What Is The Future Of Mobile App Development Looks Like After The Impact Of 2020?

 

Since the last decade, one industry that has been synonymous with rapid developments is the mobile app development industry. This appears to be obvious due to all the changes surrounding it. Changes in customer demands, technological advancements, and other factors directly impacted the trends of mobile apps and their development. If we closely study this domain of mobile apps, then we will find that arguably the most vital factor of finding success in this field is by staying relevant as per the modern trends of the market.

 

Business leaders are constantly on the lookout for newer research patterns and trending factors to gain a competitive edge in the market race. These trends are crucial for mobile app sellers. They need to align with them to serve the requirements and purpose of their clients in a constantly improving manner. Hence the worldwide scenario of mobile app development trends is continually evolving, for better or for worse. It is trying to feed us our smartphone accessibility needs.

 

The age of Smartphones and how mobile apps have impacted our lives?

Mobile app business Changes 

Technological advancements have gained Godspeed in the last few years and enhanced greatly beyond our imagination. Many technologies related to smartphones have become a quintessential part of our lifestyle. This growing demand for smartphone technology has profited the mobile app development industry a great deal. The mobile app development industry is also responsible for providing a rapid increase in revenue figures as well.

 

Statistics predict that the current revenue from the app market this year can be around 582 billion USD. We should thank the users and the app developers for maintaining the supply and demand chain and furthering it, nonetheless. Moreover, smartphone trends have simplified and improved our lifestyles to a large extent. So, we should be grateful to the developers for that.

 

Let us look at a few examples where mobile app usage has made business more efficient.

 

  • Zomato and Swiggy

Smartphone apps such as Zomato and Swiggy have been instrumental in boosting and sharing the business of the restaurant chains. This has not only enhanced business for both the parties but has also efficiently enhanced customer experience as well.

 

  • Uber

The advent of Uber has revolutionized the entire cab hiring prospects of the modern-day passengers. Newer mobile apps such as Ola have joined the bandwagon. Hence revolutionizing and improving the cab hiring experience for the riders while boosting business for the companies.

 

  • Amazon and Flipkart 

How can we avoid eCommerce and how Amazon and Flipkart have changed the entire spectrum in our society? Newer eCommerce companies are following suit and sharing business with numerous companies involved in producing varieties of consumer goods.

 

The previous year was sensational in terms of technological progress where IoT applications and AI considerably improved our experience. All the great things that occurred in the world of mobile app developments in the previous year are bound to reshape and better the industry in the years to come. The never-ending rise of smartphones has rendered a very strong and expanding customer base to the global enterprises. They are seeking newer ways of capturing the user’s imagination and fulfilling them through mobile app development. Every business has well recognized the power of mobile to enhance the brand’s visibility. They are hence trying its best to reap its benefits. Hence, the future of mobile applications already appeared to be brighter than ever when 2020 arrived with a once in a lifetime event, and not a happy one.

 

How is 2020 going to impact the mobile app development changes of the future?

 

This year has been catastrophic, to say the least. The sheer amount of human lives lost and endangered due to the global pandemic, Covid-19 outbreak.

 

  • The Coronavirus has affected more than 6 million people globally, causing around 400K deaths. The count keeps going upwards daily. The global economy has been hit severely by this outbreak. Hence, all impacted countries have to impose lockdown, which restricted the usual flow of business.
  • With the creation of a vaccine nowhere in close sight, the world and its people might have to adjust to a newer way of living amidst the corona outbreak. With the lockdown imposed, people were forced to stay at home for many days and refrain from going out.
  • Although that has changed in the past weeks and the lockdown has been lifted or relaxed in major countries. Yet the general outwardness of people has plummeted. It is safer to stay inside your home than being out there.
  • The global pandemic has stalled the growth of the mobile app development market to a large extent. Yet, with more people staying home and turning to their smartphones for performing multiple activities, many opportunities are being created for certain verticals.

 

How have mobile apps changed business during times of COVID?

 

The Coronavirus pandemic has revolutionized our approach to our daily life. The supply chain has been impacted severely. Businesses are trying to adapt to newer ways of operating with the help of app development technologies. Here are a few observations where it became successful.

