Foresight Mobile

Foresight Mobile specialise in writing mobile SDKs - software development kits - which developers use to add specific functionality more easily to their applications. Our kits help any company with an existing API by allowing software developers to easily write code which connects your solution to the lucrative mobile app market, expanding your customer base and hence profitability.

And we specialise in the latest development frameworks, such as Google's Flutter and Meta's React Native.

But what exactly is an SDK - and what benefits are there in having one ? Read more here.

What is a mobile SDK? - Foresight Mobile Tech - Foresight Mobile specialise in writing mobile SDKs for Flutter and React Native. But just what is an SDK?

In what it calls “Advanced Data Protection”, Apple is finally implementing end-to-end backup encryption for most iCloud services. We look at the implications, and motives behind them, here.

Apple 'thinks differently' about encryption and privacy - Foresight Mobile Opinion - In what it calls “Advanced Data Protection”, Apple is finally implementing end-to-end backup encryption for most iCloud services.

The Online Safety Bill

After a five month delay, the Online Safety Bill is poised to return to discussion in Parliament.

Three years in the making, the Bill, if it sees the light of day, may prove to be the most disruptive and destructive piece of legislation ever to affect the IT industry.

Whilst we’re all agreed that online safety for vulnerable adults and children is essential whilst using the Internet, the Bill has been designed with no thought to practicality, reality, workability or the collateral damage it will cause.

Ostensibly designed to protect adults and children online, the “world leading” Bill is completely unworkable, introducing direct legal responsibility for any content producer on the internet for the actions of users of their service.

This has massive financial and legal implications for every small tech business and startup.

Who’s affected?
The Bill covers all content available on sites hosted in the UK, or available in the UK from external sites…. or, in other words, everyone. As a site or app owner, you are going to be legally held responsible for any potentially harmful content contributed by your users.

The definition of “harmful” is contentious, of course. But that’s not the main problem with the Bill. Described as a “splinternet”, the Bill details a number of obligations which any content provider must adhere to.

Contents of the Bill

The Bill comes with three major hurdles for any content provider to jump - risk assessment, administrative overhead and a burden of continuous monitoring. Let’s reiterate - these are legal requirements with the potential risk of fines and/or imprisonment.

Risk assessment

The bill details 17 categories of risk assessment which every provider must investigate. For example, your user base, the level of risk of users encountering illegal or harmful content, the level of risk of harm to those users, the number of children accessing your service - by age group - etc.

It’s probably impossible to perform an accurate risk assessment which is compliant with the criteria the Bill specifies. At the same time, you have the responsibility to preserve user rights to privacy and free speech.

Any changes to your content will mean you have to check first with Ofcom, who are the regulators for the Bill.

Administrative

Talking of Ofcom: the Bill sets out an administrative structure which has to be complied with. Ofcom will charge an annual fee and can demand reports, investigations and public statements to be made if they deem necessary.

Monitoring

Providers are expected to monitor any content which they transmit or store. So not only are you (legally) responsible for any illegal user activity, you have the overhead of monitoring it continuously as well.

Impact on content providers

The Bill places a financial and operational strain for anyone providing content on the internet. If providers want to stay compliant, they will most likely have to employ specialist advisors - the notes alone for the Bill run to 52,000 words. There will be a need to use specialist monitoring software and, in the case of non-adult users, some form of third party age verification system.

All of this financial and operational burden will severely impact smaller businesses.

What the exact costs will be are difficult to predict. You can be certain that you’ll need to introduce continuous monitoring to your application, but, given the variation in software platforms, the problem becomes one of finding a third party software provider who can supply you with an appropriate monitoring platform or having your application code rewritten to add that functionality.

Factor additional costs in for third party age verification software. Will it work with your site or application? You may think that getting users to abide by stricter terms and conditions may constitute legal protection - will Ofcom see that the same way?

At some point, you may find it necessary to have a chat with a specialised compliance lawyer to ensure your site is following the (highly) complicated OSB guidelines. Lawyers are not cheap, specialist lawyers even less so, and the nightmare scenario is that every functional change to your app which you may have planned will result in an advisory chat with your lawyer again.

There is, as well, a fee to be paid to Ofcom, and at any point, Ofcom may ask you to jump through some expensive hoops, such as extra reporting or meetings.

All of this has “money” written all over it. And also “time and effort”.
Is there any way around this?
Unfortunately not.

Originally devised as an honest attempt to solve the growing problem of online abusive and harmful content on the Internet, the Bill has been hijacked politically to become a vehicle aimed at controlling “big social media” whilst also providing a “British alternative” to existing EU controls.

