Our developer recommends Kotlin for our Android app, is it the right call?

Technically speaking, Kotlin now has modern solutions that allow cross-platform code sharing as well. You can write your business logic, network requests, and database models in a single language while keeping the UI native. Did your developer mean that, or were they proposing a pure, Android-only architecture? You need to clarify this detail.

In the New York market, the vast majority of the sports and fitness crowd uses iPhones. Spending $22,000 just on Android and launching without iOS would be commercial suicide. Instead of splitting your budget in two, you should hire a developer who works with a single codebase and launch on both app stores for the same money.

We built a similar booking app with a single developer using a cross-platform framework in 4 months for a total of $18,000, launching on both Android and iOS. It's been live for two years, and our monthly maintenance cost doesn't exceed the $1,500 retainer we pay that one dev. If we had started with two separate native languages, that cost would be at least $3,500 a month.

the dev is clearly just trying to sell the language they know and feel comfortable with. insisting on native for an appointment app is an unnecessary luxury. just go with a single codebase for both platforms don't waste your money.

Will your app include hardware-heavy features like smartwatch integration, live video streaming, or tracking workout reps using the phone's accelerometer? If the answer is no and it's just calendars, lists, and payment screens what technical requirement did your developer use to justify going native?

Before blindly jumping into cross-platform recommendations, keep this in mind: when operating systems update, hybrid libraries can sometimes lag behind, and third-party plugins can throw errors. Still, these issues are definitely a smaller headache than the financial risk of building in two separate native languages for a fitness booking app.

As a founder, I completely understand wanting to trust your developer's guidance. But technical decisions shouldn't hold your business model hostage. Have an honest talk with your dev; ask them straight up "I don't have the time or money for two separate apps can we ship this to both stores using a single codebase?" If they won't do it find someone with cross-platform experience.

Bottom line, it's pretty clear: Kotlin is the best native language for Android, but for a booking startup with standard functionality like yours, leaving out iOS and doubling your costs makes no sense. At an early stage, a single codebase is always the smarter business move.

I went through the same thing. Implementing a change request process doesn't slow things down, it speeds them up.

If I were you, I'd go this route.

Noted, thanks. Most time waste accumulates in tasks waiting for approval.

If I were you, I'd go this route.

Thanks, this was very helpful. Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.

Proven by experience.

I went through the same thing two years ago. Any unwritten clause becomes a point of disagreement later, as both sides remember it differently.

Hasty decisions become decisions you have to fix six months later.

The discussion got scattered, let me summarize. Everything goes well for the first three months; problems arise in the fourth.

Hope this helps.

The opposite happened to me, that's why I'm writing. Mistakes made on the android app development language side are usually reversible but expensive.

I'm also curious if anyone does it differently.

Quick summary for newcomers: The answer varies greatly by industry; there is no one-size-fits-all rule.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

theres a part I dont understand. every "well look at it later" in a meeting means unbilled work.

access credentials should be opened in the companys name, not personal accounts and like hope this helps.

Thanks for writing this, thats the right way. I mean code without setup documentation isnt yours, even if you have it.

That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

Let me summarize the topic, since several different answers were given. In legacy systems, the most expensive thing is unknown dependencies.

If you have questions write them; I'll answer as best I can.