For the past few decades, the world has witnessed new technological innovations across all sectors, including apps. Mobile app development is one of the fast-growing sectors in the market. With over one billion smartphones and approximately 180 apps being downloaded per year, the world of mobile app development is undoubtedly the most innovative sector globally.
Within a few years after the invention, smartphones have become people’s companions, and that’s why mobile app technology is constantly changing. The mobile app market is dominated by Google, gaming, and social media apps.
Most businesses use apps for branding, marketing, and increasing customer engagement. There are also recent developments in the ways mobile apps work. You can even see some concrete examples, figures, and statistics of development trends here. Read on to learn more.
M-Commerce
M-commerce is a recent mobile app trend that has continued to impact how people do business. Consumers are adopting M-commerce, especially when making purchases.
The invention of Google Wallet and Apple Pay makes it possible to pay using smartphones, apart from using debit and credit cards to make purchases.
The rise of M-commerce will urge developers to create more mobile apps that will make it possible to process transactions without the need for physical cash, debit, or credit cards.
Virtual Events Streaming
Virtual events streaming is one of the latest trends in mobile app development. It was developed amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic since people could no longer meet and gather in person. It’s one of the popular virtual event platforms for connecting people across the globe, and it’s expected to continue post-COVID-19 era.
What makes this technology unique is that users can communicate with different participants, listen to different speakers, visit various booths, and even change rooms. In the future, it’s expected that more of these platforms will be created to grow beyond our imaginations.
Wearable Devices
Smart wearable devices like Microsoft’s HoloLens and Apple Watch mark a transition from basic to smart wearables. This transition will bring new opportunities for suppliers, accessory makers, and app developers.
At this point, mobile phones have become the center of personal area networks consisting of wearable smart items such as smartwatches, smart jewelry, on-body healthcare sensors.
These items will communicate with smartphone apps to deliver information in new ways. This trend will positively impact areas such as fashion, healthcare, sports, and fitness.
Beacon Technology
With the invention and advancements in technology, nowadays, shopping is mostly done online. When you search for an item online, the app on your smartphone will show you the price, specifications, and all the shops selling that item.
Suppose you want to buy a pair of trousers online and try it physically before paying for them. Beacon technology makes use of the Bluetooth Low Energy network to make this possible. When you enter a beacon zone, a mobile app will receive the signal and provide you with details of the nearest stores with the same products. This way, you can contact the store for a fitting or even ask them more questions about the item you’re eyeing to purchase.
Internet Of Things
The internet has changed how people do things, including how they communicate. Life has also been made easier with the invention of the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT has positively affected different domains like wearable health monitors, biometric cybersecurity scanners, smart home security systems, etc.
IoT is here to stay, and it’s believed that soon there’ll be more than 30 billion connected devices. These devices will include thousands of smart objects such as domestic appliances, LED light bulbs, sports equipment, controllable power sockets, smart and self-driving cars, smart homes and cities, etc.
These smart objects will communicate through a mobile app, where mobile phones will act as a remote control for these objects.
5G Technology
Most networks are shifting from 4G to 5G technology. The introduction of the 5G technology will create a data-intensive environment that will provide new markets for developers. It will strengthen smartphone network connectivity and improve the mobile experience by offering lower latency. This will increase mobile connectivity speed up to ten times faster than the current wireless technology. 5G network will make it possible for companies to automate more of their core processes.
Motion And Location Sensing
Currently, most smartphones are location sensor enabled. They use multiple positioning methods to provide location data. Motion sensing apps are mostly used in anti-theft, security, games, and power-saving.
Location sensing is helpful in vehicle navigation, geotagging, games, and fitness. These apps use technologies such as imaging, Wi-Fi, and geomagnetic and ultrasonic beacons. Technologies like smart lighting are likewise improving to play a significant role in motion and location sensing.
Also, indoor location sensing combined with smartphone phone apps will enable new features to boost highly personalized services and information.
Biometric Authentication
Biometric authentication plays a significant role in mobile apps related to industries such as finance, banking, and payments. At first, this technology was only used to unlock mobile phones, but currently, it has become a convenient mode for logins into apps.
Nowadays, for some brands and models, you don’t need to type any login details or draw a pattern. You only need to touch a designated part of the phone or align your face towards the front camera to log in.
Soon, all mobile apps will be looking to implement the fingerprint and face scanning unlock option for logins. Apart from fingerprint and face scanning, biometric recognition will include hand geometry and voice recognition.
Enterprise Mobile Apps
These are mobile apps developed by companies for their staff to carry out the company’s activities. Enterprise mobile apps are gaining more popularity across the world. These apps help companies generate more revenue since employees can access the mobile enterprise app with ease.
Enterprise mobile apps improve communication within the organization, employee satisfaction, and productivity. More and more companies are expected to develop mobile enterprise apps to compete in the market more effectively.
Geolocation Apps
The geolocation smartphone app is already a prominent trend and will continue to gain popularity in the coming years. It allows the mobile app to deliver a highly personalized experience to its users. It works by providing location-based services to cater to the customers’ needs. This technology is expected to provide personalized recommendations and better location suggestions.
Takeaway
The world of mobile app development looks more promising than ever. With 5G, M-commerce, mobile enterprise apps, beacon technology, and others, more businesses will be turning to mobile apps for a better experience and win a better share in the market.