 

  • IT industry & Mobile app business 

People are highly dependent on their smartphones now more than ever during social distancing. This might provide the much-required boost to the app market. The IT industry has seen a rise in mobile app growth prospectus because most organizations enable Work for Home for their employees. Multiple industries are facing a demand for various mobile applications for their smooth operations.

 

  • IoT sector

Smart devices that are software-driven have experienced a rise in their utility. This has opened up the possibility of expanding the market. The popularity of AI in the current technological world also attribute to the market expansion in such times. Android and IOS platforms are being exploited heavily for deploying mobile applications, which are designed by well-endowed software developers. This all looks promising for the market. The rapidly growing IoT sector is to be largely attributed to this growth of the mobile app market. The IoT sector allows capturing bulks of Information and utilizing them to enhance the application operability for the consumers.

 

  • Institutions and Colleges

Social distancing and lockdown have rendered the use of social media applications very frequent. Businesses, which were shut down due to the pandemic are trying to come up with technology-enabled ways of reopening their services and, hence generating revenue. For instance, institutions and colleges have resumed their classes by virtue of video calling apps. Although not many students would have voted for that surely. Rather they are liking the fact that they have more time to be on the web and spend on gaming applications and other media apps, which are also observed to be used more during this critical period.

 

  • E-commerce:

People are also resorting to E-commerce app in order to save themselves from venturing out to the market, allowing them to stay inside their homes more. In fact, E-commerce is one of the few markets that are to gain from this worldwide lockdown as more people seek out its benefits. The only possible restraints in the app market’s further development are the involvement of high costs and the lack of expertise in such scenarios.

 

Yet, the app market is set to thrive under such circumstances, and the top app trends are going to be decisive in ensuring the same. Let us have a look at them briefly.

 

The top 7 app development trends to look out for in 2020 focusing Mobile app business 

  1. 5G powered wireless technology

The wireless service powered by 5G is one of the most noteworthy technological advancements of the future. Not only in terms of mobile app development technologies but also in IT software advancements in general. 5G network is also dubbed as Wi-Fi 6. It promises a host of added benefits on top of its predecessor 4G network. The current industry is anticipating a rapid transition from 4G services to 5G by the end of this year.

5G services are touted to serve the following aspects supremely in the mobile app department:

  • Data security
  • 3D gaming
  • Augmented reality.

 

The wide range of opportunities provided by the 5G network is largely exploited by app developers around the Globe as they plan to utilize the enhanced network performance optimally to provide mobile apps for the future.

 

  1. APM and EPM

 

The Enterprise Mobile App development procedure has been doing the rounds of IT software development lately. It mainly comprises of EMM (Enterprise Mobile Management) and APM (Application Performance Management). APM is actually the result of mobile metrics combining with Goggle back in 2016. Its launch was aimed at reducing the snag, which tends to slow down the application performance. APM enhances the total functionality of the application. Due to this significant aspect, APM has henceforth become an indispensable tool for quality assurance for app testers.

 

EMM enables companies to ensure the safety of mobile devices handed over to the employees for enterprise usage. This gives them the power of mobile computing securely and organizes the procedures related to business, especially in the times of this pandemic, when everything s getting re-organized. EMM has become an inevitable and lifesaving tool in the era of lockdown and social distancing where employees are forced to serve their organizations from the safety of their own homes by practicing WFH (Work from Home) culture. It basically incorporates the components mentioned below.

  • App security.
  • Maintenance of application.
  • Management of finances.

 

It not only helps to strengthen the security structures but also boosts the efficiency of global employees by allowing them to exchange data over mobile devices. Hence help them carry on business as usual for their organizations.

 

  1. The Arrival of Beacon Technology

 

One of the first mobile app development trends that have proven to be vital and are being thoroughly embraced by many industries such as Healthcare, hotels, and museums is Beacon Technology. It has shown to be largely useful as a proximity marketing and location tracking technology. The fascinating part about it is its easy usability, which helps the user become used to it very quickly.

 

For people who are unaware of the term Beacon, read on. It is a transmitter which wirelessly transmits signals using BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) and particularly enhances sales related information exchange. Whenever a Beacon device enters a Zone enabled by Beacon, it received the signal and provided necessary confirmation and notifications. Beacons are particularly handy in the retail sectors, especially when merged with the boons of IoT. It successfully connects the gap between the users and the enterprise. Beacon has become a part of both Android and iOS app development after Apple incorporated the technology in its iBeacon, and Google already has its Eddystone.

