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Quick answer
UnlockLive IT is a Toronto-based mobile app development company shipping cross-platform iOS and Android apps with React Native + Expo and Flutter — plus full native Swift and Kotlin when the use case demands it. We build consumer apps, enterprise field-ops apps, B2B SaaS companion apps, fintech & wallet apps, and AI-powered mobile experiences with on-device inference. Every engagement includes design, development, EAS or Codemagic CI/CD, real-device QA, App Store and Play Store submission, App Privacy / Data Safety filings, and post-launch monitoring with Sentry and Firebase Crashlytics. Toronto-managed delivery, 60+ apps shipped to date.
What we build
Consumer mobile apps:Marketplaces, social, on-demand, fitness, finance, learning. Onboarding flows, push notifications, in-app purchases, social login, deep linking, App Store optimization (ASO).
B2B field-ops & enterprise apps:Field-service, inspection, logistics, healthcare-rep apps. Offline-first sync, barcode/QR scanning, signature capture, photo workflows, mobile device management (MDM) integration.
Companion apps for SaaS products:Mobile clients for an existing web SaaS — push notifications, mobile-optimized core workflows, biometric login, and Apple/Google Wallet integration.
Fintech & wallet apps:KYC onboarding, secure card display (PCI), biometric authentication, ACH/Interac/SEPA, push provisioning to Apple Pay and Google Pay, and SOC 2-aligned crash and access logging.
AI-powered mobile apps:On-device inference (Core ML, TFLite, MLC, Llama.cpp), voice agents, vision-based features (camera-first apps), and streaming LLM chat experiences over a Python/FastAPI backend.
Migrations & rescues:Native iOS/Android to React Native or Flutter consolidation, abandoned-codebase resurrections, App Store rejection remediation, and Expo SDK upgrades.
Our mobile technology stack
Our mobile development process
- Discovery & UX (2-3 weeks): Customer interviews, competitive teardown of comparable apps, mobile-first user flows, and Figma prototypes tested on real devices. Mobile UX is unforgiving — we don't skip this.
- Architecture & native vs cross-platform decision (1 week): We honestly evaluate React Native vs Flutter vs full native vs PWA based on team capacity, performance needs, native API requirements, and your update cadence. We document the decision in a written ADR.
- Sprint 0 — foundations (1 week): Repo setup, EAS or Codemagic CI/CD, design system, navigation scaffolding, auth, observability, store assets, App Privacy/Data Safety questionnaires.
- Iterative sprints (8-20 weeks): Two-week sprints with internal TestFlight / Play Internal testing builds at the end of every sprint. Real-device testing on a curated device matrix (minimum: iPhone SE, mid-range Android, latest flagship).
- Beta on TestFlight & Play Closed (2-4 weeks): Real-user beta with crash monitoring, funnel analytics, performance budgets enforced (cold start, jank, memory). Iterate to App Store readiness.
- Store submission & launch (1-3 weeks): App Store Review prep (rejections handled, not avoided), App Privacy and Google Play Data Safety filings, ASO copy and screenshots, phased rollout, post-launch monitoring.
Frequently asked questions
React Native or Flutter — which is better in 2026?
Both are excellent and the gap has narrowed. React Native is our default when you have a web team in React/TypeScript who can share code and component patterns with mobile, when you need a deep JavaScript ecosystem, and when over-the-air updates matter (via Expo Updates). Flutter is our default when you need consistent custom UI across platforms (its rendering engine ships its own widgets), when you're chasing pixel-perfect parity, or when the team prefers a typed language (Dart). For most B2B SaaS companion apps we recommend React Native + Expo. For consumer apps with heavy custom UI, Flutter is often the right call.
How much does it cost to build a mobile app?
An MVP for a single-platform app (iOS or Android) with auth, 4-6 core screens, and a backend integration typically ranges from $35,000 to $80,000. A cross-platform app (iOS + Android) with 10-15 screens, push, payments, and offline support ranges from $80,000 to $200,000. Complex apps with native modules, video, real-time, or fintech compliance start at $180,000. Pricing scales with features, not platforms — cross-platform delivery is essentially free with React Native or Flutter.
How long does it take to ship to the App Store?
MVPs typically launch in 12-18 weeks from kickoff. Mid-sized apps run 16-26 weeks. Enterprise apps with native modules, MDM integration, and rigorous security review run 6-9 months. App Store Review itself is usually 24-72 hours for a clean submission, with 1-2 cycles of feedback for first-time submissions.
Do you handle App Store and Play Store submission?
Yes. Every project includes ASO-friendly listing copy, store screenshots (we generate from real builds), App Privacy / Data Safety questionnaire completion, App Store Review responses, phased rollout configuration, and post-launch monitoring. We've shipped over 60 apps and handle Apple's rejection reasons fluently.
What about native iOS or Android development?
We do full native (Swift / SwiftUI / Kotlin / Jetpack Compose) when the use case demands it — heavy AR/VR, advanced camera or audio pipelines, watchOS/wearOS, CarPlay/Android Auto, or apps with strict performance budgets. Most projects don't need this in 2026, but when they do we have the team for it.
Can the mobile app share code with our web app?
Yes — that's the whole point of going React Native. We typically share business logic (TanStack Query hooks, validation schemas, types, GraphQL/REST clients) between the web and mobile codebases via a monorepo (Turborepo or Nx). UI is platform-specific because mobile and web UX patterns are different. With Flutter the share is API contracts only.
Do you maintain apps after launch?
Yes. Mobile apps need ongoing maintenance for OS updates (annual iOS and Android major releases), Apple/Google policy changes, SDK upgrades (especially Expo), library deprecations, and crash fixes. We offer mobile retainers starting at 20 hours/month with on-call availability for store-blocking issues.
Ready to ship a mobile app users actually keep?
Tell us about the app you have in mind. We'll respond within one business day with honest thoughts on cross-platform vs native, scope, and timeline. Book a free strategy call with our Toronto team.
UnlockLive IT Limited provides state-of-the-art software solutions to clients all over the world. We are a creative force with strategic alliances distributed around the globe
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