Mobile apps development is the tech stack that runs on smartphones. As a beginner in app development, creating chat apps is very common. This article has discussed how to make texting apps and the challenges you can face in the messaging platform tech stack.
How to Create a Texting App
Texting apps allow you to connect with people all over the world. WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, and Viber have taken over the internet world. Usage of texting apps attracts entrepreneurs and software companies.
Are you interested in messaging app development? If yes, then you made the right decision. If you look at the number of messages sent daily on WhatsApp or Facebook messenger, you will be amazed. If you can make a valuable innovation in messaging app development for people, you will breakthrough into the messaging app market.
Requirements for Messenger App
You have a keen interest in a coding app like WhatsApp or Snapchat, but there are many things that you need to address to follow their app development key. Suppose you are not a tech person and do not know how to build chat apps. Then it would help if you used multiple MVP chat app software to develop your network. These engines have various tools with which any user who has basic knowledge of tech stack can easily understand the basics of messaging app development. For example, you get a built-in app development key, social authentication Facebook clone, and authentication Facebook SDK. You can also reach software development vendors over it.
Here come your entrepreneur skills and ability to make a need in the messaging app market. However, when you build messaging apps, only prior programming language java knowledge is not enough. You need to understand that people do not leave a chat app they trust. Especially software development vendors like WhatsApp, Facebook, or Snapchat have billions of users. So, you have to make sure that your apps offer competitive and secure messaging app features. It is required to be competitive, but make sure that your app is bug-free.
You don't need to make a program for business. Most companies that have their user's personal information and other secure details create their own chat apps—this way, they ensure that their data is not compromised.
Should I Only Learn Messenger App Development?
Suppose you have a chat app development idea and want to create an app based on that idea. Then most probably, your messaging software will not make any progress. There are certain things that you must include in your app. You can scale your app and make it more effective for your customers or employees. The best practice is to audit any famous app like WhatsApp, Skype, or Instagram and see their development features and areas they lack. Moreover, launch the beta version of your app.
Below are some must-have messaging app features in your chat app to engage the user:
- Authorized personal account: One of the most important things is the security of your users. Nowadays, not only do you allow your users to make their app-specific messaging accounts, but you must give them guarantees that their information is protected. Depending upon the messaging or chat app, you can add many app features like verification through email or phone numbers. You can even use another app as an authenticator to have high security.
- Contact access: You can add an app feature using which the app users can invite the other individuals who do not register on the app. When the app user signup, make sure you synchronize his phone contacts. It is an excellent gesture to ensure that the app's user knows about contact syncing.
- Basic chatting options: Having the basic chatting options in the app is very necessary. When you compare your messaging options with the tech giants like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, you will need a superior level of app knowledge and huge web server space. Unless you have a unique messenger idea, you should stick to the basic chatting options in the app.
- Exchanging the media files: These days, the app user like to share content like photos, files, and videos are pretty standard. These images are saved over a server. So, make sure you include that in your app or software.
- Sharing current location: The shared location in the app has many usages in friends and family. Those days are long gone when you meet with your friends at a specific spot and then move towards a particular location. Make sure you prompt the users that you will use the GPS location of the user device.
- Push notification: The push notification in the app feature lets the user know that a message has been received. Developers use either Apple push notification or Google Cloud server messaging platform to execute the push notification function.
- Cloud storage: Provide the users with backup storage systems. WhatsApp offers various server backup frequencies. Users can save data on the server on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. This way, he will be satisfied that he will not lose his data, and it is secure somewhere on the server.
How Can I Calculate the Cost of My Messaging Apps?
Calculating the accurate cost of a messenger is very difficult. Probably no one can tell you about the exact development cost. The development cost depends upon many factors. But the main factor that affects the price is the features you are willing to add and the webserver space you are utilizing. The development cost is also affected by the country you plan to launch your app. If you build a messaging app in central Asia, the price will be much less than in Europe or North America.
This does not mean that you have to spend a tremendous amount of money on messaging app development or buying a server. You can make an excellent chat app development team by hiring developers hourly. You can create an average chat app with all the essential features. However, if you want to have a space among tech giants like Snapchat and WhatsApp messaging apps, you need to have a big budget.
Challenges in Creating a Platform like WhatsApp
Creating a platform like WhatsApp is not easy. You will encounter specific challenges even if you send and receive the messages correctly.
Availability of real-time features
Nowadays, people expect chat apps to execute the functionality or functionality they want immediately. Users cannot wait 15-20 sec after pressing the video call function. Similarly, if you add emojis to your messaging apps, make sure the user has one-tap access to them. Failing to execute real-time features or even having a delay in them can cause you to lose users.
Below are some real-time functions that require your special attention in real-time chat apps. We have taken WhatsApp as an example for you to understand app development better.
- The one-to-one real-time messaging: If your users get delays while messaging with you, the users will probably leave the app. Make sure monthly active users can access real-time notifications and reply to them simultaneously.
- The mute functionality of the chat: The mute functionality in the app makes the user's life very easy. They can ignore any message or group messaging that they want. Muting messages is one of the most popular functions in WhatsApp. If your mute chat functionality is not working correctly or you have a bug in the chat system of the app. Your monthly active users will get annoyed, and this will send a negative impression on your app's reputation.
- Real-time chat apps: Actual time message status like sent and read should be in chat and work in real-time. This is one of the mandatory steps nowadays.
- Calling: Calls in the messaging have much importance. Allow the app user to contact others through video voice calls. WhatsApp recently introduced video voice calls, which are performing incredibly well. If your calling service is not well maintained, you will probably not make it in the messaging app market.
