The process of preparing a UniApp project for deployment on both Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems involves packaging the application. This packaging transforms the cross-platform codebase into platform-specific installable files. For example, one might use the HBuilderX IDE or the command-line interface (CLI) to generate an .ipa file for iOS and an .apk or .aab file for Android devices, ready for distribution.
Generating application packages for these mobile platforms offers several advantages, including expanded market reach through a single codebase. This cross-platform approach reduces development time and costs compared to developing native applications for each operating system separately. The historical context involves the evolution of cross-platform development tools aimed at streamlining mobile app creation.