Web Services · Apps
iOS and Android apps for Dubai and UAE businesses, planned around what Apple and Google will approve and what your marketing team will need to grow installs once the app is live.
A mobile app is a bigger commitment than a website. It has to pass review by two companies with their own rules, run on devices you do not control, and be updated every year as operating systems change. For businesses in Dubai and the UAE, it also needs to work properly in Arabic and connect to payment, booking or loyalty systems customers already use. Our mobile app development service is planned with those realities in view from the first workshop.
We also think about what happens after launch. An app with no install campaign, no store listing strategy and no analytics rarely finds its audience, so development is scoped alongside mobile app marketing, and screen design runs through our UI UX design team. App work sits within our web services.
Approach
The technology decision affects cost of change for years. This is how the options compare for a typical UAE business app.
| Approach | What it means | Good fit | Trade offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native | Separate apps written in Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android | Heavy use of device hardware, complex animation, apps where platform feel matters most | Two codebases to build and maintain |
| Cross platform | One codebase, usually Flutter or React Native, compiled for both stores | Most business apps: bookings, ordering, loyalty, member and event apps | Some native work still needed for certain device features |
| Progressive web app | A website that can be added to the home screen and work partly offline | Internal tools, simple portals, testing demand before a full app | Not listed in the stores by default, and device access depends on what each mobile browser supports |
Apple App Store
Apple’s App Review Guidelines decide whether your app is published, and several of them affect scope, not just paperwork. Guideline 4.2 on minimum functionality says an app should offer more than a repackaged website, a collection of links or marketing material. That rules out the idea of wrapping an existing company website and submitting it.
Payments matter too. Under guideline 3.1.1, digital content and features accessed inside the app, such as subscriptions or premium content, generally must use Apple’s in app purchase. Physical goods and services consumed outside the app, such as retail orders, food delivery or cinema tickets, may use other payment methods under guideline 3.1.3(e). Getting this wrong at the planning stage can mean redesigning checkout after rejection.
Google Play
Google Play sets a minimum target API level and raises it over time. According to Android’s developer documentation, from 31 August 2026 new apps and updates must target Android 16, API level 36, or higher, with an extension to 1 November 2026 available on request through Play Console. An app left untouched falls behind this line, which is one reason apps need an ongoing update plan.
Play also requires every published app to complete the Data safety form, declaring what data is collected and shared, including data collected by third party SDKs such as analytics or advertising libraries. And any app that lets users create an account must offer both an in app route and a web link for deleting that account and its data.
What we build
The screens customers see are only part of the work.
A web dashboard for your team to manage content, orders, users and notifications without a developer.
Servers, databases and integrations with payment, booking or ERP systems, hosted with the help of our cloud services team.
Mirrored layouts, Arabic fonts, localised store listings and in app copy shaped by our UX writing team.
Events for sign up, purchase and retention, so marketing can see which campaigns bring users who stay.
Store screenshots and preview videos for launch can be produced through our app preview video service.
From idea to release
We follow the same six stages as all our work: Brief, Proposal, Create, Review, Deliver and Improve. For apps, each stage has specific outputs.
User types, core journeys, integrations, admin needs and the store rules that apply are written down, along with what the first release must include and what can wait.
A fixed written quote with the chosen approach, the screens in scope and the accounts you need to open, such as Apple Developer and Google Play Console.
Designs are approved first, then the app is built in stages and shared through TestFlight and a Play testing track so your team tests real builds on their own phones.
Store listings, privacy declarations and review notes are prepared, the app is submitted, and any reviewer questions are answered. Source code, credentials and documentation are handed over with a recorded walkthrough.
Crash reports, analytics and store reviews feed the next release, alongside operating system updates.
Selected work
Mobile app · Events · UAE
A UAE conference platform replacing printed programmes and email chains for delegates and organisers.
meecon.ae
Mobile app · Fintech · United States
A fintech platform connecting merchants, customers and charities in a single payment flow.
purposepayment.com
Web app · Ticketing · UAE
The UAE cinema chain operated by Phars Film. Every screening, offer and payment in one place customers can use on a phone.
starcinemas.aeFrom the blog
Create or claim your Google Business Profile, pass verification and keep ownership in your company's hands. A practical guide for Dubai businesses.
Read the article
Arabic keywords are not a translation of your English list. How to research them properly and give each one a page Google can match.
Read the article
What a VAT registered online store in the UAE must show on its tax invoices, and how the electronic invoicing rollout affects web shops.
Read the articleStraight answers
Often a fast mobile website is the better first step. An app earns its place when customers return frequently, need to be logged in, benefit from push notifications or use device features such as location or the camera. If the plan is only to show your services, Apple's minimum functionality rules make approval unlikely anyway.
Yours. The Apple Developer and Google Play Console accounts should belong to your company, with our team added as users. That way the listings, reviews and customer data stay with you if you change developers later.
Yes. Layouts are built to mirror properly for Arabic, text is stored in language files rather than hardcoded, and the store listings can be localised for both languages. The app can follow the phone's language setting or offer its own switch.
Apps need regular updates as iOS and Android change, and Google Play raises its target API requirement over time. We agree an ongoing plan for fixes, operating system updates and new features, and our marketing team can take on app store optimisation and campaigns.
After a short discovery of screens, user types, integrations and admin needs, we send a fixed written quote scoped to that brief within 45 minutes during business hours. Larger projects are often split into a first release and later phases so you can launch and learn before committing to everything.
Sources
Fixed price, in writing
Got it. Your quote is being written now.
In business hours you will have it within 45 minutes. Check your inbox for the confirmation.
