Skills and Apps Needed for IoT Mobile App Developers - Teamtweaks

1. Skills and Apps Needed for IoT Mobile App Developers Unique Apps and Skills for Developing IoT Mobile Applications Mobile applications are used in many Internet of Things (IoT) products and services. Mobile applications, whether for industrial, commercial, or consumer use cases, are frequently critical user interfaces for communicating with, configuring, or controlling connected devices or digital services in an IoT system. Many traditional mobile application development firms claim to be able to do IoT, which may be true. However, we have discovered that developing IoT applications requires specialized expertise. If a traditional app development company lists IoT as one of its many mobile capabilities, that should raise an eyebrow. Doing IoT correctly necessitates expertise, which can only be obtained through a sustained focus on IoT. We've compiled a list of some of the unique capabilities and skills that mobile application developers for IoT systems must have based on our years of experience building end-to-end IoT systems that integrate mobile applications with connected devices and cloud-based digital services. Important IoT Developer Mobile App Skills Bluetooth Low Energy Bluetooth Low Energy is first on our list (BLE). BLE allows smartphones to connect directly to IoT devices like sensors and smart appliances. This enables mobile applications to collect data from devices, control or configure their behavior, provision network credentials, update device firmware, and so on. Despite using the same radio technology as traditional Bluetooth, BLE consumes less power. BLE is better suited for IoT applications, which are typically battery-powered and do not send/receive large amounts of data. BLE is supported by all modern smartphones. BLE is particularly useful for provisioning network credentials, such as sharing WiFi SSIDs and passwords with an IoT device. The key is to do so securely, which necessitates knowledge beyond the fundamentals. Working with BLE necessitates an understanding of not only communication protocols but also the unique behaviors of IoT devices. This includes being able to troubleshoot and debug any

2. issues that arise. This frequently necessitates prior experience with the embedded microcontroller systems that power the majority of devices. Many traditional mobile app companies lack this level of expertise. Knowledge of the nuances of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) in various mobile application frameworks such as React Native, as well as iOS and Android environments, is also required. Each framework or environment operates uniquely. Networking with no configuration Another way for smartphones to identify and communicate with nearby devices is through Zero-Configuration (also known as Zeroconf). It is less commonly used for this purpose than BLE, but it is useful for communicating with devices connected to the same local WiFi network as the smartphone. There are several protocols available that allow the mobile app to discover network devices without requiring any special network configuration. As a result, these protocols are referred to as Zero-Configuration Networking. Multicast DNS (MDNS) and Apple Bonjour are two examples of such protocols. Smartphones use multicast messages on the network to discover specific device types. Devices that support the protocol will respond with their service name and IP address. The smartphone can then establish a direct connection with the device. It is necessary to have knowledge and experience with networking and embedded devices when implementing Zeroconf networking. Security is also critical. Experience with troubleshooting and debugging is essential. Integration of IoT Cloud Services The majority of IoT mobile applications work with IoT cloud services. This connection to cloud-based digital services allows users to interact with devices even when they are out of range. It also enables users to access and gain valuable insights from IoT system data. Cloud service providers provide several unique software services designed specifically for IoT, such as routing messages, indexing devices, processing events, and aggregating data. Mobile applications frequently require interaction with these services. Mobile applications for IoT frequently interact with custom cloud APIs, which simplify the interaction between the mobile application and the cloud services. It is critical to have prior experience with HTTPS and REST API standards. Understanding GraphQL and MQTT is also essential for IoT applications.

