When choosing a service for creating your own application, you can come across a lot of suggestions. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, but at the same time greatly simplifies the developer’s work. Starting from scratch is always much more complex than having a solid foundation. Xamarin is one such framework for building cross-platform apps. This platform allows you to make software using C # and NET.. A vital characteristic is that the products created here are suitable for Android, Windows and IOS. But it is not always possible to predict what difficulties you will have to face when creating an app in this framework. Therefore, it is worth considering in detail the possible difficulties in using Xamarin. It will be much easier to cope with the emerging problems if you know all the possible pitfalls.
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1. Not all libraries are available
Usually, developers who are not tied to a particular platform use all open source libraries, but you will have to use some NET resources or those offered by the platform itself if you develop an application in Xamarin. This creates a certain limitation in choice, but with the platform’s growing popularity, this problem should be solved.
2. Application size
The size of applications made using Xamarin exceeds the size of the native ones (developed using the native language for the platform) by about twice. Developers have to do additional optimization. If you do not do this work, then the installation of such a product will take too long. It will also take up a lot of storage space, which will eventually make the user think about deleting this application.
3. Delay in applying updates
When updates come out, it takes some time to introduce changes to the platform system. This provokes a delay of several days, which is not something critical, but at the same time, it is inconvenient. This problem causes a lot of dissatisfaction, but its solution is completely up to the developers.
4. Programming skills required
If you think you do not need to know the basics of programming when building an application in Xamarin, then you are wrong. As mentioned earlier, it is based on the use of C #, so you cannot completely avoid coding. Still, this method is much easier than trying to master several languages. And then write your application without auxiliary platforms. We must be aware that this service has not yet been pumped to the automatic creation of software. Thus some of the essential technical work will have to be done on your own. Also, you can familiarize yourself with the basic technologies for Android and IOS for a general understanding.
5. A small community of specialists
Finding good Xamarin engineers is pretty hard. The primary support comes from Microsoft, but it also cannot cover all the issues of interest. There is a massive amount of material on the Internet for iOS and Android developers. And those who have chosen a relatively new platform must face many problems that they need to solve for themselves. However, some services have gone pro in xamarin app development. They have a lot of knowledge and resources to create an application without too much testing. Turning to a team of specialists for help, you can make your work easier several times over. There is also Xamarin University. This is the place to find educational resources to help you develop your programming skills and adapt the developer to the system.
6. Not suitable for complex graphics
Developing games and applications with complex graphics and difficult animation would not be the best use case for Xamarin. In the future, this platform will probably become more suitable in this regard and expand the number of its capabilities. This does not mean that you need to abandon the creation of gaming applications completely. For example, we can take Bastion, which was created using this framework and has collected a sufficient number of positive reviews.
7. Extra tools aren’t cheep
In general, you shouldn’t pay while using Xamarin. However, it has bundled software with Microsoft Visual Studio, therefore, you will need to spend a lot of money to buy a license. Visual Studio Pro have advanced functionality to help you create an application better and more conveniently. In the free version, many valuable tools will be missing, which is a significant obstacle.
8. Complex UI
Xamarin loses to the personal software development kit in creating complex user interfaces. Platforms such as IOS and Android require an appropriate look and feel, and here you can’t get away with a simple interface. You also can’t port the user interface to other platforms. Your own application will be much more convenient for the end-user, as it will have advanced interface capabilities. In such situations, you need to know specific rules for the correct creation of the user interface. For example, if you create a fitness app interface, you can better understand your end consumer needs. Knowledge of the necessary rules will help you make your own user interface design.
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Building applications in Xamarin is not an easy task. It requires specific skills and experience that will speed up the development process. In this case, you always have two options: to figure it out yourself or to ask for help from organizations that specialize in creating products on this platform. In any case, Xamarin saves a lot of time and only requires knowledge of one programming language. Of course, it has drawbacks that make you question whether it is worth using. But at the same time, many popular applications like Coca-Cola and Pinterest are created on this platform. Indeed, many updates ahead of you will make this framework even more convenient for creating cross-platform apps. All difficulties can be overcome with the help of knowledge, so do not be afraid to create something new.