- Sharing: Voice notes, file transfer, and image transfer are the functions that make the chat enjoyable. Try to ensure that all the features are working in real-time and bug-free.
- User experience: UI/UX is essential for every platform. With a great user experience, you get loyal users. Remember, a great user experience involves the simplest and most straightforward design.
These are the features you should include in your chat apps, especially for social media. We focused on WhatsApp features for the developing tech stack due to its popularity among in-app users.
Selecting the right tool stack
While selecting the tool stack, you should clearly understand what you are looking for. Having a clear mindset can be very intimidating because there are many variables that you need to consider in different applications. Take your time while choosing the tools because this directly impacts the functionality of your platform and its security. One of the recommended functions is to add 2-factor authentication for signing in to the app, like in the social authentication Facebook app.
Understanding of tech stack and its requirement
Keep the web server-side tech stack in your mind. The web server's architecture plays a huge role in developing your app's scalability. It would help if you considered that your web server architecture works well from the first step of data entry to the last database stage. Your database has to scale correctly. Most likely, you will scale it horizontally. The development market provides you with some useful tools that provide you with aid in scaling your app database for messaging platforms.
Having a unique MVP chat app
To get a breakthrough in the market, you must have unique functionality that distinguishes you from others. WhatsApp didn't get popular instantly or over the night. It would help if you gave your users a reason to use your messaging app; otherwise, why will they leave the mainstream apps. You should have exciting functionality in your app to provide a user with a reason to use the app respectively. While adding the functionality during your secure messaging apps development, keep in mind that the app feature must be unique and convenient for users. If you add a new app functionality, your users do not get excited or feel productive while using it. They will probably leave the platform, and you will not make the growth you are looking for.
How are text messaging and messaging apps different?
Text messaging and chat apps are two very different things. Messaging has gained popularity among app users with the rise of the internet. Before that, people used messaging to communicate with each other. Due to this, people choose to use an online app instead of using messaging. So, there must be some app features that messaging apps introduce in the app market.
- The first significant difference is that you can communicate through many sources like images, voices, videos, and files while using messaging apps. On the other hand, users cannot use text messaging for sending voices, photos, and files. You can only type to communicate through the texts.
- Secondly, messaging apps allow you to create groups where multiple people can talk simultaneously. Text Messaging lags in conveniently doing that. App users cannot create a group where everybody can communicate with each other.
- Text messaging has a world limit that restricts the app user from sending a large text to communicate. While messaging apps allow the app user not only to send unlimited text, but you can add emojis and gifs to add emotions.
- While using the app, you can communicate with people worldwide without any specific package. Text messaging also allows you to send international messages, but their packages are costly. Every app demands an internet connection.
- The question arises: Messaging program or app is complete and needs no upgrading. Well, that is entirely wrong. There are so many things that you can update in social media chat to have a unique app.
- You can send a text message to anybody with a cellphone and a SIM card. Text messaging does not demand that the sender and receiver use the same app, respectively. On the other hand, social media messaging apps require both the sender and receiver to use the same app to communicate. Like WhatsApp, app users can effectively share and chat only on WhatsApp messaging app.
- App users can start messaging anywhere at any time without the internet. Any app requires you to have a stable internet connection, and the receiver needs an internet connection to see the text. On the other hand, the text messaging tech stack does not require an internet connection.
How to make your app secure?
The user's data security of the chat has vital importance in a secure messaging app. The app user will be trusting you with his data. There will be images, documents, contacts, and another user's personal information right on your device. Most messaging apps worldwide like WhatsApp use blockchain technology to make their app user's data secure. The blockchain offers end-to-end encryption that allows you to make the data very safe. Before practicing the end-to-end data encryption of blockchain technology in your app process, you should check whether it suits your business development model or not. Another example is Facebook; the authentication Facebook SDK allows you to secure your information when you sign in to the app spontaneously.
Social media Messaging apps like WhatsApp are used worldwide for communication. If you cannot compete with the tech giants, you do not have to worry. There are many opportunities in the app development market. You can land a significant breakthrough if you create your app and add a unique app functionality. You can also monetize your chat and build the chat according to your business needs. Some basic app features can be used in-app designing and development so that people can easily use them. Ensure that your messaging platform is secure and has end-to-end encryption on the webserver side as you have the personal data of your customers. Add unique app features and make the messaging platform safe, and you will probably make a space for your secure messaging apps in the market.
How to create a messaging app without skills?
If you do not have any programming language knowledge, different software available for app development offers a great user experience. This software has built-in tools that do not demand a programming language Java only. You can use these tools for messaging platform development. Simply create a messaging platform with drag and drop and, in the end, connect it with the webserver to function properly.
How much does it cost to make a texting app?
No one will be able to tell you about the entire cost of the messaging platform. But it would be best if you understood that app cost depends on what app functionality you are willing to add to your app and the region in which you want to launch your app. These two factors will affect the total cost of your messenger apps.
What are the difficulties in texting app development?
The advanced programming language development process can be challenging but rewarding. The main difficulty in any development that you will feel is creating a unique app functionality in your messaging platform. Secondly, you compete with tech giants that offer messaging software or app features within milliseconds. Make sure your app can do the same.
What is the best Android text messaging app?
Android has a lot of famous texting messaging apps like Facebook messenger, Instagram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp messenger app. The most used messenger is WhatsApp on Android.
What is the difference between text messages and messenger?
Text messages do not permit you to send emojis, images, live locations, voice messaging, and videos. You can use the things mentioned above in the messenger, but you can also send posts and videos on social authentication, Facebook, and YouTube. Moreover, both developing processes involve different tech stacks. One of the most common examples of the messenger is WhatsApp.