3. When connecting to cloud services, it is critical to implement adequate security safeguards. This necessitates knowledge of methods for authenticating user accounts as well as the establishment of access policies. This ensures that only the appropriate users and systems have access to the appropriate resources, while others do not. This is a difficult task for IoT, and understanding of the nuances of IoT services is required. Mobile app developers with cloud experience, particularly with IoT-specific cloud services and patterns, are extremely useful when developing great IoT mobile apps. Experience with multiple cloud service providers, as well as their various capabilities and nuances, is a huge plus. Having this experience also aids in the selection of the best services and providers for specific use cases. Interfacing with the Internet of Things Devices IoT systems, by definition, connect physical devices to digital services and user interfaces via networks. These physical devices contain computing capabilities that allow them to perform their functions. External interfaces allow these small computers to take sensor measurements, drive displays, store data, and so on. As previously stated, mobile apps frequently connect to IoT devices via BLE; however, the actual data passed via BLE varies by device type. The firmware on the device determines how data is packaged and sent over BLE. This information could be in several formats, including binary. It is critical to understand encoding, decoding, serialization, and bitwise operations to unpack this data and debug any issues that may arise. Understanding the data also necessitates an understanding of the nuances of how the IoT device operates. This may necessitate the review of datasheets and specification documents, as well as the embedded firmware. Having knowledge of embedded systems in addition to mobile knowledge makes this process easier and more efficient. Security IoT systems use networks and frequently handle sensitive and private data. They are occasionally targeted by criminals, security researchers, or others looking for a challenge. IoT systems require good security measures that cross the boundaries between devices, the cloud, and mobile apps to protect your products and your brand. User and device authentication is a critical feature. Mobile apps must ensure that the user attempting to login is legitimate. This user must have account-specific permissions and data access policies. Furthermore, mobile apps must ensure that any device to which they attempt to connect is genuine and has not been tampered with. This is possible with digital certificates and cryptographically signed software. Data exchanged between devices and mobile apps should also

4. be encrypted. Finally, mobile apps are frequently used to update the firmware of the specific connected devices that they are designed to support. This may necessitate downloading firmware files securely, verifying them, and transmitting them to the device. End-to-end security knowledge is required to build such systems. It is essential to have prior experience with data access policies, claiming devices to accounts, and Over-the-Air (OTA) firmware updates with cryptographically signed firmware. Cross Platform Development Why write two apps when one will suffice? Only a few years ago, Android and iOS apps had to be developed separately. However, mature cross-platform development frameworks that target both are available today. This means that a single development project can produce mobile apps for both Android and iOS. Cross-platform development frameworks such as React Native and Flutter have proven to produce excellent results in less time. Each of these frameworks enables developers to write code in a single language while executing applications in native code. Android and iOS have different native code. This means that the performance tradeoff is minimal. The resulting mobile apps perform well and have the look and feel that users of Android or iOS are accustomed to. These frameworks have been used in tens of thousands of mobile and web applications. Using a common framework for both web and mobile applications improves the consistency of your user experience. Experience with cross-platform frameworks as well as native app development environments is essential when working with IoT systems. This is especially true for low-level interfaces like BLE and networking. (For more information on choosing an IoT platform, see our recent post.) IoT Mobile App Architecture IoT mobile apps must look and feel great. They must also work flawlessly. We recognize that the best people to build user interfaces are not always developers who specialize in core functionality. Look for a company that provides the core IoT capabilities for an app in the form of a software bundle that customers or other partner companies can use within the mobile app they are developing. This allows them to concentrate on creating a polished user experience rather than the complexities of the IoT features beneath.

5. Your developer should package the core IoT capabilities in mobile software development kits (SDKs), which abstract all IoT complexity into a bundle of software that exposes clear APIs to other mobile app developers. APIs for cloud connectivity, account management, device data access, and other features are included in these SDKs. This gives mobile developers with little IoT experience access to IoT APIs, allowing them to focus on the application's user-facing features. This collaborative mindset, combined with proven success patterns, is critical. Summary These are just a few of the reasons why Mobile Apps for IoT are unique and necessitate specialized skills to develop. These include IoT-specific core mobile development features like BLE, as well as cross-domain experiences like embedded and cloud. Working with a company that has these skills under one roof is a huge advantage if you want to create great IoT experiences for your customers. You can achieve greater success and lower risks by partnering with an experienced mobile app development company rather than trying to pull everything together yourself or working with less experienced firms.