How to Reskin a Mobile App 101

Developing a new mobile app from scratch takes a long time and many resources. If you’re looking to make money, the process will seem tedious, and you might end up spending more money than the expected app revenue. Reskinning is an attractive alternative. This article walks you through how to reskin a mobile app 101 and its benefits.

What Does Reskinning Mean?

Reskining an app means taking its source code to create another app with new logos and designs from a logo generator. Both apps would have the same source code, meaning they would have a similar feel and functionality. But with a new design, they will look different and be branded as different apps.

Examples of Reskinned Apps

• King, the company that developed the infamous Candy Crush Saga, reskinned the app to make other games that look different but play the same. The apps they created are Pet Rescue Saga, Soda Saga, Bubble Witch 3 Saga, and Farm Heroes Saga. King is worth billions of dollars.
• Remember Talking Tom? It’s an app with a cat that repeats everything you say with a funny voice. Following its success, the publisher Outfit7 reskinned it to make apps for other characters, like Talking Ginger and Talking Angela. In 2017, a Chinese group bought Outfit7 for one billion dollars.
• Reskinning isn’t just for gaming apps. Runtastic made various fitness apps that track activity and monitor health. They made apps for pedestrians, cyclists, and runners. They all had different names and purposes but had the same feel.

Why Reskin an App?

The reasons for reskinning an app are to save money, time, and labor. Here’s how it works:

Saving Money

Using the same source code from an existing app saves the company an immense amount of money compared to developing it from scratch. You can buy source code for low prices, going as low as $50. The cost of developing a custom app is $20k to $100k, depending on the features and other factors. However, you can reskin an app for $2,000.

By reskinning an app, you will also make money by targeting different audiences and expanding your market reach.

Saving Time

Developing an app from scratch consumes time as well as money. The coding phase alone could take up to six months. It takes significantly less time to reskin the app. We can’t tell how much because it depends on many factors, like graphic elements, the quality of the purchased source code, and the app’s concept.

Saving Labor

John Hayward-Mayhew, a young entrepreneur, made 600 iOS apps in 4 years without learning to program. And he did it all by himself. How did he manage to build a one-person empire without any coding knowledge? He learned to reskin apps. He didn’t need time or a workforce to create all these apps; he just had to follow the reskinning process.

You can do that if you learn the proper technique of app reskinning. We added ‘101’ to the article’s name because we will show you how to reskin as a beginner.

Reskinning an App 101

Learn to Use Development Tools

To communicate your ideas to designers and developers, you need to obtain knowledge of development tools. It will allow you to effectively request what needs to be done.

Both Android and iOS have their own development tools.

iOS: Xcode

Xcode is Apple’s IDE (Integrated Development Environment). It’s crucial to get the hang of it if you want to reskin an app for iOS.

Xcode doesn’t require programming to learn how to use it. A few tutorials will teach you the important buttons and functions you need to know, as well as how to build and test your app.

Android: Android Studio

The IDE for Android, Android Studio, is where you write, edit, and save projects. Through Android Studio, you also gain access to the Android SDK (Software Development Kit), which makes programs run smoothly on your app.

Google offers tutorials that help you understand how to use Android Studio, in addition to other resources on the internet.

Develop or Buy the Source Code

You can either develop your source code by hiring a developer or buy a source code online.

• A source code you developed is your own, and you have its copyrights. You can create as many reskin with that source code, and you can also sell its copyrights.
• Buying a code is easy and cost-effective. Many marketplaces on the internet sell source codes for varied prices. However, purchasing a source code means you have a license to use its copy but don’t own it. You can buy a limited license using the code on a fixed number of skins. Or you can buy an unlimited license and use it as much as you want.

Choose the App’s Theme

You probably already have an idea of how you want the app to be. Still, we encourage you to research trends in the app stores. It will help you pick a desirable theme and might increase app downloads.

While at it, you could also research keywords on the app stores and learn more about the competition, their target audience, and their weak points.

Begin Reskinning the App

You could hire an app developer to reskin the app or do it yourself. If you plan to do the former, you should find an experienced app development company. If you plan to make an Android app, find an Android firm, and the same goes for iOS.

Reskinning the app yourself requires knowledge of design and editing programs like GIMP, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acorn.

It’s crucial not to compromise the graphics’ quality when reskinning the app. You can refer to the original app’s graphic assets to decipher the referred-to code. Take note of the file size, the number of graphics, and the dimensions of each graphic once you can access it. This procedure is required because the graphics will eventually merge into a single design, and the redesigned files must match the original elements. Afterward, remember to test your app.

Publish the App

To publish the app, you first set up a developer account. A Google Developer Account costs a single fee of $25. An Apple Developer Account costs an annual fee of $99. Publishing Approval takes 24 to 72 hours.

Developing a no-code app is even easier and more-money saving than reskinning an app. You will have a unique, fully functional native mobile app only if you sign up for the nandbox app builder. Give it a try!