Solutions
Mobile application development services
Create secure, accessible and high-performing mobile apps that increase engagement, simplify services and deliver measurable value. Our multidisciplinary teams have delivered digital products across government, healthcare, retail and regulated industries, combining product strategy, UX design, software engineering and systems integration to help organisations launch, scale and modernise mobile applications.
Mobile application development for enterprise and regulated environments
A successful mobile app must do more than launch. It needs to solve a genuine user need, connect reliably with your technology and continue delivering value as devices, operating systems and expectations change.
CACI provides end-to-end mobile application development services for organisations launching, improving or modernising digital products. We combine mobile strategy, user research, UX and UI design, software engineering, systems integration and continuous optimisation to create apps people want to use.
From native iOS and Android applications to cross-platform solutions, we select the right development approach around your users, objectives, security requirements and long-term product roadmap.
Whether you need a customer-facing app, an employee tool or a mobile service supporting complex operations, we help you move from validated idea to reliable product with greater confidence.
Our mobile application development services
We have supported organisations across government, healthcare, retail and regulated industries to launch new mobile products, modernise existing applications and integrate mobile services with complex technology environments.
Mobile app strategy and discovery
We define who the app is for, which problem it must solve and how success will be measured. User research, technical discovery and feature prioritisation produce an evidence-led product roadmap aligned with your objectives and investment case.
Native iOS app development
Our teams have delivered iOS applications supporting customer engagement, operational workflows and service delivery. We apply Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines, accessibility requirements and platform-specific capabilities to create intuitive user experiences.
Native Android app development
We create accessible, reliable Android applications designed to work across relevant devices, screen sizes and operating-system versions. Interfaces follow established Android design conventions while delivering a consistent branded experience.
Cross-platform app development
Using frameworks such as Flutter and React Native, we can create iOS and Android apps from a shared codebase. Cross-platform development can accelerate delivery and simplify maintenance when user journeys and functionality are similar across platforms.
Mobile UX and UI design
User research, journey mapping, wireframing, prototyping and usability testing help us create clear and intuitive mobile experiences. Accessibility and inclusive design are considered throughout, rather than assessed only before launch.
Mobile app integration and support
We connect mobile apps with APIs, CRM, ERP, identity platforms, payment gateways, Microsoft Azure, AWS and other business systems. After launch, monitoring, maintenance and iterative development help keep applications secure, stable and valuable.
Did you know?
77%
The average app loses 77% of its daily active users within the first three days after installation.
Native or cross-platform mobile app development?
The right technology depends on what the app needs to achieve. We assess user expectations, functionality, performance, security, delivery speed, maintainability and total cost of ownership before recommending an approach.
Native mobile applications
Native applications are developed for a specific platform, such as iOS or Android. They are often appropriate when an app requires demanding performance, close adherence to platform conventions or deeper access to device and operating-system capabilities.
Separate iOS and Android codebases can require more development and maintenance effort, but native development may provide greater control for complex or platform-specific products.
Cross-platform mobile applications
Using frameworks such as Flutter and React Native, we create iOS and Android applications from a shared codebase. Cross-platform development can accelerate delivery, simplify maintenance and support a consistent user experience across devices.
Cross-platform development is often suitable when an organisation needs to reach both platforms quickly and the application does not depend heavily on platform-specific functionality.
A recommendation based on evidence
We do not force every product into a preferred framework. Where the right approach is unclear, we can evaluate technical options, prototype critical functionality and document the performance, cost and maintainability implications.
This helps you select a technology based on the product’s requirements and long-term roadmap, rather than short-term assumptions.
How we develop mobile applications
Our structured, agile development process provides visibility throughout delivery while allowing the product to respond to user evidence and changing priorities.
Discovery and product strategy
We establish the user need, business objectives, technical environment and measures of success. This includes identifying assumptions, constraints, integrations, risks and the minimum functionality required to create value.
Research and experience design
User research and journey mapping reveal how people will interact with the product. We then create wireframes and interactive prototypes that can be tested and improved before full development begins.