The result has been a political football which has morphed into a completely unrealistic and unworkable set of requirements which, whilst damaging smaller content providers, will probably strengthen the hand of “big social media” as only they will be able to absorb the costs of such far-stretching requirements.

The one remaining bright spot is that if the Bill does not become law by April 2023, the whole consultative process will have reached a time limit, requiring a complete fresh start from first principles.

What can Foresight do for you?

Based in South Manchester, Foresight Mobile produces mobile and web apps for a wide range of customers - from startups and entrepreneurs to household names like Levi Strauss and Arm Microprocessor.

If you’re planning a new product, we can advise you on how to remain compliant within the OSB, and if you have an existing business, we can review and report on the compliance of your systems and processes.

Feel free to mail us at [email protected] or visit our website at https://foresightmobile.com - we’re happy to talk any time.

Foresight Mobile recently attended the IoT Tech Expo World Series in London - our CTO / Founder, Gareth Reese, met Kate Bugakova and representatives from CHI Software, our development partners, to help on their trade stand as a professional and personal reference.

We all had a great expo and look forward to meeting our friends at CHI again !

Good luck to our friends at CHI Software who have a stand at the IoT Expo in London. Our CTO has gone down to help them as a technical and personal reference. ;-)

Networking yesterday at the Manchester Digital e-commerce convention in Manchester. Had quite a few interesting conversations ! Thanks to Manchester Digital for arranging it, a great turnout !

A much needed night out for some of the Foresight Mobile team, and the biggest pizza in England for Kev ! 😉

One codebase for your web, mobile and desktop apps - no connectivity issues, a single supplier for support and maintenance. cheaper, futureproof development.

Sounds too good to be true? Read our article below.

Flutter for web, mobile and desktop apps - Foresight Mobile Foresight Mobile - Opinion - Is Flutter the go to framework for integrated web, mobile and desktop app development ?

We’re pleased to announce that Foresight Mobile has a new website.

Based in Cheadle, South Manchester, Foresight are a leading producer of cutting edge mobile apps. We have extensive experience in native Android and iOS app development, and specialise in cross platform app development frameworks such as Flutter and React Native.

Foresight were one of the earliest adopters of Google’s innovative Flutter framework, which allows single codebase development across web, mobile and desktop formats. Flutter is becoming the go-to solution for the app development community, with massive uptake and a highly ambitious development roadmap, Flutter is rapidly replacing older frameworks such as Cordova, Ionic and Xamarin.

As well as being at the cutting-edge of Mobile app development, we also specialise in SDK development for companies wanting to enter the lucrative mobile market. We have extensive experience in writing SDK integrations for cross platform frameworks such as React Native and Flutter, as well as native extensions for iOS (Cocoapods) and Android (Gradle).

If you already have native SDKs for Android and iOS, we can help you expand into the cross-platform market, and if you already have a web or REST based service, we can assist you in bringing your products to the mobile ecosystem efficiently.

If you’re interested in commissioning a mobile app or SDK, come take a look at our services on our new website.

https://foresightmobile.com

“What are the benefits of a mobile SDK for your business?”

70% of all transactions on the internet now come from mobile devices. If you’re selling goods or services over the internet, the mobile market is not one you can ignore.

If you have a web or REST-based API, an SDK or Software Development Kit will allow you to provide external developers with a quick and easy way to connect mobile applications to your backend systems. This provides a large additional market for your service.

Developers choose the easiest systems to work with, based on ease of integration, quality of documentation and quality of code. Investing in a good SDK will mean that you can work collaboratively and easily with external developers and thus be able to expand your customer base via more apps being able to be easily connected to your solution.

We specialise in writing SDK integrations for cross platform mobile frameworks such as React Native and Flutter, as well as native SDKs for iOS and Android.

Since our SDKs are supplied with clear documentation and example implementations, this also cuts down on the support needed by external developers. We also provide you with maintenance, updates and support for your SDKs, taking the pressure off your internal development team.

If you’d like to expand into the mobile marketplace or are looking for SDK professionals to port your native SDK to Flutter or React Native please get in touch!

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Looking for an app development agency? Check out our Manchester based Flutter app development services here.

Interested in finding out more ? Mail us at [email protected]

Foresight has a long pedigree of working with e-learning and educational app development.

Starting in 2017, we created an app for Wall Street English - one of the largest providers in the world of teaching courses for students wanting to learn English, with over three million alumni.

Our teaching app, used by over 180,000 current students, allows everyone from beginners to advanced students to learn English in a natural manner at their own pace.

