KEY TAKEAWAYS
Start here.
- Choose from product and operating needs.
- Shared code still requires platform testing.
- Investigate difficult integrations early.
Choose from requirements
React Native supports shared development across iOS and Android; native development uses each platform's stack. Neither automatically delivers a better, faster, or easier-to-maintain app. A startup's shared launch and an enterprise's existing native systems may need different approaches.
Use a platform decision worksheet
Unknown requirements may need investigation or a small technical prototype before estimates.
| Area | Question for your brief |
|---|---|
| Platforms | Must journeys and release schedules match? |
| Device features | Which camera, sensor, background, or hardware features? |
| Experience | Which interactions need platform-specific behavior? |
| Offline | Which tasks and data work without connectivity? |
| Existing systems | Which APIs, SDKs, accounts, and modules must remain? |
| Ownership | Who maintains each platform? |
Define failures, testing, and the next step
Specify behavior for unreliable networks, interrupted sessions, denied permissions, and unavailable APIs. 'Works offline' needs detail: permitted tasks, stored data, synchronization, and conflicts. Test both platforms regardless of shared code.
Agree on operating-system versions, representative devices, performance expectations for important tasks, and test environments for connected services. Include release accounts and the team responsible for maintaining dependencies after the first launch.
- Name first-release journeys and supported devices.
- Identify uncertain hardware or SDK integration.
- Specify offline, permission, and API failures.
- Agree on test accounts and release owners.
- Record maintenance and update responsibilities.
Investigate the deciding capability
A technical prototype checks integration or performance; a product prototype checks the journey. Give each distinct acceptance criteria. Bring your flows, devices, systems, existing code, and maintenance expectations to Unanimous to compare native and React Native and scope the next milestone.