Architecture and technology selection
Our architects assess Swift, Kotlin, Flutter and React Native options alongside integration requirements, data flows, hosting, security and scalability. The recommended architecture is documented so that important decisions remain visible throughout delivery.
Agile mobile app development
Multidisciplinary teams deliver prioritised functionality in manageable iterations. Regular demonstrations, backlog reviews and feedback sessions provide transparency and help keep development aligned with user and organisational outcomes.
Mobile testing and quality assurance
Testing covers functionality, usability, accessibility, security and performance across iOS, Android, relevant devices, screen sizes and network conditions. Automated testing helps identify defects earlier and supports more reliable releases.
App launch and optimisation
We support Apple App Store and Google Play submission, release planning and production monitoring. Following launch, analytics, crash reporting and user feedback inform ongoing fixes, enhancements and feature development.
Secure mobile app development
Mobile applications can provide access to sensitive personal information, organisational data and business-critical services. Security must therefore be considered throughout the application lifecycle.
Our approach can include:
- Secure authentication and session management
- Single sign-on and multi-factor authentication
- Biometric authentication where appropriate
- Encryption for data in transit and at rest
- Secure on-device storage
- OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect authentication and authorisation
- Dependency and vulnerability management
- Code review and security testing
- Protection against reverse engineering and data leakage
Our mobile engineering practices are informed by recognised guidance, including the OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard and OWASP Mobile Top 10.
Our teams have experience designing secure digital products for organisations operating within highly regulated and security-conscious environments where data protection, compliance and resilience are critical considerations.
Mobile apps connected to your digital ecosystem
Mobile products rarely operate in isolation. They may need to retrieve customer information, process payments, manage identities, display real-time data or trigger processes across several business systems.
CACI designs secure API integrations that connect mobile apps with:
- Customer relationship management platforms
- Enterprise resource planning systems
- Identity and access management services using OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect
- Payment gateways and digital wallets
- Headless content management systems
- Analytics and customer engagement platforms
- Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud and data platforms
- Location, mapping and notification services
- Existing legacy and back-office applications
An API-led approach allows data and functionality to be reused without creating unnecessary dependencies between the mobile interface and individual systems.
Mobile applications designed around measurable outcomes
Downloads alone do not demonstrate whether an app is successful. Measurement should reflect what users and the organisation need to achieve.
We define relevant key performance indicators during discovery and design analytics around them. Depending on the purpose of the app, these may include:
- Onboarding and activation completion
- Successful completion of priority tasks
- Conversion or transaction completion
- Daily and monthly active users
- Feature adoption and engagement
- User retention and churn
- Crash-free sessions
- Application responsiveness
- Reduced service demand or manual effort
- Customer satisfaction and app-store sentiment
This creates a continuous feedback loop between real behaviour, product decisions and future investment.
Why choose CACI for mobile application development?
Our multidisciplinary teams combine strategic thinking, human-centred design and technical engineering to deliver mobile applications that create lasting value.
Evidence-led product decisions
User research, usability testing and product analytics help us prioritise functionality based on real user behaviour. This reduces delivery risk and focuses investment on features that create measurable value.
Experience delivering complex digital products
We combine mobile app development, UX design, software engineering and systems integration expertise to create secure, scalable applications that support organisational objectives and integrate with existing technology.
Enterprise integration expertise
We understand the technology surrounding the mobile interface. Our teams can address identity, data, APIs, cloud services and operational systems as part of the complete mobile product.
Security and accessibility built in
Security and accessibility are embedded across design, engineering and testing. This reduces late-stage remediation and helps create applications that work for a wider range of users.
Technology selected for your needs
We assess native iOS, native Android, Flutter and React Native against the requirements of each product. Recommendations consider performance, delivery speed, maintainability and long-term cost.
Support beyond launch
We can continue to monitor, maintain and optimise your application after release. Evidence from product analytics, user feedback and operational performance informs an ongoing improvement roadmap.
Mobile app modernisation and takeover
An existing app may still meet an important user need while being constrained by outdated technology, poor performance or an increasingly difficult codebase.