Written in Native iOS and Android, it’s proved to be a major success story, with Foresight being retained as a development partner to provide ongoing new functionality and features.

Using Native Android and iOS, we also work with the largest international organisation which promotes British international culture and education opportunities in over 100 countries overseas.

With the rise of cross-platform development, Foresight is ideally positioned to offer a low cost, high quality development service for Education customers - where budget is always a consideration. Our cross platform portfolio includes the Arbor Management Information System for schools - written in React Native - Scholar Pack, a parent support app, and Studious, an intuitive homework planner designed to help students manage their organisation and time management skills.

Developed in Google’s Flutter - an innovative and best-in-class development framework, Scholar Pack and Studious are designed to give the best ROI and time to market for their owners.

Our longstanding experience in the education sector covers the development, support and maintenance of apps in a wide range of subjects. If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help you, mail us at [email protected] !

Just how safe is that mobile app you've downloaded from the Play store ? You might be surprised to know it might not be as secure as you'd like to think.

With cybersecurity becoming more of an issue daily, the news that 75% of Indian developed apps contain serious security flaws is extremely worrying.

Just how safe is your personal data ?


https://foresightmobile.com/blog/2022/7/4/mobile-app-security

Mobile app security — Foresight Mobile Manchester app developers, Foresight Mobile, look at mobile app security. Just how safe is that mobile app you've just downloaded ?

According to Business of Apps, 75% of Indian developed apps on Google Play pose a serious security risk, without even basic security checks being in place. If this sounds slightly worrying, remember how many apps incorporate some kind of payment layer. With your details on them.

"Around 79% of the tested apps had network security misconfigurations while 78% lacked adequate code obfuscation which opens the door for hackers to reverse-engineer code. Another 42% missed out on sufficient transport layer protection when sharing data from an app to a server via unprotected channels. "

In a race to the lowest possible price, quality is always compromised. And if you'd like a security check up for your overseas designed app, mail us - [email protected]



https://www.businessofapps.com/news/75-of-indian-apps-on-google-play-pose-security-risks/

75% of Indian apps on Google Play pose security risks Approximately 75% of India’s leading 100 Android apps contain security risks, according to research by mobile security experts Appknox With some 150k out

Is it time to say goodbye to your old mobile app ? With Apple and Google phasing out older apps, and new, more efficient technology on the market, is it time to refactor or rewrite your existing mobile app ?



https://foresightmobile.com/blog/rewrite

Our Marketing Manager, Dave Francis, goes all over Manchester attending networking events. Here he is in Salford Quays attending a meeting at The Lowry Theatre.

If you'd like an informal chat about mobile apps for your business with Dave - who is out in Manchester - or Simon Jones, who covers Birmingham events - drop us a mail at [email protected] - we'll be very happy to meet you for a chat !

Our Marketing Manager, Dave Francis, was out and about networking in Salford Quays yesterday. Great to get out and about in the real world again. ;-)

Google has released Flutter 3.0 - the latest version of its revolutionary mobile app development framework. Flutter is the most attractive, powerful and feature packed multi platform development framework for web, mobile and desktop apps and can save our customers an enormous amount of time (and money) over traditional Native development methods.

To find out more about what this release can mean for you as a customer, click on the link below.



https://foresightmobile.com/blog/flutter3

Google releases Flutter 3.0 — Foresight Mobile Top app developer in Manchester explains the recent release of Google's Flutter 3.0 framework and what it means for you as a customer.

Thinking of having a mobile app commissioned ?

Based in Manchester, Foresight Mobile are one of the earliest UK adopters of Google's Flutter framework - the most modern and efficient mobile development software.

This means we can produce efficient, powerful and attractive mobile apps for 50% of the cost of traditional development. Click on the link below to find out about us and why top companies choose Foresight as their development partner.



https://foresightmobile.com/whyuseus

Why use Foresight Mobile ? — Foresight Mobile Why use us for your mobile app development ?

Is your web app written in one language and your companion mobile app written using another one ? There's a guaranteed expensive headache.

Now you can use a single codebase for both your mobile and web app. And here’s why you should.



https://foresightmobile.com/blog/2022/3/24/a-single-codebase-for-mobile-and-web

How to use the same codebase for web and mobile apps — Foresight Mobile Foresight Mobile, a leading developer of mobile apps, explains how Google Flutter can be used to create a single codebase for both your web and mobile app, saving you time and money.

Just a quick message, which I'm sending to all our friends in Ukraine.

We'd like to send you our condolences and best wishes, on both a business and personal note, and wish you all the best during a difficult time.

