t1k:rn:base:mobile-development

Field	Value
Module	`base`
Version	`1.13.0`
Effort	`medium`
Tools	—

Keywords: android, cross-platform, flutter, ios, kotlin, mobile, react native, swift

How to invoke

/t1k:rn:base:mobile-development
[platform] [feature]

Mobile Development Skill

Production-ready mobile development with modern frameworks, best practices, and mobile-first thinking patterns.

When to Use

Building mobile applications (iOS, Android, or cross-platform)
Implementing mobile-first design and UX patterns
Optimizing for mobile constraints (battery, memory, network, small screens)
Making native vs cross-platform technology decisions
Implementing offline-first architecture and data sync
Following platform-specific guidelines (iOS HIG, Material Design)
Optimizing mobile app performance and user experience
Implementing mobile security and authentication
Testing mobile applications (unit, integration, E2E)
Deploying to App Store and Google Play

Technology Selection Guide

Choosing among React Native, Flutter, Swift/SwiftUI, and Kotlin/Jetpack Compose depends on team skills, performance needs, and platform scope — see the Quick Decision Matrix below for a fast answer.

See: references/mobile-frameworks.md for the full cross-platform vs native breakdown

Mobile Development Mindset

Mobile development requires mobile-first thinking: performance, offline resilience, and platform awareness are foundational, not optional.

See: references/mobile-mindset.md for the 10 Commandments of Mobile Development

mobile-frameworks.md - React Native, Flutter, Swift, Kotlin — when to use each, plus stars/adoption/performance comparison table
mobile-mindset.md - The 10 Commandments of Mobile Development — the thinking framework behind this skill’s decisions
resources.md - Official docs, testing tools, and community links

Key Best Practices (2024-2025)

Performance Targets:

App launch: <2 seconds (70% abandon if >3s)
Memory usage: <100MB for typical screens
Network requests: Batch and cache aggressively
Battery impact: Respect Doze Mode and background restrictions
Animation: 60 FPS (16.67ms per frame)

Architecture:

MVVM for small-medium apps (clean separation, testable)
MVVM + Clean Architecture for large enterprise apps
Offline-first with hybrid sync (push + pull)
State management: Zustand (React Native), Riverpod 3 (Flutter), StateFlow (Android)

Security (OWASP Mobile Top 10):

OAuth 2.0 + JWT + Biometrics for authentication
Keychain (iOS) / KeyStore (Android) for sensitive data
Certificate pinning for network security
Never hardcode credentials or API keys
Implement proper session management

Testing Strategy:

Unit tests: 70%+ coverage for business logic
Integration tests: Critical user flows
E2E tests: Detox (React Native), Appium (cross-platform), XCUITest (iOS), Espresso (Android)
Real device testing mandatory before release

Deployment:

Fastlane for automation across platforms
Staged rollouts: Internal → Closed → Open → Production
Mandatory: iOS 17 SDK (2024), Android 15 API 35 (Aug 2025)
CI/CD saves 20% development time

Quick Decision Matrix

Need	Choose
JavaScript team, web code sharing	React Native
Performance-critical, complex animations	Flutter
Maximum iOS performance, latest features	Swift/SwiftUI native
Maximum Android performance, Material 3	Kotlin/Compose native
Rapid prototyping	React Native + Expo
Desktop + mobile	Flutter
Enterprise with JavaScript skills	React Native
Startup with limited resources	Flutter or React Native
Gaming or heavy graphics	Native (Swift/Kotlin) or Unity

Framework Quick Comparison

Stars, adoption %, performance %, dev speed, learning curve, and community size for React Native / Flutter / Swift / Kotlin — see references/mobile-frameworks.md.

Implementation Checklist

Project Setup:

Choose framework → Initialize project → Configure dev environment → Setup version control → Configure CI/CD → Team standards

Architecture:

Choose pattern (MVVM/Clean) → Setup folders → State management → Navigation → API layer → Error handling → Logging

Core Features:

Authentication → Data persistence → API integration → Offline sync → Push notifications → Deep linking → Analytics

UI/UX:

Design system → Platform guidelines → Accessibility → Responsive layouts → Dark mode → Localization → Animations

Performance:

Image optimization → Lazy loading → Memory profiling → Network optimization → Battery testing → Launch time optimization

Quality:

Unit tests (70%+) → Integration tests → E2E tests → Accessibility testing → Performance testing → Security audit

Security:

Secure storage → Authentication flow → Network security → Input validation → Session management → Encryption

Deployment:

App icons/splash → Screenshots → Store listings → Privacy policy → TestFlight/Internal testing → Staged rollout → Monitoring

Platform-Specific Guidelines

iOS (Human Interface Guidelines):

Native navigation patterns (tab bar, navigation bar)
iOS design patterns (pull to refresh, swipe actions)
San Francisco font, iOS color system
Haptic feedback, 3D Touch/Haptic Touch
Respect safe areas and notch

Android (Material Design 3):

Material navigation (bottom nav, navigation drawer)
Floating action buttons, material components
Roboto font, Material You dynamic colors
Touch feedback (ripple effects)
Respect system bars and gestures

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Testing only on simulators - Real devices show true performance
Ignoring platform conventions - Users expect platform-specific patterns
No offline handling - Network failures will happen
Poor memory management - Leads to crashes and poor UX
Hardcoded credentials - Security vulnerability
No accessibility - Excludes 15%+ of users
Premature optimization - Optimize based on metrics, not assumptions
Over-engineering - Start simple, scale as needed
Skipping real device testing - Simulators don’t show battery/network issues
Not respecting battery - Background processing must be justified

Performance Budgets

Recommended Targets:

App size: <50MB initial download, <200MB total
Launch time: <2 seconds to interactive
Screen load: <1 second for cached data
Network request: <3 seconds for API calls
Memory: <100MB for typical screens, <200MB peak
Battery: <5% drain per hour of active use
Frame rate: 60 FPS (16.67ms per frame)

Resources

Official docs, testing tools (Detox/Appium/Fastlane/Firebase), and community link lists — see references/resources.md.