Trends in Mobile App Development
When
the first smartphone was launched for the general public in 1994, nobody could
have predicted how integral a part of our life it will become. Currently we
have 2.1 billion mobile users and in 2019, the number is expected to cross the
5 billion mark according to a report by Statista .
Another
statistic to be noted before moving ahead is that according to comScore Future
Digital Report 2018, 80-90% of mobile time is spent on mobile apps rather than
websites. This leads us to believe that mobiles or rather smartphones have an
ecosystem of their own, separate from computers and laptops. So, mobile app
development has become an effective way of reaching uses/ target audience.
1) Custom Mobile App for Your Brand
Even though
websites are designed to be responsive and mobile friendly, apps provide a more
intuitive way of browsing. This means that not just the services companies but
those involved in sharing of information are also developing, or getting
developed, mobile apps to provide a better user experience. Customized mobile
apps have been gaining traction in the past few years. In 2019 the trend is
going to be stronger.
It is not just the
biggies like Amazon, Alibaba and Flipkart who want to increase mobile user
experience and hence sales through their own mobile applications. Now even the
smaller players including the local businesses want to have their own apps
created according to their requirement. So, besides the traditional industries
like healthcare, insurance, fitness, e-commerce and fintech , businesses as
varied as food delivery, organic products, laundry services, plumbing, bespoke
tailoring, handbags and accessories designing, etc. will want their own mobile
apps suited specially to their niche customers.
As someone
interested in developing mobile apps, you must be prepared to come up with
customised on-demand mobile applications. In fact, this could be an easy way to
generate revenue as you tap newer markets.
2) M-commerce
It is said that
money makes the world go around. If you are a mobile app developer, you
must take this saying to your heart and focus on apps around m-commerce.
According to research, the number of m-commerce transactions will surpass the
number of E-Commerce transactions in 2019. Also, online payments through mobile
contactless methods is increasing at a CAGR of 30%, where the leading players
are Google pay and Apple pay apps.
These facts and
figures show that m-commerce is going to be a guiding force in both Android
app development and iOS
app development environments.
3) Mobile Payment
When you talk about M commerce, in a
payment cannot be far behind. as people get more comfortable and confident in
making online payment, mobile application must integrate multiple payment
gateways. Any successful mobile app must have at least three or four methods of
making payment like credit or debit cards, mobile wallets, gift cards, etc.
with many European countries set to regulate cryptocurrencies by 2020, you
could even look at including cryptocurrency payments methods as well. After
all, with so many players in the mobile industry, this could make you stand out
easily.
4) Wearable Apps
According to CCS
Insights latest forecast, the number of wearable devices is set to triple from
84 million units in 2015 to 245 million units in 2019. In monetary terms, the
wearable industry will be worth USD33 billion by the end of 2019. With so much
demand of wearable gadgets, be it smart watches, fitness trackers or wearable
headsets, the wearable apps industry is set to boom as well.
Currently, all wearable
gadgets are synchronized to the smartphones. So, the two must have apps that
are paired with each other. With the number of players in mobile development
industry growing by the minute, wearable apps provide a new market. Although
currently smart watches and fitness gadgets are the most popular ones in
wearables, other devices are predicted to catch up soon.
5) AR and VR
Over the past few years
Augmented reality has revolutionized app development in entertainment and
gaming industry. In 2019 AR is expected to transform app development trends in
various fields like health, engineering, real estate, retail, etc.
For example, an Interior Designer can launch her own mobile
application that asks the potential customer only to upload images or videos of
property they want to upgrade. Using augmented reality, the app can then give
the customer a preview of the property based on their specifications. This is win
situation for both the designer and customer . the designer is saved the
headache of convincing the customer about the appropriateness of their
selection. At the same time the customer can see whether their choices
actually translate into what they had Wanted to start with.
Like AR, virtual
reality is another mobile application trend that will be hot in 2019.
Traditionally, virtual reality has been used for simulation of scenarios
that are difficult as well as expensive to create. for example, human body simulation
for medical students, space simulation for astronauts, etc. however , VR
has caught the fancy of businesses, as it can help them to recreate how a
certain product would look on their customers. So, you have applications that
can show how a dress or jewelleries or spectacles would look on you before you
actually purchase them. Of course, as people prefer being online through their
mobiles, businesses need to have their own mobile applications to provide this
experience to their customers.
6) Artificial Intelligence
According to Gartner,
artificial intelligence will not attract more investment as compared to 2018
but its usage across platforms will increase drastically. What is common
between Siri, Cortana, Alexa and Google assistant? They are applications that
make our life much easier by taking over everyday tasks like reading, writing
and sending messages, switching camera and microphone on and off, searching
internet for information, setting reminders, etc. through their artificial
intelligence capabilities.
As businesses see the
popularity of these virtual assistants, they want similar mobile applications
in the form of chatbots and personal assistant. As a developer you cannot
ignore this latest app trend and hence you must gear up to develop such
applications in the coming year.
7) Cloud Integration
Every professional is
using or has used Dropbox, Evernote, Google notes at some point of time. These
applications hosted on cloud enable them to access their personal as well as
professional data anytime from anywhere. When these apps were launched there
were many issues around their security and privacy. One cannot claim that these
issues has been resolved completely but they are much more in control. So,
their use has increased manifold. These changes have had an impact on mobile
industry as well.
One of the hottest
trends in mobile application
development in 2019 is going to be cloud integration for
mobile applications. This will ensure a seamless experience for the users. It
makes even more sense for organisations involved in training people as the
trainees can access material from anywhere in their own time. With more and
more businesses struggling to engage people, cloud integration of mobile
applications will take a jump in 2019.
8) App Security
Some thoughts that cross
the users’ mind while installing Apps on their smartphones include:
- Does the app Keep my private data secure?
- Is it possible that someone can hack into my data stored
in the app?
- How much data does the app need?
- Is the app a resource hog, which will slow down my
phone?
- Can my data be misused?
Mobile app development
companies need to address these concerns if they wish to succeed. As the
Gartner report points, the discussion on security has moved from being
compliant to doing the right thing in 2019. mobile apps that convince the users
that you have taken care of their security can only succeed.
9) Internet of Things
As you probably
know, a network of interconnected smart devices is known as Internet of Things
(IoT). We have just now discussed how smartphones need to be connected to
wearable devices. However, IoT involves lots of other smart devices that have
special circuits, sensors and software built into them. These software are
nothing but apps that can be developed by any mobile app developer .
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