Basic Mobile App Development Terms You Must Know About

#1 Intellectual Property

Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind. Examples include inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, and symbols, names, and images used in mobile apps development.

Intellectual property law protects the rights of creators and owners of IP, both to encourage and reward creativity and to increase public knowledge and access to their work.

Intellectual Property (IP) is a vital part of your mobile apps development. It is a legal protection given to products of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, and symbols, names, and images used in commerce.

#2 Apps development process

The process of mobile app development is the process of making mobile applications. It consists of a number of stages, including gathering requirements, designing, developing, testing, and marketing.

Business owners who want to develop mobile applications should be aware of the different stages of the development process.

#3 Sprints

The sprint is a time-bound period of time for completing a set of work in an app development project or to complete an iteration of the project. It is a time-boxed phase of the agile development methodology.

Sprints are time-boxed, fixed-length, typically two to four weeks long.

Sprints are a popular method of scheduling in agile development.

In a nutshell, a Sprint is a time-boxed period of a few weeks where the mobile app development team builds a set of features or units of work.

At the end of the Sprint, they take a “Sprint Review” where the new features are presented to stakeholders for feedback.

#4 NDA

An NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) is a contract that sets out the terms under which one party (the discloser) can disclose confidential information to another party (the recipient) without the recipient disclosing the information to a third party.

The purpose of an NDA is to protect the discloser from losing its competitive advantage.

Before hiring a mobile app developer, you must make sure to sign an NDA with your developer.

#5 MVP

MVP stands for Minimum Viable Product.

It’s the version of an app that has just enough features to satisfy early adopters. 

The goal is to launch a mobile application for a small group of people and then get their feedback on the app.

You can then use this feedback to decide which features to add to the mobile application.

It helps validate your mobile app concepts, tests different pricing strategies, and determines the app-market fit.

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#6 Proof of concept

A proof of concept is a preliminary version of your mobile app, which should be created in order to verify whether you’re on the right track with your idea and whether you’ll be able to make your app a reality.

It is the stage when your app developer creates the application just to see if it works and how it works. 

It is important to see if the app is going to be profitable and if it is going to be useful.

#7 UX Design

UX design, which stands for “user experience design,” is the process of enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty by improving the usability, ease of use, and pleasure provided in the interaction between the user and the mobile application.

#8 UI Design

Mobile Application UI design is the face of your mobile application.

It’s the first thing users will see and the last thing they will see. 

It’s the first impression and last impression users will have of your app.

#9 Prototype

A prototype of concept is the first version of the app you plan to develop. It’s a demonstration of what the final mobile application will look and feel like.

It’s developed to test the functionality of the mobile application and get feedback from potential users.

Your app developer can help you to create the prototypes of your mobile application.

#10 Mockup

Mockup is a prototype of the mobile app, which is created by designers and mobile app developers to demonstrate the functionality of the app.

Mockups typically show what the app will look like when it’s finished, but they don’t show what the app will do.

#11 Native app development

Native app development is the process of developing mobile applications for a specific platform or device using the software development kit (SDK) of that mobile platform.

Native applications are developed in the platform’s native programming language, such as Objective-C (iOS and macOS), Swift (iOS), Java (Android), and React Native (Android and iOS).

Recommended post: Native apps vs Hybrid apps 

#12 Cross-platform development

Cross-platform development is the practice of writing software applications that are compatible with multiple software development kits (SDKs) or platforms.

Cross-platform development allows a mobile application builder to write one application that can run on multiple platforms without having to rewrite the application’s source code each time it is ported to a new platform.

Cross-platform development can be performed by a single app developer or organization, or by multiple developers or organizations.

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#13 Beta testing

Beta testing is the process by which a mobile application is released to a limited audience outside of the development team for testing before the general release.

Beta testers are often consumers of the product or service who are chosen based on certain criteria and are chosen to represent the overall target market for the product or service.

#14 SDK

Development Kit (SDK) is a collection of tools for developing applications or other software components for a specific software platform.

The SDK will often provide a complete development environment, including a programming language compiler and development tools.

#15 Mobile app contract

A mobile app development contract is a legally binding agreement between an app developer and the business that will be paying for the app’s development. 

A mobile app development contract outlines the responsibilities of both parties, as well as any penalties or fees to be applied in the event of a breach.

