What’s Next for Mobile Apps?

If you are a mobile app reseller, content creator, or developer, you need to know how the industry will take shape in the coming years. To know how to adapt, you need to know what’s coming next for mobile apps. That’s the only way to stay relevant and ready to meet changing consumer expectations. 

The constant change the industry has seen is due to advancements in technology, consumer preferences, and demands of the larger ecosystem. The pandemic and the increased digitalization of everything from dating to banking to shopping has put severe demands on the industry. Based on industry research, these 15 app development trends will take the center stage in 2021 and beyond.

1. Internet of Things (IoT) integration

By 2023, the global IoT market is expected to hit $318 billion. Although it has been around for a while, IoT will see its next phase of growth through mobile integration. Increasing reliance on mobile phones will make them the gateway for the IoT expansion in the consumer sector.

With an increasing number of devices connected to the internet, automated management will be in the hands of consumers. Smart home technology will finally gain traction as people realize the convenience of managing everything from refrigerators to thermostats through their mobile phones. 

2. Apps for foldable devices

In the great tech cycle of life, flip phones are coming back to our lives. With Huawei Mate X, Samsung Galaxy Fold, and Motorola Razr, the foldable smartphone market is about to witness intense competition. According to an analysis, close to 50 million smartphones will be shipped by 2022.

Foldable devices present a new set of challenges to mobile app developers. They will have to ensure that an app will be able to seamlessly expand or shrink its display as the phone folds or unfolds. 

3. 5G technology

5G will fundamentally change the way the internet works. With an improvement of over 10 times in latency speeds, it will make the internet faster by up to 100 times. We don’t know how this exponential increase in speed will affect app development for sure but there are certain unmissable trends.

App developers currently have to take into account slower or interrupted internet connections. But 5G will unlock efficiency and speed which will free content creators and app developers to incorporate new features. For that, they will have to test their apps using the expected 5G speeds.

4. Growth of wearable devices

Wearable technology isn’t entirely new. There’s already a massive market for fitness bands and smartwatches among others. But the compounded growth over the last few years will result in mass adoption soon. 

Apps will have to be created for this new ecosystem where a smartwatch might become the primary access point for users. With advanced sensors, healthcare apps could be at the forefront of this integration. Developers will have to take into account the demands of wearable healthcare apps when entering this category. 

5. Beacon technology

Proximity marketing is taking off, especially in the retail, healthcare, and hospitality industries, and beacon technology’s integration into mobile phones has a crucial role in it. Developed in 2013, beacons enable businesses and organizations to engage with customers who are on their premises, based on their actions. 

For example, a retailer with beacons in their store will be able to notify customers about special sales if the customer also has the app installed on their phones. By tracking a customer’s behavior in stores, and sending relevant messages, businesses will be able to employ customized marketing. 

6. Mobile commerce

From the US to India to China, mobile commerce is already redefining e-commerce. A mobile app is crucial whether the client is a marketplace, an online seller, a personal brand, or a content creator. Without a functional and effective mobile app, it will be impossible to acquire and retain online buyers. 

According to a survey, close to 73 percent of all e-commerce sales will be driven through mobile phones by the end of 2021. App developers will have to look beyond mobile commerce and integrate the shareable aspects of social commerce to be relevant for this market. 

7. Artificial intelligence (AI)

Machine learning and AI have already made their impacts on the mobile app industry. But this is just the beginning. The current mass usage of AI-driven technologies, while innovative, is only symbolic of what lies ahead. Siri and Alexa are only signs of things to come. 

Face detection and speech recognition are only the early results of this integration. When AI gets embedded into mobile apps, you can expect predictive maintenance, sentiment recognition, emotion classification, and several other features. 

8. Mobile payments and mobile wallets

Along with mobile commerce, there will be a dramatic rise in the use of mobile payments and mobile wallets. By 2022, the cumulative value of payments through these next-generation technologies is expected to be close to $14 billion. 

Driving it are WeChat Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. WeChat Pay alone has over 600 million users, more than the combined numbers of several others. Without a mobile payment feature or wallet integration, apps across categories will find it difficult to compete and stay relevant. 

9. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)

Virtual reality has already made its presence felt across several sectors. Its mass adoption will change the way several industries function. From gaming to tourism, VR integration will deliver enhanced and customized user experiences. 

AR too will become integral to apps in several sectors. The fashion industry, for example, has already started deploying AR to help customers try out shoes, clothes, and even hairstyles before making a purchasing decision.

10. Chatbots

While chatbots have been in service for a decade or more, their application is still limited to a handful of sectors. E-commerce, for example, has been using chatbots successfully. Customers have overcome their initial hesitation as chatbots now use AI to deliver human-like and customized interactions. 

Efficient chatbots will become increasingly key to customer satisfaction beyond e-commerce and mobile commerce. There is a massive opportunity for app developers to integrate chatbots into their offerings irrespective of the sector they operate in. 

11. Enhanced app security

The past year and a half have also taught us the need for greater app security. Cybercrime is on an exponential rise and neither organizations nor individuals are immune from its threats. One survey suggests that almost 80 percent of all fraud originates from apps.

With increasing malware attacks, app developers will have to improve their security credentials continuously. App security will be one of the features that both customers and marketplaces will use to judge the effectiveness of a mobile app. 

12. Predictive analytics

The next big thing in mobile app development could be predictive analytics which will use the combined strengths of modeling, data mining, AI, and machine learning. Customers are already familiar with the recommendations of streaming services that use predictive analytics to forecast user preferences based on their previous actions. 

More industries will employ predictive analytics for greater efficiency and customer engagement. By using it, app developers will create exceptionally customized user experiences that will increase loyalty. From mobile commerce to pharma, the opportunities for predictive analytics are immense. 

13. On-demand app development

The CEO of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, recently asked his colleagues to be frightened of the new players in fin-tech. He was referring to the exponential growth of on-demand finance apps. From pet care to medicine, food delivery to fitness, on-demand apps are disrupting legacy organizations and creating newer markets, and shaping customer behaviors.

App developers should include on-demand capabilities that will help widen their customer base. When consumption happens because of an on-demand customer need, apps should have the bandwidth to service that.

14. Integration of cloud computing

App developers still haven’t made use of the immense potential of cloud computing. This is one of the most effective ways to improve app performance irrespective of the storage and computing powers of the user’s device. 

Cloud computing will enable apps to store data and conduct tasks on the cloud. This will free up space in the device and enable users to access services even with underperforming devices or slower internet connections. Importantly, it will be a cost-effective solution for everyone concerned. So, cloud computing needs to be integrated into app development in 2021.

15. Instant apps

The try-first-buy-later trend is also becoming mainstream in the mobile app industry. There will be more demand for instant apps that will let buyers experience apps before downloading them. This will give tremendous feedback that app developers can use to improve the app experience. 

Although instant apps will be smaller versions of the real apps, there will be a growing market for them.  

In short

As an app developer or reseller, you don’t have to incorporate all these trends. But you will have to pay attention to those that might be relevant to your sector and target audience. Mobile apps that are designed to meet changing customer and industry expectations are the ones that will make a mark in the industry.