Cross-platform Applications
Development of mobile and desktop applications that work on iOS, Android, Windows and web from a single codebase, with a consistent experience across devices and unified maintenance of the whole application.
One codebase, every device
Cross-platform development lets a business application run on iOS, Android, Windows and web from a single codebase, with a consistent experience across devices. The biggest benefit is maintenance: when a business rule changes, the change is made once and reaches every device at the same time, which is what makes owning an app viable for companies that cannot sustain several development teams.
When it fits and typical use cases
The approach shines when the app is essentially business logic with an interface: work orders on the shop floor, inspections and checklists with photos and signatures, field service with offline support, or operational data lookups from any device. Native development per platform remains justified only for edge cases such as games or heavy media processing.
Integration with existing systems
An isolated app solves half the problem. We design the application around its connections, reading from and writing to the ERP or CRM through APIs so nothing is typed twice, an area covered in depth in our process integration service. Offline behaviour and synchronisation are designed from the start. When the project also includes a customer portal or intranet, it is coordinated with our web projects work, and Captia Service can help scope the whole initiative.
How it connects to the system
Service closes the loop in the business layer while Connect and AI transform physical operations.
Other solutions
- Odoo
Implementation, configuration and customisation of Odoo as business ERP: sales, purchasing, inventory, accounting and more modules, plus ongoing support and maintenance of existing installations, including those originally set up by other providers.
- Odoo Training
Odoo training delivered by Captia Technology, an official Odoo partner: role-based paths for end users, key users and functional administrators, on site or remotely, focused on the modules an industrial company actually uses day to day.
- Azure Automation
Business process automation with Microsoft Azure: Logic Apps, Power Automate, Azure Functions and other cloud services to orchestrate workflows, connect applications with each other and reduce manual tasks in day-to-day operations.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a cross-platform application and how does it differ from a native one?
- A cross-platform application is written once and runs on iOS, Android, Windows and web from the same codebase. A native app is built separately for each system, with its own team and release cycle. For most business applications, forms, lists, lookups and data capture, the cross-platform route covers the same ground with a single codebase to maintain.
- When does cross-platform development pay off over native?
- When the application has to reach several device types and its logic is business logic: work orders, inspections, stock lookups, approvals. Pure native is reserved for cases with very specific device demands, such as games or heavy video processing. For a typical business app, duplicating codebases only multiplies maintenance cost.
- Can a cross-platform app work offline?
- Yes. It is a common requirement on shop floors and in field work, where coverage is not guaranteed. The app stores data on the device and synchronises with the server once the connection returns. This behaviour is designed from the start: which data travels, how conflicts are resolved and what the user sees while working without a network.
- Can the application integrate with the ERP or other systems we already use?
- It can and it should. An app that forces users to re-enter data into the ERP creates twice the work it was meant to remove. The usual approach is to connect it through the APIs of the existing system, so a work order signed on a phone is recorded in the ERP without intermediate steps.