Please keep us informed of what's going on, and - most importantly of all, please stay safe.

All the best to you and your families.

Dave / Foresight Mobile.

Just to announce that Foresight Mobile, a leading producer of mobile apps based in South Manchester, have joined the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.

The GMCC is the largest Trade Chamber in the UK, offering all kinds of business support to 4,500 members. We look forwards to meeting many new people at forthcoming networking events soon.



https://foresightmobile.com/blog/gmcc

Foresight Mobile joins Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce — Foresight Mobile Foresight Mobile, a leading developer of Flutter mobile apps in Manchester, has joined Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.

If you've got an e-commerce website, not having a companion mobile app can put you at a serious commercial disadvantage. How serious ? Here's some facts and figures.



https://foresightmobile.com/blog/ecommapp

Why your e-commerce website needs a mobile app. — Foresight Mobile Does your e-commerce website need a companion mobile app ? We think it's essential.

Here at Foresight Mobile, we specialise in writing high performance Magneto 2 apps.

With a dedicated mobile app solution, we can increase the functionality, use and profitability of your investment in Magento. The business benefits are enormous, as our article below shows.



https://foresightmobile.com/blog/magentomobileapp

Why your Magento 2 website needs a mobile app. — Foresight Mobile Does your Magento e-commerce website need a companion mobile app ? We think it's essential.

After a year of developer shortages, will it become easier to find an app development company in 2022 ? Some thoughts - and possible solutions - from Foresight Mobile.



https://foresightmobile.com/blog/developershortage

Developer shortages in 2022 — Foresight Mobile Foresight Mobile, a top mobile app developer in Manchester, explains why there is likely to be developer shortages in 2022.

If you're concerned about the cost of developing a mobile app, at Foresight, we specialise in designing Minimum Viable Product apps.

MVP's allow an inexpensive "proof of concept" app to be built, as either a testbed of ideas or an investment vehicle.

Here's how we do it.



https://foresightmobile.com/blog/2021/10/21/mvp-design

How to design a mobile app MVP — Foresight Mobile Top Manchester mobile app developer, Foresight Mobile, explains how to get your best results when designing an MVP to attract external investment.

Free face to face networking for Digital professionals in Birmingham!

Following the success of our free networking events for Digital professionals in Manchester, we're holding an event in Birmingham at Kanteen, in the Custard Factory, on January 28th at 11am.

Come along, eat great food with fellow Digital professionals. No rules, no boring presentations, just coffee and chat !

Places limited, book using the link below. Free !



https://foresightmobile.com/blog/kanteen

Free face to face networking in Brum! — Foresight Mobile Following the success of our free face to face networking event in Manchester, we’ll be holding an event for Digital professionals in Birmingham in January at Kanteen, in the Custard Factory !

Free face to face networking for Digital professionals in Birmingham !

Following the success of our recent free networking event in Manchester, we're planning to set up another free event in Birmingham shortly. Exact time and date "to be decided".

If you'd be interested in attending a relaxed, no rules face to face meetup with fellow Digital professionals in Brum, have a look at the link below.



https://foresightmobile.com/blog/custardfactory

Coming soon - free Digital face to face networking in Brum! — Foresight Mobile Following the success of our free face to face networking event in Manchester, we’re planning an event in Birmingham as well. Read more about it here !

Is your app rubbish ? Do your users hate it - for the brief time it's on their phones ? Has lack of regular support and maintenance left it broken ?

With attraction and retention being massive in the mobile app game, overlooking design flaws or broken functionality will cost you users - very quickly.

We apply 20 years of app development expertise to offer app design consultancy and highly competitive support and maintenance packages to keep your apps in shiny order.



https://foresightmobile.com/blog/app-updates-and-maintenance

Is your app rubbish? — Foresight Mobile Sorry, we can’t think of a polite way of asking - “Is your app rubbish ?” Here’s what to do about it.

Mobile app owners: getting proper support for your mobile app is critical. With 16 years experience in mobile app development, Foresight Mobile can offer a first rate class support and maintenance service on a retained or time and materials basis.

Come and speak to us for a competitive quote today !



https://foresightmobile.com/support

Support and maintenance — Foresight Mobile Support and maintenance

77% of users delete an app within 3 days.

If your mobile app is unattractive or difficult to use, your users will delete it.

Foresight Mobile apply 16 years of extensive mobile app design experience to offer first class mobile app design consultancy.

Come and chat with our experts about your mobile app design, we can keep your users engaged and stop them hitting that dreaded "remove" button".



https://foresightmobile.com/designconsultancy

App design consultancy — Foresight Mobile App design consultancy