CACI can assess an existing mobile application across:
- User experience and accessibility
- Architecture and code quality
- Application performance and stability
- Security vulnerabilities
- Third-party dependencies
- API and back-end integrations
- Analytics and monitoring
- App-store compliance
- Technical debt and maintainability
- Release and testing processes
The resulting roadmap may recommend targeted remediation, framework upgrades, architectural changes, interface redesign or redevelopment of selected components.
This allows you to protect valuable functionality while addressing the issues limiting adoption, performance or future development.
Awards & accreditations
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FAQs
Answers to common questions about mobile app development.
Mobile application development services cover the planning, design, development, testing, launch and ongoing maintenance of apps for mobile devices.
These services can include product strategy, user research, UX and UI design, native iOS development, native Android development, cross-platform development, API integration, security testing and app-store submission. CACI combines these capabilities to create mobile applications that solve defined user needs, connect securely with existing systems and deliver measurable organisational outcomes.
The cost of developing a mobile app in the UK can range from tens of thousands of pounds for a focused minimum viable product (MVP) to six figures for a complex enterprise application.
The final cost depends on factors including the number of platforms, features, user journeys, integrations, security requirements and level of testing. Native iOS and Android apps may require separate development, while a suitable cross-platform approach can reduce duplicated effort.
CACI begins with discovery to define the scope, prioritise essential functionality and provide a transparent delivery estimate based on your requirements.
A focused mobile app typically takes three to six months to design, develop, test and launch, while a complex enterprise application may take six to twelve months or longer.
Timescales depend on the number of platforms, features, integrations, security requirements and user-testing cycles. CACI uses a phased delivery approach, allowing priority functionality to reach users sooner while additional capabilities are developed iteratively.
Following discovery, we provide a roadmap covering design, development, testing, app-store approval and launch.
Native mobile apps are developed separately for a specific operating system, such as iOS or Android, while cross-platform apps use a shared codebase to run across both platforms.
Native development can provide greater control over performance, platform conventions and device capabilities. Cross-platform frameworks such as Flutter and React Native can reduce duplicated development and simplify coordinated releases, while native applications are commonly developed using Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android.
The right approach depends on the app’s functionality, performance, security, budget and long-term roadmap.
A mobile app is made secure by protecting its code, data, user identities, APIs and supporting systems throughout development and operation.
Security controls can include multi-factor authentication (MFA), biometric access, encrypted communications, secure on-device storage, session management and API authorisation. Security testing should cover both the mobile application and its back-end services.
CACI incorporates secure architecture, code review, vulnerability management and testing throughout development, informed by recognised OWASP mobile security guidance, including the OWASP Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS) and OWASP Mobile Top 10.
A mobile app typically integrates with existing business systems through secure APIs that exchange data and trigger approved processes.
These APIs can connect the app with CRM, ERP, identity, payment, analytics, content and cloud platforms. CACI designs integrations around an organisation’s existing architecture and data-governance requirements.
This enables users to access joined-up services without unnecessarily duplicating data or replacing valuable back-office systems.
Yes. An existing mobile app can be modernised by improving its code, architecture, interface, security, performance and integrations without necessarily rebuilding the entire application.
Modernisation can include updating dependencies, migrating from an unsupported framework, redesigning important user journeys, strengthening APIs or redeveloping selected components.
CACI first assesses the existing application to identify what should be retained, improved or replaced, before creating a prioritised modernisation roadmap.
Mobile app maintenance includes monitoring, bug fixes, security patches, operating-system updates, device compatibility testing and ongoing performance improvements.
It can also include dependency upgrades, app-store compliance, accessibility improvements and development of new features. Product analytics, crash reporting and user feedback help determine which changes should be prioritised.
Ongoing maintenance helps keep mobile applications secure, stable and compatible as devices, platform requirements and user expectations change.
Yes. AI can be integrated into an existing mobile app through APIs, embedded models or supporting cloud services.
Potential applications include intelligent search, conversational assistants, personalised recommendations, document processing and workflow automation. The appropriate approach depends on the app’s architecture, data, security requirements and expected response times.
CACI assesses user value, technical feasibility, privacy risks and governance requirements before implementing an AI capability.