How we built a cross-platform customer service mobile app for an insurer - a hybrid solution, partly native and partly built on the insurer's existing web self-service portal.
Our client is a Hungarian insurance company whose customers could already handle many of their affairs through its web self-service portal. A mobile app was important to the insurer because a new generation of customers prefers to manage their affairs primarily through mobile apps.
The goal was a customer service mobile app that brings together the features that matter most to customers - from an overview of policies and claims to insurance quotes, online payment and claims notification.
FrontX was engaged for end-to-end delivery: business analysis, systems analysis, development, testing and handover. The project was complex in several respects:
Hybrid operationPart of the app runs natively, while other parts build on the existing web self-service features via WebView - and the two had to work as a single, seamless app.
App store approvalThe App Store and Google Play scrutinise apps that mainly display web content, so a solution relying heavily on WebView still had to meet the stores' requirements.
SecurityThe right level of security had to be maintained across the native and web components, building on the insurer's existing two-factor authentication.
Breadth of features10-15 features in a single app, from an overview of policies and claims through insurance quotes and online payment to claims notification and claim status tracking.
On the FrontX side the team was a project manager, a systems analyst and two developers, joined by a project manager and a back-end developer from the client. Delivery took about six months.
The team mapped the existing web self-service features and designed the app's structure: the app shell and menus are native, while features already built for the web portal are embedded via WebView. Proven features did not have to be rewritten from scratch.
The app is built with cross-platform Flutter, so a single codebase runs on both iOS and Android. Login builds on the insurer's existing two-factor authentication, and the solution complies with standard technology practices. The features currently delivered via WebView will be rewritten natively in the future.
App store approval went smoothly: FrontX has extensive experience of what to watch for during technical implementation so that an app meets App Store and Google Play requirements. The stores currently still allow WebView-based solutions, although the major platform vendors do not encourage them.
The app is live, popular with customers and has already been downloaded many times. In the app, the insurer's customers can:
The insurer now offers a modern channel to the new generation of customers who manage their affairs on mobile.
Existing web features are a good starting pointEmbedding features that already work via WebView lets a mobile app launch with broad functionality, while the native shell provides a consistent experience.
App store compliance must be addressed at design timeFor an app that relies heavily on WebView, approval is decided during technical implementation, not at the end of the project.
Plan the native path tooAs the major platform vendors do not encourage WebView-based solutions, it pays to design the architecture so that web features can later be replaced with native ones.
Building on existing security can be strongReusing the insurer's existing two-factor authentication is secure and already familiar to customers.
If you are facing a greenfield build or a complex business domain, we would be glad to talk through how we would approach it. No obligation.
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