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A native mobile app is software built or packaged for a particular platform, such as iOS or Android, and installed on a device. “Native” describes the app’s relationship to that platform—not a guarantee that every screen or feature is implemented with native code. An installed app can also display web content.
What does “native mobile app” mean?
The term has two closely related uses. In general software terminology, “native” means an application is compiled to run in its target hardware and software environment. For mobile apps, that target is commonly a platform such as iOS or Android. MDN’s glossary describes native applications in relation to the environment they target.
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Installation is another useful distinction. In RFC 8252, the IETF’s OAuth guidance, a native app is “an app or application that is installed by the user to their device, as distinct from a web app that runs in the browser context only.” That definition is specific to the RFC’s discussion of OAuth, but it captures the common contrast between an installed app and a web app used in a browser.
How is a native app different from a web app?
A web app runs in a browser context rather than being installed as a platform app. A native app is installed for a target platform and can use platform-specific development tools and conventions. These labels describe different aspects of an app: where it runs, how its interface is rendered, and how it is developed. They do not, by themselves, establish that one approach is always faster, cheaper, or better.
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| Approach | Where it runs | What the label tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Native app | Installed on a target device platform, such as iOS or Android. | It is associated with a particular platform; implementation may still include web-based parts. |
| Web app | In a browser context. | It runs as a web experience rather than only as an installed platform app. |
| Hybrid app | May be distributed as an installed app while using web technologies. | The term varies by context; it does not describe one universally agreed implementation category. |
Can an installed app contain web content?
Yes. An app’s installation or store distribution does not prove that all of its interface and features are built with native platform components. Android, for example, documents WebView for displaying web content within an app and Custom Tabs for browser-powered in-app browsing. These are distinct ways an Android app can present web content; neither changes the fact that the enclosing app is installed.
When judging an app’s implementation, separate three questions: Is the experience installed or browser-run? Is a particular screen rendered using platform UI or embedded web content? And what platform-specific tools or conventions does the implementation use? An app can have different answers for different screens.
What does “hybrid app” mean?
“Hybrid” is not applied identically in every technical context. RFC 8252 says that, for its OAuth purpose, apps implemented using web technologies but distributed as native apps are treated as native apps. That scoped usage should not be mistaken for a universal industry definition: elsewhere, “hybrid” is commonly used to distinguish apps that combine web technologies with an installed app wrapper from apps built specifically around a platform’s native tools.
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For a concrete comparison of development approaches, Salesforce’s guide to native, HTML, and hybrid development lays out those categories. Its terminology is useful for understanding the options, not proof of a universal ranking of their costs or performance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does “native” mean for the user interface?
Platforms establish visual conventions for views and controls. Apple’s design guidance explains that platform conventions shape the overall look of an interface, while the technology used to build an app determines how that interface is created and managed. As a result, an app can follow platform conventions without every part of it necessarily being rendered by native UI components.
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