Going Native: Before You Migrate from Xamarin.Forms to .NET MAUI
The evolution of Xamarin.Forms to .NET Multi-platform App UI (.NET MAUI) encouraged us to ask ourselves a question: Is the hybrid approach serving our users and business properly? Should we invest time in a migration from Xamarin.Forms to Microsoft's new hybrid approach, or should we move to native?
To answer these questions, let's review some points from around the internet, notably the Airbnb React Native blog series.
- A high-quality experience requires a careful balance of both worlds. This makes shipping a consistent experience.
- It is difficult, if not impossible, to fully exploit the target platforms' capacities with a hybrid approach.
- Page transitions and performance are slower on hybrid applications than on native solutions.
- Interacting directly with native features is complicated in a hybrid application.
- The latest features are not immediately available.
- Native coding might still be in the equation.
Xamarin.Forms will be phased out, receiving support for one year after the release of .NET MAUI. This gives us time to consider how to plan our mobile roadmaps. Hybrid solutions could still be viable for MVP and prototypes, but for clients looking for full value and performance from their platforms - or if you're only focused on iOS or Android - we generally recommend a native approach.
Umbrage has successfully delivered both native and hybrid solutions. We have also transitioned many hybrid MVP solutions to native builds. If we can add value to your products through solutioning, architecture design or development, please let us know at hello@umbrage.com
Check out our case study with Cold Bore.