 

There are a few technological trends related to Beacon that are going to be exploited in the near future. They are cited as follows.

  • AI-enabled microchips
  • Treasure hunting using Beacon
  • Mobile payments using Beacon technology.
  • Automated machine learning through the benefits of Beacon.
  • Beacon technology in travels and tourism
  • Healthcare tagging using Beacon technology

 

  1. AI and Machine Learning

We all know the advancements made by AI in the technological domain in the last decade. Global predictions suggest that the market for AI will expand up to 191 billion USD by the next five years. An increasing number of businesses are trying to integrate human intelligence with AI. The medical and manufacturing sectors are putting in tremendous efforts to promote their business efficiency through the help of AI. These improvements are only possible due to the higher precision and increased capacity of real-time events capturing.

The integration of AI and ML has become very crucial in mobile app development activities. Irrespective of the platform (Android or iOS), AI can learn the app-building procedure from past data and then try to identify issues and mitigate them on the run. It can also trace user behaviors and actions through their usage patterns on a daily basis. Then apply the necessary actions without guidelines.

 

With IoT and AI combining, we no longer require tapping our fingers to get the tasks completed. We can sit back and let AI control our devices all by itself. The future trends related to AI in mobile app development are as follows.

  • AI-powered face unlock & Face detection
  • Subject identification through a smart camera. ( Already in Use)
  • Adaptive battery life.
  • Predictive actions based on user behavior.
  • Language translations

 

  1. Increased use of Kotlin

 

The Kotlin programming language was the brainchild of JetBrains and a very successful one, to say the least. Google launched its support for the programming language back in 2017, and thereon Kotlin has not looked back. A StackOverflow survey resulted in more than 1 lakh voters vouching for Kotlin being their most loved programming language.

 

And all this is just the start. The love for Kotlin app development is going to multiply as Android developers find it very endearing to code using the language. As Android mobile app demands resurface, Kotlin is bound to emerge to the fore and prove to be the superstar among Android App developers.

 

  1. Medical and Healthcare Tech

 

The current global situation has pushed the Healthcare app development sector to come up with newer ways of benefiting humankind. The subject of medicine provides a lot of scope for present-day technology. Wearable technology had already enhanced diagnostic tools. This has eliminated the need for a patient to visit the clinic for a health check-up. These tools are going to be in more demand now as social distancing seems to be the only way to stay safe. Machine learning apps can be integrated into mobile apps to create a more personalized diagnosis and treatment. Chatbots are being used to provide virtual nursing by facilitating communication and information sharing between the doctors and their patients.

 

  1. Virtual Reality

 

This is one mobile app development trend that was noticed earlier in 2019 and is only going to be gain ground this year. Mobile apps had started to shift their focus to augmented and virtual reality, not only via gaming apps but entertainment as well. This year businesses and other sectors are also showing keen interest in integrating augmented reality in their field of work. You can find multiple VR apps in the Google play store. The retail sector is also keen on investing in VR applications to enhance the customer shopping experience. International brands such as IKEA and Lenskart have been implementing it and are looking for newer ways of prolonging the benefits. Many new mobile apps are in the development phase currently.

 

The final say

 

The year 2020 has not been the least kind to us. The pandemic has actually led us to re-evaluate the future and adapt to a new normalcy. People will have to get rid of the age-old practices and welcome the newer ones in order to survive. The mobile app development market has a lot to offer on these grounds.

 

It goes without saying that the impact of the Corona Virus on Business activities has been catastrophic. Businesses will need to invest a significant amount in their mobile app development technologies to adapt to the changing trends of the economy. Consumers are bound to change their business transaction methods. Businesses have to recognize these trends and cater to them with the help of their mobile app development technologies.

 

Social media apps, mobile gaming apps, Mobile app business, and eCommerce apps are going to thrive in this new era of consumerism, and businesses need to take into account the necessary changes required.

 

The future of mobile app development and mobile app trends of 2020 doesn’t appear to be as bleak as the current global scenario. Maybe that is the only optimistic takeaway for us this year.