From being a luxury in the 1980s to a rudimentary need in 2020, mobile phones have definitely witnessed a massive transformation in the past few decades.
While the initial invention of mobiles made it possible for us to connect, today, there is much more to achieve with smartphones than just make some calls. Powered with multimedia functionalities, a myriad range of sensors, and especially a wide spectrum of multifunctional applications, today’s mobiles are the most handy and cutting-edge devices available commercially.
However, it doesn’t stop there.
Emerging technological advancements weaved with futuristic applications has led to the improvement in these hand-held devices every year. More than 40% of the world’s population today owns a smartphone, and by the end of this year, more than 300 million people will also jump on the smartphone bandwagon.
This will lead to a revenue generation of more than $581 billion for mobile industries.
The smartphone industry is at its peak right now, and innovative apps have played a major role in its success. With each passing day, the capabilities of these applications are growing leaps and bounds. In 2021, the app development field will again experience some pioneering developments to transform the way we leverage these quintessential devices.
Trends in Mobile Application Development
Here is a list of some mobile app development trends that will revolutionize the smartphone market.
1. Cognitive AI and Intelligent Chatbots
The advent of Artificial Intelligence has transformed almost every industrial or commercial segment. Infused with voice recognition and face identification capabilities, this technology enables apps to identify & predict users’ behavior, integrate high-end security features, and identify objects that are scanned with the camera.
Furthermore, the integration of chatbots in applications is also improving their capabilities. They empower service providers to interact in real-time with customers without human-to-human interaction, enabling users to experience exceptional customer service and SPs to leverage the user-centric data gathered from chatbots.
2. Apps for Flip Phones
Flip Phones were considered as a hallmark of luxury when they were launched. However, the arrival of touch screen phones with one to no buttons made these devices obsolete.
But they are now making a comeback.
Companies like Samsung and Huawei have already rolled out their first range of foldable smartphones. These phones can be compressed or expanded as per the preference of users, allowing them to enjoy the functionality as per their liking.
From the viewpoint of app development, applications will now be customized for these flip phones as well. As these phones are quite new in the market, an upsurge for applications compatible with these devices will be witnessed in 2021.
3. Instant Apps
Small-sized instant apps are in trend right now. These apps are quite perfect for users to comprehend the basic functionalities of an app without downloading it.
These apps are quite perfect for giving a demo and user-friendly or memory-efficient services to the user about the native full-scale application. This helps the users to decide if they would like to install the app on their devices.
These apps are more useful when intertwined with digital marketing and advertising strategies to reach target audiences and influence them to download the app. Hence, they can be anticipated to be in huge demand this year.
4. 5G Implementation
One other way to comprehend the growth of the mobile realm is to understand the diversification and increase in the range of cellular connectivity all around the world. Today, 5G has become a standard to determine internet speed, traffic capacity, overall throughput, spectrum efficiency, and network effectiveness.
The growth of the 5G network will leave its impact on app development as well. The features of 5G cellular connectivity are expected to empower 3D multiplayer gaming, implementation of AR capabilities, and enforce data security.
5. Wearable App Development
Wearables such as smartwatches, healthcare monitors, and fitness bracelets have seen explosive growth in the past few years and are expected to continue their market expansion in the time to come.
Applications that properly sync wearable devices with smartphones are hence in huge demand right now. In the US alone, adult users of wearables have increased by more than 15% in the past four years. This growth is quite reasonable considering the experience a user can garner from one of a kind features of such apps.
6. On-Demand Apps
The concept of on-demand apps is not new but sure is revolutionary. These apps have made lives simpler as they enable the procurement of any product or service at the desired location. They are easy to use and offer quick provisioning of any item that a person might need.
These features have enabled this application segment to attract more than 22.4 million consumers every year, who are anticipated to spend more than 57 billion USD on on-demand apps.
While these apps have been in trend for some years now, they can be expected to grow exponentially in the time to come. Their implementation is quite prevalent for food & grocery delivery, ride-hailing, healthcare & pharmaceutical provisioning, and home services.
Also, due to their resonance with sharing economy business models, these apps can be expected to offer far more unique features than they already have in the past. Uber and Airbnb are fine examples of these apps being used for such business models.
7. Location Tracking by Apps
Along with smartphones, applications nowadays can also track the location of their users. While most of the apps track users’ positions in order to provide their services at the pinpoint location, it is also used to collect data about users’ demographics.
The rise of location tracking is increasing rapidly in apps as it helps companies enhance their marketing campaigns. They can run promotional ads based on the targeted location of their users, which in turn helps them to drive online sales.
In the distant future, this technique is going to be used immensely by companies to boost their conversion rate, making location tracking a trend to watch out for in mobile app development.
8. IoT Powered Apps
The world where everything will be controlled on a single tap on a smartphone display is not far fetched. And the technology of the Internet of Things is making this possible far earlier than imagined.
Not only in industries, but the prowess of this disruptive technology can be seen at homes too. IoT creates a network of interconnected devices that share data in an interoperable manner. This data is controlled by a mobile app, allowing users to regulate their devices remotely.
For example, users can use an app to turn on or adjust the settings of their air conditioners before they reach home. Similarly, the apps can be used to monitor appliances, access security systems & cameras, or control devices from anywhere in the world.
9. Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality, out of all the other immersive technologies, is the only one that is easily compatible with mobile phones. It submerges virtual objects in real surroundings allowing users to experience visually empowered surroundings.
Apps leveraging this technology are quite famous among youth due to their visually appealing characteristics. Implementation of this technological advancement can be seen in photography related apps and games that use virtual elements to provide an immersive gaming experience to the users.
Slowly but evidently, this technology is also gaining traction, opening new doors of possibilities in mobile app development.
Wrapping It Up
There are more than 2.2 million apps on the app store and more than 2.8 million on the play store. With time this number is going to dramatically increase. What’ll be even more interesting to see is the features and trends these apps will follow.
By employing the above-mentioned trends, applications are going to gain more features and functionalities, which in turn will elevate the experience of the users.