#16 Native package

Native packager in mobile apps development is a technology that allows packaging a mobile app to be used on multiple mobile platforms.

#17 Push notifications

Push notifications are a great way to engage your users and bring them back to your app.

Mobile push notifications are a great way to remind people of your product and services and to put you back at the forefront of their minds.

Mobile push notifications are also a great way to get people to download your apps.

#18 Real-time data

Real-time data is a big deal in mobile apps development.

The ability to push new, relevant information to a mobile phone in real-time allows for some pretty amazing user experiences.
One of the biggest advantages of real-time data is that it allows you to keep the user in the loop.

#19 Web view

The web view is used in mobile apps development for displaying web pages and search results from the web. It’s used to avoid downloading the web page and only display it in a native app.

#20 Viewport

A viewport is a rectangular area that contains the visible content of a window or display. 

The size of the viewport can be defined by the user agent (typically the browser) or by the author/developer of the document (e.g. using CSS).

#21 API

The API, or application program interface, is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building mobile applications.

The API specifies how software components should interact. 

A good API makes it easier for the app developer to create a program by providing all the building blocks.

#22 App Store

An app store is a digital distribution platform for mobile apps. They are operated by the owners of mobile operating systems, such as Google Play Store (Android), Apple App Store (iOS), Windows Phone Store, and BlackBerry World (BlackBerry).

#23 AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Artificial intelligence is the theory and development of mobile applications that are able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.

In other words, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that emphasizes the creation of intelligent mobile applications that work and react like humans.

#24 APK

APK stands for Android Application Package and is the file format used by the Android operating system for the distribution and installation of mobile apps.

#25 Beta Version

When you are developing a mobile app, the beta version is a preliminary version of the app that is released to a small group of users for testing and feedback.

The beta version gives you a chance to test various aspects of the app, such as the performance, security, and usability of the app, before releasing the app to a larger audience.

#26 Chatbot

A chatbot is also called a chat robot, chatterbot, chatterbox, IM bot, interactive agent, talk bot, artificial conversation entity, talk agent, or Artificial Conversational Entity (ACE). It is a computer program that conducts a conversation via auditory or textual methods, primarily through instant messaging, voice commands, or text messaging.

#27 Gesture

A gesture is a motion that you make with your finger to interact with your mobile device. When you swipe right or left, rotate the device, swipe up or down, or double-tap the screen, you’re interacting with the device using gestures.

Gestures are used in mobile app development to interact with your app. The more gestures you add, the more ways you provide for your users to interact with your application.

There are different types of gestures which are Touch Gestures, Gaze Gestures, Touchless Gestures, and Voice Gestures.

#28 iCloud

iCloud is a cloud storage and cloud computing service from Apple Inc. launched on October 12, 2011. It is a part of Apple’s suite of services, which also includes iTunes, the App Store, Apple Music, and Apple Pay.

#29 iOS

iOS is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. Originally released in 2007 for the iPhone and iPod Touch, iOS has been extended to support other Apple devices such as the iPad and Apple TV.

#30 Android

Android is an operating system that is designed for mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

Android is based on the Linux kernel and designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices, with input from manufacturers, network operators, and consumers.

You can find & hire an Android developer in Singapore if you just need a mobile app for Android users.

#31 JSON

JSON is a plain-text format for the exchange of data. It is completely language-independent and uses conventions that are familiar to programmers of the C-family of languages, including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Python, and many others.

#32 Open Source

Open source is a development paradigm in which most of the source code for a computer program is freely available to anyone who wishes to use it or modify it, with the only major restriction being that the source code must be freely distributable.

#33 UDID

The Unique Device Identifier (UDID) is a 40-character string that uniquely identifies a specific iOS device. It is basically a serial number for your phone/tablet. Every Apple device has a unique UDID. The UDID is a property of the device and not the user.

#34 XCODE

Xcode is software that allows you to write iOS applications and is available on Mac OS X, a Unix-based operating system.

Xcode provides a graphical user interface for the creation of iOS applications using the Objective-C programming language.

#35 JWT

JWT is an acronym for JSON Web Token and is used to pass data between a server and a client. The way it works is that the client sends the server a request with a signature, and the server responds with a signed response.