Native Android & iOS App Development

Solfreaks NativeCore is our fully native app work: Kotlin with Jetpack Compose on Android, Swift with SwiftUI on iOS, two codebases that each follow their own platform's rules. We have apps published on Google Play, and we build the iOS versions to the same standard.

Native costs more up front than a single cross-platform codebase, because you're building the front end twice. In return you get the best access to the phone, behaviour that feels right to users and fewer surprises when Android or iOS changes something. That's worth paying for in some apps and not in others.

When native earns its cost

Native tends to win when the app leans on the camera, sensors, Bluetooth or background work, when it needs home-screen widgets, watch apps or deep system integration, and when smooth animation on low-end phones matters. Banking, health tracking, media capture and device-control apps often land here.

Maintainability is part of the argument too. Native toolchains are the ones Google and Apple support first, so a well-structured native app is easy to hand to another developer years from now, which matters if you might change vendors one day. It also means a new OS release rarely forces a rethink of how the app is built.

Native may be more than you need if the app is mostly forms, lists and content, the budget is tight and you need both platforms soon. A shared-code approach will usually get you there faster, and our Kotlin Multiplatform work shares the logic while keeping native screens. If you only need one platform for now, we'll tell you to build only that one. Tablets, watches and TVs are a separate topic, covered under multi-screen app development.

The delivery list

An Android app in Kotlin and Compose. Material 3, adaptive to different screen sizes, with the minimum Android version chosen from what your audience really uses.
An iOS app in Swift and SwiftUI. Designed to Apple's Human Interface Guidelines, not an Android layout moved across.
A readable architecture. MVVM with clear lines between screens, business rules and data, so another developer can pick up the code without a guided tour.
Automated tests. Unit tests for the logic and UI tests for the main flows, run on every commit.
CI builds. A pipeline that builds, tests and produces signed release builds, so a release isn't one person's laptop.
Store releases. Listings, screenshots, privacy forms and the back-and-forth with review, on both stores.

How a build runs

Scope and prototype. We agree a first version that can be built in a few months and prototype the riskiest feature first, usually within the first week or two.
Design. Flows and screens in Figma, reviewed with the developers present so nothing is designed that costs a fortune to build.
Build in two-week cycles. You get a working build at the end of every cycle through internal testing tracks and TestFlight, and you can tap through it yourself.
Test on real devices. Cheap Android phones included, since that is what many of your users hold.
Release. Google currently asks new personal developer accounts to run a closed test before release, and Apple's review usually takes a day or two, so we plan the launch date around both.
Support after launch. Crash monitoring and fixes for the first weeks, then a decision about ongoing care.

What moves the price

The biggest driver is the number of distinct screens and features, then integrations such as payments, maps or Bluetooth devices, backend work and if you need both platforms on day one. If the app needs a server, backend and API development is quoted alongside it. We offer a fixed scope for a clearly defined version one, or a monthly arrangement for continuing development. A well-scoped app typically needs eight to sixteen weeks to a first release on both platforms, and a small one less. After launch, an app maintenance plan keeps the apps current with OS updates. The quote follows a short discovery call.

Why choose us for native

At Solfreaks you talk to the developers directly, in a small Rawalpindi team whose working hours overlap with the Gulf and with UK mornings. We've published apps on Google Play, so we know what store review and real-world crashes look like. The repositories and the developer accounts are yours from the start. Describe your app idea and we'll tell you honestly whether native is the right call.

Open-source tools and references

A few public projects that come up a lot in this kind of work. They belong to other people and teams. We link to them because they are worth a look, not because anyone pays us to.

android/compose-samplesOfficial Jetpack Compose sample apps.
swiftlang/swiftThe Swift programming language.
pointfreeco/swift-composable-architectureA widely used architecture library for SwiftUI apps.
JetBrains/kotlinThe Kotlin programming language.

Frequently asked questions

Should I build on both platforms or start with one?

If your audience clearly favours one platform, start there and add the other once the idea has proved itself. Android is by far the larger platform in Pakistan, while iPhones are common in the UK and the Gulf, so the answer depends on who you serve. We'll look at your target audience and give you a plain recommendation, even if it means a smaller project for us.

Why not just use Flutter or React Native?

They're good tools and often right for content-driven apps with simple needs. We pick native when performance, hardware access, platform polish or long-term maintenance matter more than the saving on the first build. If your app doesn't need those, we'll say so and either suggest a shared approach or point you to our Kotlin Multiplatform option, which keeps native screens.

Who owns the source code and the store accounts?

You do. Repositories live in your GitHub or GitLab organisation, and your Google Play and App Store Connect accounts are registered in your name or your company's. We're added as team members for the duration of the work. Signing keys and credentials are documented and handed over, so you never depend on us to release an update.

What do we need for the iOS side if we don't own a Mac?

You don't need a Mac; we handle building and testing on our side. You will need an Apple Developer Program membership in your name, which Apple charges for annually, and a Google Play developer account, which has a one-off registration fee. We help you register both, including what Apple asks of a company, such as a D-U-N-S number.

What happens when a new Android or iOS version arrives?

Both platforms ship a major version every year and publish betas months ahead, so changes rarely arrive as a surprise. Under a maintenance plan we test against the betas and fix breakage before the public release. Native code also gets at new OS features sooner, since you're using the platform's own tools, though every update still has to pass store review.