In short
- Check apps that are actually published on Google Play and the App Store.
- An app also means a back office, a server and maintenance.
- The developer account and the code must be in your name.
A mobile app is much more than screens: a back office to manage content, a server, notifications, payments and regular updates. Choosing your agency means choosing a partner for several years.
01What a mobile app agency must deliver
- mock-ups of every screen, approved with you before development;
- the iOS and Android app, published on the App Store and Google Play;
- an admin dashboard to manage content, orders or users;
- the server and APIs, hosted and secured;
- documentation, source code and a maintenance plan.
02How to check an agency’s apps
The simplest test: ask for the links to published apps, install them and use them. Look at the smoothness, the quality of the screens, the ratings and the latest updates. An app that is updated regularly shows an agency that looks after its clients.
In our recent projects, every published app links to Google Play or the App Store, for example LEVVA GYM or Rihla Travel.
03Native or cross-platform?
A good agency recommends the technology after understanding your needs, and can explain it simply. We compare the two approaches in the article native or cross-platform app.
04The stages of an app project
- 01Scoping: goals, users, priority features.
- 02Design: user journeys, mock-ups, clickable prototype.
- 03Development: app, back office and server, with regular demos.
- 04Testing and release: acceptance testing, then publishing on the stores.
- 05Follow-up: maintenance, operating system updates, new features.
A successful app is judged six months after launch, not on release day.
The Codex team
05The questions to ask
- 01Can you show me apps you have published, that I can download?
- 02Will the Google Play and Apple developer accounts be in my name?
- 03Who manages the server and hosting after delivery?
- 04How are updates handled when Android or iOS change?
- 05Will the app be available in French and Arabic?
06What is specific to the Algerian market
- bilingualism in French and Arabic, with a right-to-left layout;
- the payment methods your customers use;
- delivery and order tracking, often at the heart of commerce apps;
- mobile connections that are sometimes slow: the app must stay light and fast.