembly code directly (ARM assembly code) during the run time. This helps in running the app solution efficiently while also provides support to fix complicated issues and are automated.

2. Platform-specific Binding

As cross-platform app development delivers an app solution that can work across all platforms, there is no need to search around and find a better alternative. Xamarin includes all the features that can provide excellent support for the development of apps that can run simultaneously on the Android and iOS platforms.

To offer a native-like feel, it becomes crucial to offer integration of platform-specific binding that can help generate excellent results. Therefore, Xamarin includes support for a platform-specific binding that can generate the platform-specific look and feel to provide native experience.

3. Supports Asynchronous Programming

C# introduces the use of the .NET structure for the development of mobile apps. As the prevalent .NET framework is easy to implement and provides excellent support for running the operations efficiently, it becomes easier to generate results as the features of both these technologies are combined.

As Xamarin can also enable the use of native and latest API, the mobile app development process gets even more efficient. As the development companies hire iOS developers to use ARKit on iOS, the same functionality is available on Xamarin to build an efficient app solution. Similar to this, it also enables the Android Multi-Window feature.

4. Wearable Development

Apart from mobile app development, Xamarin also provides support for developing wearable apps that run on the wearable devices of iOS and Android platforms. For example, Xamarin helps you build an app that can run and connect with Apple's iOS smartwatch and also connect with macOS and iOS smartphones. It makes it easier to produce results that can empower developers to take up more tasks and deliver excellent results.

5. Code Reusability

Developing hybrid mobile apps asks for support from Xamarin and Visual Studio. A hybrid app is considered time-efficient when it can reuse the code and provide the same output irrespective of the platform it is used for. And Xamarin proves to be an excellent source as it offers almost 95% of code reusability.

Using the .Net libraries, PCLs (Portable Class Libraries), shared projects, and more, Xamarin offers extended ability to reuse the code and increase developer efficiency. It also doesn't miss to hit the mark when it comes to improving the productivity of the code and optimizing the performance.

6. Perform Rigorous Testing

Mobile app development doesn't end with a programmed app. The developed solution is rigorously tested to ensure no mistakes or performance issues are pending. Therefore, the support for executing testing on the developed solution must also be excellent. And Xamarin aces at it!

It provides excellent support for delivering an excellent solution that works across all the mobile platforms. With support from its test-dedicated features, Xamarin helps provide efficient results and offers excellent user experience. With the use of Xamarin's test cloud, testers can perform various testing on the developed solution and produce the best results.

7. Type-safe Language

As Xamarin uses C# for the development of a mobile app, the language offers its benefits that turn out beneficial for developers and users alike. The most common reason behind an app failing to impress users is either its user experience or the updates. With time, the app may encounter certain bugs, and the fixes are required, which are delivered in the form of app updates.

However, the bugs encountered during the programming of the app must be solved right away. And Xamarin helps with it. As it uses C# language for the app development, and the language is type-safe and object-oriented, the chances of encountering bugs are less. Xamarin encourages the use of best programming approaches to deliver a safe and bug-free app solution. 

It allows for faster and better development that can save time and cost. A better programming approach with Xamarin must not be missed when it offers excellent programming support and encourages the use of cross-platform mobile app development.

Conclusion

While C# remains one of the primary languages many programmers get attached to, its support for .NET framework aims to deliver excellent results as well. The lead competitor of Xamarin is Flutter, another cross-platform development framework endorsed by Google. Features and benefits offered by Flutter are also developer-friendly and deliver excellent results just like Xamarin.

Based on the project requirements, you can choose to use the framework you like. But if you are inclined towards using a cross-platform app development approach, C# supports the development and also costs lower as it is easier to higher a C# programmer having the knowledge of Xamarin than the Dart programmer who can operate Flutter.