iOS and Android App Development in Burgos — Your business in your clients' pocket

Mobile applications generate engagement levels that web browsers cannot match: longer sessions, greater frequency of use and a much higher retention rate. An app installed on the client's smartphone is permanently one tap away, while a website requires the user to remember the URL, open the browser and search for it. For sectors with high interaction frequency such as hospitality, retail, delivery services or loyalty programmes, the difference in engagement is decisive.

The retention rate of clients who use a company's app is significantly higher than those who only interact through websites or social media. An app creates a closer bond with the brand because it is physically present on the user's device, can personalise the experience based on usage history, and offers functionalities that reinforce the bond: order history, loyalty points, online booking or exclusive access to offers.

Push notifications have an open rate of between 7% and 10%, well above the 20–25% average open rate of email marketing and far above the organic reach of social media. For businesses in Burgos wanting to communicate promotions, appointment reminders, order statuses or news to their client base directly and with high impact, push notifications from an app are the most effective channel available.

Native apps are developed specifically for each platform: Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android. They offer maximum performance, full access to all device APIs (camera, GPS, sensors, NFC, Face ID) and the best possible user experience. The disadvantage is that they require two parallel developments, which implies higher cost and longer development time. They are the recommended option for apps with complex functionality or that require deep hardware access.

Hybrid apps are developed with a single codebase that works on iOS and Android. React Native (from Meta) and Flutter (from Google) are the most mature frameworks on the market and allow apps to be created with near-native performance at significantly lower development cost. They are the most balanced option for most projects: a single development team, lower cost and shorter delivery times, with performance and user experience that end users rarely distinguish from a native app.

A PWA (Progressive Web App) is a website that behaves like an app: it can be installed on the smartphone's home screen, work offline, send push notifications and access some device functions such as camera or geolocation. It does not require going through the App Store or Google Play, which greatly simplifies distribution. Development cost is significantly lower than a native or hybrid app, although capabilities are more limited.

Native app when: performance is critical (games, AR, fitness apps with sensors), you need deep hardware access, or the budget allows double development. Hybrid app (React Native/Flutter) when: you want presence in both stores with a single codebase, the budget is the balance between quality and cost, or the development team is single. PWA when: budget is limited, the main functionality can be done from the browser, or you want an improved mobile experience without the store publication process.

The first step is defining the MVP (Minimum Viable Product): the minimum version of the app that has enough value to be launched and validated with real users. Starting with the MVP allows earlier launch, validating business assumptions with real data and adjusting the product direction based on feedback from the first users, rather than investing the full budget in a product that may not respond to the real needs of the market.

App design is not just aesthetics: it is the architecture of the interaction between the user and the functionalities. Poor UX design makes users abandon the app in the first sessions even if the functionalities are excellent. We design following Apple's Human Interface Guidelines and Google's Material Design guidelines to ensure the app feels natural and familiar on each platform.

Depending on the technology chosen in the analysis phase, we develop in Swift/Kotlin for native apps or in React Native/Flutter for hybrid apps. In all cases we follow best code architecture practices (MVVM, Clean Architecture) that ensure the code is maintainable, testable and scalable for adding functionality in the future.

The publication process on App Store and Google Play has its own rules, technical requirements and review times that need to be known and managed. We handle the entire publication process, including preparing the app store assets (icons, screenshots, descriptions) and responding to review requirements if Apple or Google request changes.

E-commerce apps must be optimised for the purchase process: fluid catalogue navigation, search with filters, product pages with high-quality images, simplified payment process with Apple Pay and Google Pay, and user profile management with order history and shipping tracking. The conversion rate of a well-designed e-commerce app can be up to 3 times higher than the equivalent mobile website.

For restaurants, clinics, hairdressers, academies or any service business in Burgos, online booking apps reduce administrative burden on the team and improve the client experience. We integrate calendar systems, real-time availability management, automatic push notification reminders and advance payment if the business model requires it.

Corporate and internal apps automate team processes that are difficult to manage from a computer: attendance tracking and work reports for field teams, incident and work order management for technicians, product catalogues for sales teams, or internal communication tools. These are apps that do not go to public stores and are distributed directly to team devices.

A loyalty programme in an app has a significantly higher usage rate than programmes based on physical cards or mobile websites. We develop loyalty apps with points accumulation by purchase, digital redemptions, personalised notifications based on user history and gamification mechanics that increase visit frequency and average ticket.

Apps that use device geolocation open unique business possibilities: delivery apps with real-time tracking, tourism apps with georeferenced guides for Burgos, logistics apps with route optimisation, or emergency services apps. Mobile geolocation has precision of 3–5 metres outdoors with active GPS, allowing very precise user experiences.

The discovery phase defines what and how before starting to programme: analysis of business and user needs, MVP definition with essential functionalities, appropriate technology selection, initial technical architecture and interactive prototype of the main flows for validation. This 2–4 week phase is the highest-return investment of the entire project because it drastically reduces the risk of developing incorrect functionalities.

With the prototype approved, we design 100% of the app screens with the full visual quality and technical specification precision that developers need to faithfully implement the design. The deliverable of this phase is the complete Figma file with all components, states (normal, hover, loading, error) and navigation flows.

Development is carried out in 2-week sprints with a functional demo at the end of each sprint. The client can test the app on their own device from the first weeks via TestFlight (iOS) or internal APK distribution (Android). Testing includes unit tests of the code, integration tests and manual testing on multiple real devices.

We publish the app on App Store and Google Play following the requirements of each platform. The post-launch period is critical: the first weeks reveal real user behaviours that may require UX adjustments, correction of bugs not detected in testing, or implementation of additional functionalities prioritised by feedback from the first users.