The development of mobile apps typically follows two approaches: native and cross-platform development. Native apps are built specifically for a single platform (Android or iOS) and offer better performance, speed, and reliability. They utilize platform-specific languages like Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android. On the other hand, cross-platform development allows developers to create apps that work on both platforms using frameworks like React Native and Flutter. This approach saves time and cost while maintaining a consistent user experience across devices.