If you own a smartphone, and chances are you do, you've likely used a mobile application, also known as an app. Apps can be anything from a GPS navigation service to a social media platform. Regardless of what an app does, mobile applications are one of the many ways platform users maximize the functionality of their device.
With so many apps providing services that can be easily accessed through a web browser on a smart phone, one might wonder what purpose an app serves, or even how a mobile application works. In short, an app isn't a website, even if it provides a similar service. It's a deliberately designed piece of software that provides value to both the user and the company that owns the app.
In this article, you'll learn about the differences between mobile and websites/desktop applications, find out how the mobile platform affects the app experience and discover how apps are developed, plus answer more detailed topics and questions such as: