How Can You Tell if Developers Use Modern Coding Methods?

Hiring developers for your mobile app project can feel a bit like trying to judge a book by its cover—everyone looks good on paper, they all say the right things, but how do you actually know if they're using modern coding practices or if they're stuck in methods from five years ago? I've seen this confusion trip up so many businesses over the years. They end up with apps that work (sort of) but are built on outdated foundations that become expensive nightmares to maintain or scale. And here's the thing—most clients don't have the technical background to spot the difference between a developer who's keeping up with current methods and one who's coasting on old knowledge.

The mobile development world moves fast; what was considered best practice a few years back might now be seen as a red flag. I mean, I've reviewed code from other agencies where I've genuinely wondered if they'd been living under a rock! New frameworks emerge, security standards evolve, and performance expectations keep rising. But its not just about using the latest shiny tools—modern coding practices are about writing maintainable code, following proper testing procedures, and building apps that won't fall apart the moment you need to add a new feature.

The difference between modern and outdated development methods isn't always obvious at first glance, but it shows up quickly when you try to scale, update, or fix problems in your app.

This guide will walk you through the practical signs that tell you whether your developers are using current methods or not. You don't need to become a technical expert yourself—you just need to know what questions to ask and what answers should raise your eyebrows. By the end, you'll have a clear framework for evaluating technical skills without needing to read a single line of code yourself.

They're Asking About Your Tech Stack

When a development team starts asking detailed questions about your tech stack, its actually a really good sign—it means they care about making the right choices for your project rather than just using whatever they're comfortable with. I mean, some agencies will push the same solution for every client regardless of whether it fits or not, and that's just lazy if you ask me.

A good development team will want to know what systems you're already using; what third-party services you need to integrate with, and what your long-term plans are for the app. They should be asking about your existing infrastructure, your team's technical capabilities, and your budget constraints. Because here's the thing—choosing the right tech stack isn't about picking the newest or most popular framework, its about finding what works best for your specific situation.

What They Should Be Discussing With You

Your developers should explain their recommendations in plain English, not hide behind jargon to make themselves sound clever. They need to discuss things like whether to build native apps for iOS and Android separately or use a cross-platform framework like React Native or Flutter. Both approaches have their place—native development typically gives you better performance and access to platform-specific features, whilst cross-platform can be more cost-effective and faster to market.

They should also talk about backend infrastructure, database choices, and API architecture. Will you need real-time features? How much data will you be handling? What about offline functionality? These questions matter because they affect everything from development time to ongoing hosting costs.

Red Flags to Watch For

Be wary of developers who insist theres only one "right" way to build your app or who dismiss your questions about technology choices. Good developers will present options, explain trade-offs, and help you make informed decisions based on your priorities—whether thats speed to market, long-term maintainability, or keeping costs down.

Code Reviews and Quality Standards Matter

Here's something that separates good development teams from average ones—they actually review each others code before it goes live. I mean, it sounds basic right? But you'd be surprised how many agencies skip this step entirely, and its usually because they're rushing or they just don't have the processes in place to make it happen consistently.

When I ask potential development partners about their code review process, I'm listening for specific things. Do they have a formal review system? Who reviews the code? How often do they do it? If the answer is vague or noncommittal, that's a red flag you shouldn't ignore. Good developers want their code reviewed because they know it makes the final product better—simple as that.

What Quality Standards Should Include

Modern development teams follow coding standards that keep everything consistent and maintainable. This isn't about being picky or perfectionist; it's about making sure that when someone needs to update your app in six months time, they can actually understand what the previous developer did and why they did it that way.

Quality standards cover everything from how variables are named to how errors are handled. Teams using modern coding practices will have documentation about their standards, and they'll use automated tools to check that everyone's following them. It's a bit like having spell-check for your code, but way more thorough.

Ask developers to show you examples of their code review comments from past projects. You're not looking to understand the technical details—you want to see that they're thorough, constructive, and actually happen regularly.

Signs of Proper Code Review

Good code reviews leave a trail you can see. Modern development teams use platforms like GitHub or GitLab where every review is documented, commented on, and tracked. Here's what proper code review looks like in practice:

• Multiple developers look at each code change before it's approved
• Comments are constructive and focused on improving the code quality
• Reviews happen within 24-48 hours, not weeks later when its too late to matter
• Both senior and junior developers participate in the review process
• Automated tools check for common issues before humans even look at it
• There's a clear approval process that must be followed before code goes live

The thing about code reviews is they catch problems early, when theyre cheap and easy to fix. Once code is deployed to thousands of users and something breaks? That's when things get expensive and stressful. Teams that prioritise code reviews understand this fundamental truth about software development—prevention is always better than cure, and it saves everyone time and money in the long run.

Looking at Testing Practices

Right, so here's where things get interesting—testing is one of those areas where you can really separate the professionals from the cowboys. I mean, anyone can write code that works on their own machine, but code that works reliably for thousands of users across different devices? That requires proper testing.

When I'm evaluating a development team, I always ask about their testing approach. Do they write automated tests? What kind of tests do they run? How often do they test? The answers tell me everything I need to know about whether they're building something solid or just crossing their fingers and hoping for the best.

What Good Testing Actually Looks Like

Modern development teams should be using multiple types of testing;it's not just about one approach. Unit tests check individual pieces of code work correctly—these are quick and catch bugs early. Integration tests make sure different parts of the app work together properly. And user interface tests simulate real user interactions to catch issues that only show up when someone actually uses the app.

But here's the thing—automated testing is only part of the story. You also need real device testing because emulators dont catch everything. I've seen apps that worked perfectly on simulators but crashed immediately on actual phones. Different Android manufacturers add their own modifications, iOS versions behave differently, and screen sizes vary wildly.

Red Flags to Watch For

If a developer tells you they only test manually or they test "as they go," thats a problem. Manual testing alone is slow, expensive, and misses things. Good teams write tests alongside their code—not as an afterthought.

Another warning sign? If they cant explain their test coverage. Professional teams track what percentage of their code has tests and aim for high coverage on critical features. They should be able to show you test reports and explain their approach without getting defensive about it.

Ask them about continuous integration too. Modern teams run their tests automatically every time code changes, catching problems before they reach users. If theyre manually running tests once a week... well, let's just say that's not going to end well.

Development Tools and Workflows

The tools a development team uses tells you a lot about how they work—and honestly, whether they're keeping up with whats expected in the industry. I mean, you don't need to understand every piece of software they mention, but there are some clear signs that separate teams who are working efficiently from those who are still doing things the hard way.

Modern developers should be using version control systems like Git, no exceptions. This isn't fancy tech, its basic practice that lets multiple people work on the same project without everything falling apart. If a team isn't using version control? That's a red flag the size of a house. They should also be using proper project management tools—whether thats Jira, Linear, or something similar—so everyone knows what needs doing and when. When evaluating their approach to development environment setup, look for teams that have standardised processes for getting new developers onboarded quickly.

Ask them about their development environment setup. Do they use local development environments that mirror the production setup? Are they using containerisation tools like Docker to keep things consistent? These might sound like technical terms but basically they mean the app behaves the same way on every developers computer as it will when its live. This prevents the classic "but it works on my machine" problem that used to plague development teams.

A good workflow means developers can push updates quickly without breaking things, and thats what separates professional teams from amateurs

Look for teams using continuous integration and deployment pipelines. This means code gets automatically tested and deployed rather than requiring manual work every single time. Its faster, safer, and shows they understand modern workflows. If they're still manually uploading files to servers... well, lets just say there are better ways to spend development time.

Security and Data Protection Methods

Right, let me tell you something—security isn't optional anymore. It's bloody expensive when you get it wrong, both in terms of money and reputation. When I'm evaluating a development team's approach to security, I'm looking for specific practices that show they actually understand what's at stake here.

Modern developers should be encrypting data both at rest and in transit. That means your user's information is protected when its stored on a device and when its being sent to your servers. If a developer cant explain what encryption methods they're using (AES-256 for storage, TLS 1.3 for network traffic, that sort of thing), that's a warning sign. Actually, its more than a warning sign—it's a red flag.

What Good Security Practices Look Like

Here's what I expect from competent development teams when it comes to protecting user data and app security:

• They implement proper authentication systems (OAuth 2.0, biometric authentication where appropriate)
• They follow OWASP Mobile Security guidelines without you having to ask
• API keys and sensitive credentials never appear in the code itself—they use environment variables and secure key storage
• They conduct regular security audits and penetration testing
• Data minimisation is baked into their approach; they only collect what's genuinely needed
• They can clearly explain how they handle GDPR compliance and user consent
• Certificate pinning is implemented to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks
• They have a clear incident response plan if something goes wrong

Questions You Should Be Asking

Ask potential developers how they secure user sessions. Ask about their approach to storing passwords (they should never store plain text passwords, obviously). Ask what happens if a phone gets stolen—how is user data protected? Good developers will have detailed answers ready because they've thought about these scenarios dozens of times before. If they seem vague or dismissive about security concerns? Walk away. Honestly, you'll save yourself so much trouble down the line.

Performance and Speed Considerations

Right, so lets talk about performance—because this is where you can really spot whether a developer knows their stuff or is just winging it. I mean, anyone can build an app that works when one person's using it, but what happens when thousands of users hit your servers at once? That's when poor coding practices show up fast.

Modern developers should be obsessing over things like load times, battery consumption, and how much memory their code is eating up. If your developers aren't regularly testing on actual devices (not just simulators), thats a red flag. Simulators are helpful sure, but they don't show you how your app performs on a three-year-old phone with a dodgy connection and 47 other apps running in the background. And here's the thing—most of your users are on those older devices, not the latest flagship models. Understanding what performance metrics matter most is crucial for any team building modern applications.

What Good Performance Practices Look Like

When I'm evaluating a development teams technical skills, I look at specific performance-related habits they should have baked into their workflow:

• They're using lazy loading for images and content so everything doesn't try to load at once
• API calls are optimised and they're caching data properly to reduce unnecessary server requests
• They've implemented proper database indexing—sounds boring but it makes queries run 10x faster
• Code is minified and assets are compressed before shipping to production
• They monitor real-world performance metrics using tools like Firebase Performance or New Relic

One thing that drives me mad is when developers ignore memory leaks. A memory leak is basically when an app doesn't properly clean up after itself, so it keeps using more and more of your phones memory until everything slows down or crashes. Good developers run profiling tools regularly to catch these issues before they reach users. If your team isn't doing this, you'll end up with an app that works fine in testing but gets one-star reviews saying "this app killed my battery" or "it keeps crashing." And honestly, those reviews are really hard to recover from once they start piling up.

Ask your developers what their target app launch time is—if they haven't set specific performance benchmarks, that's a problem. Modern apps should launch in under 2 seconds on average devices.

Documentation and Code Organisation

Right, lets talk about documentation—because honestly, this is where you can spot a professional team from a mile away. Good developers don't just write code that works; they write code that other people (including their future selves) can actually understand. I've seen projects with brilliant functionality but terrible documentation, and its a nightmare when you need to make changes or fix bugs. The code might as well be written in ancient Greek.

Here's the thing—modern development teams treat documentation as part of the actual development process, not something they do at the end if theres time left. They document their code inline with clear comments explaining why certain decisions were made, not just what the code does. You know what? The "why" is so much more important than the "what" because any decent developer can read code and figure out what it does, but understanding the reasoning behind it? That saves hours of head-scratching later on.

What Good Documentation Looks Like

Professional teams maintain several types of documentation, and you should expect to see most of these in a modern project:

• README files that explain how to set up and run the project locally
• API documentation showing how different parts of the app communicate
• Architecture diagrams that map out how everything fits together
• Setup guides for new developers joining the team
• Change logs tracking what's been updated in each version
• Inline code comments explaining complex logic or unusual solutions

Code Organisation Standards

Modern teams also follow clear patterns for organising their code—things like feature-based folder structures, consistent naming conventions, and separation of concerns. They don't just dump everything into one massive file. Actually, when I review a project's codebase, I can tell within minutes whether the team knows what theyre doing just by looking at how the files and folders are structured. If it takes me more than a few seconds to find where user authentication is handled or where API calls are made, something's wrong with the organisation.

How They Handle Updates and Maintenance

Here's something that gets overlooked way too often—how a development team handles updates and maintenance says loads about their technical approach. I mean, building an app is one thing; keeping it running smoothly for years is another beast entirely. Modern developers know this and they've got systems in place to make maintenance manageable rather than a nightmare.

Good developers use version control systems like Git (and if they're not using any version control at all, run for the hills). They'll have clear branching strategies that let them work on new features whilst keeping the production app stable. When they push updates, they're doing it through proper CI/CD pipelines—thats continuous integration and continuous deployment for those wondering. Basically, it means updates can happen smoothly without breaking everything.

Ask them about their update schedule and monitoring systems. Do they have tools that alert them when something goes wrong? Can they roll back an update quickly if needed? Modern teams use crash reporting tools like Sentry or Firebase Crashlytics that tell them about problems before users even complain. They're also tracking performance metrics constantly, not just checking in when things go wrong.

A development team that treats maintenance as an afterthought will cost you far more in the long run than one that builds it into their process from day one

And here's the thing—maintenance isn't just about fixing bugs. Its about keeping up with OS updates, security patches, and evolving user needs. iOS and Android release major updates regularly and apps need to adapt. Developers using modern methods will have a plan for this; they wont be scrambling every time Apple or Google changes something. They'll also document their code properly so that when updates are needed, they're not trying to decipher what past decisions meant. Good maintenance practices separate developers who think long-term from those who just want to ship and forget.

Look—after building apps for over eight years and working with development teams across the globe, I can tell you that spotting modern coding practices isn't about memorising a checklist. Its about understanding what separates good developers from great ones, and honestly? The best teams make it obvious from your very first conversation with them.

Modern developers don't hide behind jargon or make you feel stupid for asking questions; they explain their approach in plain English and show genuine enthusiasm when discussing things like automated testing or continuous integration. They talk about code quality like it matters—because to them, it really does. And here's the thing: they'll volunteer information about their processes without you needing to interrogate them.

You see, the technical indicators we've covered throughout this guide are important, but they all point to one fundamental truth: good developers care about building software that lasts. They write code that other people can understand. They test their work properly. They think about security from day one, not as an afterthought. They document what they do so that future developers (or future them!) can pick up where they left off.

But here's what I want you to remember most—you don't need to become a technical expert yourself to evaluate developers. You just need to pay attention to how they work, what questions they ask you, and whether their practices align with the standards we've discussed. If they're using version control, writing tests, conducting code reviews, keeping dependencies updated, and taking security seriously? You're in good hands.

The mobile app industry moves fast and the tools change constantly, but the principles behind good development stay remarkably consistent. Trust your instincts, ask the right questions, and don't settle for a team that cant clearly explain how they work. Your app—and your users—deserve better than that.