Share your experience using AnyPresence

We use the product to build Android, iOS, and Windows mobile applications.

The most valuable feature of Xamarin is its testing capabilities. Testing saves both time and cost in mobile application development. The process is costly and time-consuming when developing separate platform-specific applications for Android and iOS. However, Xamarin offers cross-platform functionality, allowing developers to write code once and deploy it across multiple platforms.

Regarding improvements, there are still some limitations with Xamarin, particularly regarding access to core functionality in Android and iOS. When developers need to utilize certain core features of these platforms, they encounter difficulties accessing them directly within the Xamarin project. Instead, they must create and implement interfaces in platform-specific code to access.

We have been using Xamarin Platform for a year.

In my company, only two developers, including myself, are currently using Xamarin.

The initial setup process was straightforward. We downloaded the Xamarin installer and proceeded with the installation.

The product is inexpensive.

The platform is easy to learn as many tutorials are available on YouTube. Additionally, many Microsoft MVPs offer demos and resources that simplify the learning process.

When deciding on a mobile application development framework, it's essential to consider your specific requirements. Evaluate the pros and cons of each available option, including alternatives. The choice ultimately depends on how well the technology aligns with your project needs and your comfort level with learning and adapting to new tools.

I rate it a 9 out of 10.

Primarily, I use it to develop mobile applications for both Android and iOS.

Microsoft has since released .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI), which offers some significant improvements over Xamarin.Forms.

One of the key improvements is the streamlined architecture. Previously, with Xamarin.Forms, you had multiple projects within a solution. .NET MAUI simplifies this with a single-project architecture, which saves development time.

Additionally, in Xamarin.Forms, you sometimes had to write platform-specific code for Android or iOS to meet certain client requirements. .NET MAUI largely eliminates this need by consolidating everything into that single project. It also supports the latest .NET versions (six, seven, eight), offering better performance and access to newer features. Overall, .NET MAUI seems to have addressed these potential areas for improvement within the Xamarin framework.

I like its simplicity. As someone who didn't start my career as a dedicated developer, I was used to building websites or Windows applications. 

Transitioning to mobile app development meant learning new languages like Swift or Java. With C# and Xamarin, though, I could leverage my existing skillset. Xamarin, and specifically Xamarin.Forms, let me write my code once and deploy it natively to both Android and iOS.

Xamarin.Forms are very useful. Essentially, it's a framework that allows me to create the UI mostly in XAML. This XAML code is then translated into the native UI elements for each respective platform.

The advantage is that roughly 90% of my UI code can be shared. This significantly reduces the amount of platform-specific UI work compared to having to write separate UIs for each platform.

For the most part, Xamarin's integration with Visual Studio improved the workflow, whether I'm on Windows or Mac. Since I'm familiar with Visual Studio, it provides a comfortable development environment.

Additionally, features like Hot Reload and the integration of tools like Copilot help streamline the development process. Overall, it offers a positive development experience.

In Xamarin.Forms, we have the option to preview our UI designs, but the functionality can be limited. So, this is not fully functional. Since I have some knowledge of iOS, where when you write code or design in the storyboard, your design is immediately visible in the preview. 

So, if this feature could be improved in Xamarin, it would be great for developers. They could see what they are designing right in the preview rather than having to run and check it on the simulator or the device. It would save developers a lot of time.

I have been using it for five to six years now. 

It is a stable product. 

Xamarin scales well. It's a Microsoft product, so there's a lot of ongoing development and optimization. Plus, with a robust developer community, there's plenty of support.

There are more than 500 users using this solution in my company. 

I always received the help I needed in a relatively timely manner.

Positive

The initial setup is relatively easy. Obviously, we need to follow the guidelines for the App Store and Play Store when publishing, and we might need to set up some local testing environments. 

However, the core Xamarin deployment process isn't overly complex. These days, we have great CI/CD tools to automate much of that.

There is a license, maybe. 

If you're new to Xamarin, I'd recommend starting with a solid foundation in C#. Microsoft provides extensive documentation on Xamarin, and there are many helpful tutorials on YouTube. Focus on building small sample applications to get the hang of it. Even I started that way!

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. Because when there are some problems when I have to create some APKs or APIs, it's a large size. Also, I had to deduct some marks for its performance. So, a little bit as compared to React Native applications or any native applications, it is quite slow.