An overview of the latest trends in mobile app development
By Antony
An overview of the latest trends in mobile app development
When it comes to shopping, ordering your favorite meal, saving money, calling a taxi, or any other daily activity on the Internet, what device do you immediately think of to perform all these actions? Your smartphone, right? And so do all of us. The mobile device has become a true friend to us and now greatly simplifies the solution of everyday tasks, thereby changing our attitude toward information.
It would not be a mistake to say that mobile technologies are developing at the speed of light and that applications have become an integral part of the digital ecosystem. Applications are evolving and are present in every sphere. And now, being aware of the latest trends in mobile application development has become more of a necessity and not just an option.
Let’s take a look at 12 major trends in the mobile application market.
1. Rapid Mobile Development
Businesses are going through a tough period due to the increasing demand for mobile applications. With the advanced requirements, businesses are competing to launch their products and services faster than anyone else. The main goal for mobile app developers will be to reduce the development life cycle and reduce the time difference between the idea and the launch of the application. You can check out the cutting-edge speed app development tools and frameworks that are currently available in the market. Many companies are gearing up to introduce solutions that can meet the consumer demand for quick launch of their application and here we can cite the example of Multicore JIT, Gesture Search, SwipePad, etc. Such mobile development solutions have been created based on the idea of providing relevant value to customers at every stage of development using key components including quick launch and fast access to the market.
2. Under the influence of cloud technologies
The flourishing cloud technology is expected to play a major role in creating an app. There has been a significant shift in the use of mobile devices in recent times, and this has led to app developers focusing more on the ability to integrate and sync apps developed for different devices. The cloud approach will help developers create features that can be easily used across different mobile devices with similar data and features.
There are currently several companies working on cloud app development platforms. App developers use a set of tools to build apps, and continuously integrate, test, and publish their apps to stores. This helps in the fastest development process and does not require deep technical knowledge.
3. Security in applications
Recently, several reports have been published that point to the problems users have with hackers. According to Gartner, 75% of mobile apps will fail even basic security tests. Hackers will continue to exploit security flaws in mobile apps to obtain sensitive and confidential information. Security remains a big issue in mobile apps. Developers must take security issues such as unprotected data storage, unwanted data leakage, compromised cryptography, etc. more seriously.
4. Location-based services and Beacon Internet (Wi-Fi) technologies
Beacon (Beam) technologies are blurring the boundaries between online and offline states, be it in the retail sector or advertising. This technology is already being used in iOS applications and is expected to be used in Android systems shortly. Almost every industry — retail, hospitality, tourism, education, healthcare, entertainment, travel, business, real estate, advertising, etc. — benefits from such online services. We can better understand this trend by looking at the example of Beacon technologies that are used in large buildings. It is quite common to see beacons installed in large buildings for mapping purposes. This way, in case of an emergency, it is possible to quickly find out where the problem is. You can get a list of locations monitored through beacons or temperature sensors that help to identify danger zones in emergencies such as a fire.
5. Carrier technologies
Thanks to the Apple Watch, wearable technology has become the hottest topic in consumer electronics. Most wearable devices developed so far have focused on health and fitness. However, since early 2015, wearable technology is expected to be used in businesses to improve their efficiency and productivity. For example, the fashion and textile industries are currently seeing a boom, and this happened after the adoption of wearable technology. Therefore, the development of cross-device applications that can run on both cellular devices and wearables, including any third-party device, is now actively encouraged. This will undoubtedly create unlimited scope for new applications and break the limitations of traditional fitness and health applications.
6. Mobile banking, payments and M-commerce
Recent studies have shown that 19% of commercial sales are conducted via smartphones or tablets. Analysts say this trend will continue as more consumers embrace M-commerce services. Transferring money or purchasing goods via mobile phone is becoming as common as using a credit or debit card. This means that developers can create mobile apps that can process transactions without the use of cash or any physical cards.
7. Internet of Things (IoT)
Just like cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT) is gaining immense popularity. Although this phenomenon is just beginning to attract serious attention, in the future, this attention will grow along with innovations and implementations that will open up a new world of connectivity and information sources. Some key IoT trends that will be considered are new devices, the development of new standards for multi-sensor support and M2M automation, and issues related to security and privacy concerns. These trends clearly define the boom around IoT, which will lead to an increase in the use of related products and the growth of the required ecosystem. Some companies are still underestimating the impact of IoT on the market and business processes, and they are strongly advised to keep an eye on these trends, as they may affect their business goals.
Thus, it is expected that IoT will be everywhere, and developers are advised to create flexible mobile programs that would cover new opportunities.
8. User experience, app analytics, and big data
User Experience (UX) is the technology of the future. With the use of tablets, smartphones, and wearables growing every day, UX will become more important than ever. At first glance, this may seem complicated, especially when you need to remember all the in-app ads and purchases. Here, data analytics will play an important role, helping app developers make improvements to the UX.
Therefore, building a mobile app should not be separated from analytics or the use of big data. Modern business requires instant insight into real data that reflects customer behavior and informs the decision-making process. The relationship between big data and app analytics takes place, on the one hand, in ineffective business processes and, on the other hand, in improving the UX.
9. Advanced Enterprise Applications
According to IDC, 35% of large enterprises will use development platforms to create and launch mobile applications. This will lead to a rise in enterprise app stores, which contain internal app ratings that allow companies to weed out unused applications, thereby saving a huge amount of costs. Many enterprise app stores integrate with public stores that are accessible to a wider audience. Thus, mobile app developers will have a huge opportunity in the rapidly growing mobile market.
10. Marketing, Advertising, and In-App Purchases
According to a new study conducted by Juniper Research, in-app advertising costs across all mobile devices will increase several times. Mobile ads are no longer limited to banners, various ad formats such as images, text, or video are being integrated and used right now. Both areas, mobile in-app ads, and purchases, will become the focal point for monetization and the ladder to success, as many app developers are already moving away from paid download models.
Marketing methods in mobile apps are also constantly evolving. In previous years, marketers focused on attracting maximum user attention (app downloads) instead of their direct participation. Now, developers and marketers have begun to understand the importance of an enhanced experience for repeat users. A repeat user is considered more active and loyal than users collected through several paid channels. As noted earlier, a good user experience can be created by constantly analyzing user behavior and improving the app accordingly. The availability of Wi-Fi services and beacon technology allows marketers to create a completely new type of advertising based on precise information about the location and context of the user.
11. HTML 5
HTML 5 and other similar development tools are gaining popularity. As this technology becomes more widely used, enterprises will start using “hybrids” as the primary technology for mobile applications. Unlike native app development, mobile apps are built using hybrid frameworks such as Ionic, Mobile Angular UI, Intel XDK, or Sencha Touch, which are supported by various platforms. Another important factor is that it is becoming much cheaper to reach a large user base. For this reason, developers should take a closer look at hybrid technologies and perhaps even consider focusing on native app development only.
12. Mobile games
In recent years, there has been a gradual shift towards multiplayer gaming in the mobile gaming industry. And so, the integration of social networks in games will be more important than ever before. In addition, mobile games will increasingly rely on cloud technology to synchronize between different devices playing the same game or between different users participating in the same game.