Mobile App Platform (MAP) is a constructor for creating multibrand and multilingual mobile apps. It gives your team a prepared base for mobile apps that work with Drupal. By reusing existing components, app services, and design patterns, MAP helps reduce development time and maintenance effort. Instead of building the same functionality from scratch, your team can focus on the features your app actually needs.
Launching a mobile app is a massive undertaking, but for multi-brand companies, the complexity and costs multiply rapidly. Every brand under your umbrella speaks to a different audience and demands its own distinct identity. To drive true digital evolution, each app requires a unique user experience and an independent roadmap, without draining your development and maintenance budget.
Developing a bunch of standalone, different applications demands multiple efforts, time, and cost.
A reusable app base changes the next launch. If you head into a new market or launch a new brand, you don’t need a full rebuild. MAP serves as the base, giving teams a faster way to launch and adapt mobile apps.
With a one-off build model, each new mobile app requires extensive repeated setup. With MAP, teams reuse the foundation over time and can focus more on market-specific tasks.
MAP provides a reusable foundation for Drupal-connected mobile apps, covering much of the technical work required for mobile development. It combines a Drupal backend approach with a structured mobile frontend, shared services for common app functionality, and established design rules.
The value of MAP does not end with the first release. As your mobile app keeps changing, the market asks for a new content flow, or a brand needs a new screen, MAP gives those changes a place to live.
Less setup before development begins
Start from a prepared Drupal-connected mobile base instead of rebuilding the app structure from zero.
Keep Drupal at the center of operations
Keep the app close to your Drupal setup, so it does not become a separate system only one delivery team understands.
Adapt screens, flows and branding
Change the brand style and adjust market behavior where needed. Shape the screens and user flows around the product.
Add markets and features as demand grows
The same base can support new regions and local content. Push messages and analytics changes can be added without treating every request as a new app.
Connect mobile to your wider Drupal setup
Drupal can stay as the backend when the roadmap moves toward native apps. It can also remain in place for PWA-to-native work, headless delivery, or another connected product.
MAP brings the most value when one app needs to serve more than one market. It helps global teams avoid a separate app for every country. The result is one mobile model where each market can serve its own users without rebuilding the basics.
Explore how a more flexible approach to app content can help your teams work faster, respond to market needs, and deliver a better customer experience.
MAP uses a design system and component library to keep repeated work stable. One brand may need different colors. Another may need different spacing. A third may need its own screen pattern. Those details can change without rebuilding the whole app base.
A strong mobile app should not make every content update wait for an app release.
MAP separates feature updates from content updates. Feature changes follow the mobile release flow. Content changes can come from Drupal and appear in the app based on the project setup.
Some app questions appear early, especially for product owners, IT, security, marketing, and support teams. How do users log in? How long does a session last? What happens after no activity? MAP gives these questions a known starting point.
MAP is built with that wider picture in mind. It connects to your Drupal website, e-learning system, or other apps to provide a seamless omnichannel experience.
Your MAP project starts with the business case for the app, not with a long list of screens. From there, we move through four stages to prepare, develop, and launch the product.
MAP is most useful when the business needs a mobile app now and a base that will still make sense later.
Build a native app that uses Drupal content and editorial flows.
Use a shared mobile base while each brand keeps its own style and user flow.
Let one app serve local and global content through region selection.
Move an existing PWA into Google Play and Apple Store while keeping Drupal as the backend.
Use MAP when the app depends on content, login, localization, and repeat visits. Push messages and analytics can be planned into the same base.
Launch a first version, then add markets, services, features, and analytics events as the product grows.
MAP is not only about the first launch. It changes how the team works after launch.
Services do not need to be rebuilt for every project. The same applies to components and release patterns.
The design system helps teams keep app quality stable. The component library gives them known pieces to work with. Brand variation still has room.
Drupal stays close to the workflow, so content teams can manage app content without learning a separate system.
Login and session rules are easier to manage when they are part of the base. Analytics becomes easier to compare. Security checks, app settings, and releases also become easier to coordinate.
The same base can support new markets. It can support new app features. It can also support analytics changes and future mobile products.
| Area | Building from scratch | Building on MAP |
|---|---|---|
| Project setup | The team starts by defining the architecture and release rules. Backend connection and services also need their own planning. | The project starts from a prepared Drupal-connected mobile base. |
| Design | Screen patterns often need to be created again. Component logic also starts from zero. | The app starts with a design system and a component library. |
| Content | The app may become a separate content system. | Drupal can stay as the source for app content. |
| Market rollout | Each market can become its own mobile project. | One app model can serve local and global content. |
| Security and access | Login, sessions, and permissions need to be planned for each build. | Shared patterns give the team a known starting point. |
| Analytics | Tracking may differ between apps and markets. | Firebase Analytics can follow one setup. Regional reports can be planned from the start. |
| Support | Fixes and handover work may be handled separately. | Shared services and components make support easier to coordinate. |
MAP helps you reduce repeated setup work and move into delivery with a Drupal-connected mobile base already in place.
Explore the MAP capabilities that can be configured, extended, or adapted depending on the project scope.
Drupal content APIs
Drupal can deliver app content through API endpoints. View modes can shape how content appears in the response. Field formatters can prepare content for the app. Translations and notification links can also be handled from the backend.
NativeScript-Vue frontend
The app uses NativeScript-Vue. Screens, services, and components follow the same app structure. Market settings can be handled during the build.
Mobile UI components and design rules
The app will be built with the atomic design approach. It can also use reusable components, templates, and screen patterns. Storybook helps the team review brand versions.
Market selection and content routing
The app can support region selection. It can show local content where a market has its own setup. It can fall back to global content where there is no local site.
Localized content management
Content can be prepared for the website. It can also be prepared for the app. Some content can appear in both places. Static text and backend-driven translations can be handled separately.
Native migration for existing PWAs
A native app can keep Drupal as the source for content and user data.
User authentication and security
The app can support email and password login. Social login can be included when the project needs it. OAuth 2.0 patterns can shape token handling. Inactivity logout and biometric checks can be part of the access flow. Security scan needs can be included in the release plan.
Shared mobile services
The app can use shared patterns for Firebase and backend requests. App settings, onboarding, app events, auto logout, and localization can follow the same base.
Firebase Analytics and Crashlytics
Firebase Analytics can be part of the setup. Crashlytics can be included before launch. Custom events, regional reports, and app behavior tracking can be planned around the product.
Tell us what you need to launch, move, localize, or support. We will help you see where MAP can reduce repeated work and where a custom app build makes more sense.
Our team has successfully converted a PWA into a native mobile application to reach a wider audience by making the app available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
