While it sounds like a tropical vacation, .NET MAUI (which stands for Multi-platform App UI) is actually the latest technology in cross-platform application development. Microsoft bought Xamarin, the previously preferred cross-platform development tool, in 2016 and has now rolled all cross-platform development tools into MAUI.
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With the convergence to .NET MAUI, Xamarin was slated to be sunsetted and is now an unsupported technology. Mobile apps that use Xamarin can remain on the App Store—but they can’t be updated. So companies are rewriting their mobile apps in MAUI from Xamarin to maintain compatibility.
One of our long-standing clients, GreatAmerica Financial Services, had an app built in Xamarin that needed to be moved to MAUI. The app, SnappShot, helps those selling
GreatAmerica financing plans to quickly submit information and receive quotes.
The internal development team at GreatAmerica didn’t have the capacity to do the rewrite project and wanted to work with a software development outsourcing partner. Having worked with Far Reach on several other projects, GreatAmerica trusted our team and knew we had the expertise and experience to rewrite their mobile app in .NET MAUI.
Even though rewriting an app sounds like (and, potentially, could be) a copy-and-paste project with no need for further investigation, we took the opportunity to review the app’s functionality, eliminate technical debt, remove unused features, and complete other cleanup. For the most part, we rebuilt the app in .NET MAUI as it was in Xamarin. However, before starting, we met with the GreatAmerica team to do an initial code analysis, understand which areas of the app were used, and what could be cleaned up.
An application rewrite is the perfect time to evaluate and clean up a system to remove unused features, remove technical debt, replace old components, and more. Why waste time and money porting over functionality and/or code that isn’t used?
A project like this requires experience in both Xamarin and .NET MAUI. While Microsoft provides an upgrade assistant, it’s not a replacement for an experienced developer—and it’s not great for older apps. Even the most basic Xamarin to MAUI rewrite requires additional component upgrades (e.g., chart controls) and cleanup.
Now that the SnappShot mobile app is in .NET MAUI, GreatAmerica can be sure their technology is compatible with the latest mobile devices. And when the app needs to be updated in the future, it will be ready for new and enhanced features.
Do you have a legacy mobile app that needs rewritten using the latest technology?
Reach out.