With the world changing so fast, the word “trend” has rooted in our everyday life. Years ago we used it mainly to talk about fashion, however, the Internet and evolution of information technologies have opened up the very new dimension of this concept. Whether you already have a mobile app for your business, or you are only planning on developing one, you need to be aware of what the market is breathing with at the moment. Mobile app development trends “live fast and die young”. So, in this article, we are going to talk about what mobile app development trends that will dominate in 2021. Be trendy, be brandy, they say, huh?
What you Will Get With Trends in Mobile Application Development?
Given the growing competition (according to ReportLinker the Global Mobile Apps Market is projected to grow by $653.91 billion with a CAGR of almost 21% during 2021-2025) it is crucial to follow, and even outrun, market trends. Constant technological evolution opens up new business opportunities.
I remember at university a teacher would send us the list of topics to prepare some kind of work on. The quickest students were lucky to take up the most interesting topics filling up the “niche”. Same with emerging market niches. By constantly monitoring trends in the field you manage to take over a green promising niche, and voila! You get a chance to be the “rule maker” there.
Modern people are hungry for innovations. Nowadays, the world is fast, so are our lives, and so are our minds. Innovations are quickly adapted, while old things are rejected quicker than they used to as little as a couple of years ago.
Moreover, innovations often facilitate your business workflow. Cloud services, databases, CRM automation help significantly cut time of obtaining and processing information, such as financial statements, order requests, client data, etc.
So, taking benefit of the latest trends in mobile app development will allow you to:
- Utilize new business opportunities;
- Take over low-competition niches;
- Facilitate workflow;
- Get increased revenues.
Is Mobile App Development Still in Demand?
In late 2015 mobile web traffic outpaced desktop, and the gap between these continues to widen ever since. In addition to that, 89% of time is spent on apps, rather than on websites.
Statista reports that the number of apps available on Google Play and App Store has grown to as many as 2.87 million and 1.96 million accordingly. In 2019, 240 billion apps were downloaded globally. At the same time, according to the 2020 App Annie report the cumulative volume of downloads of apps and games for iOS and Android has risen from $9.1 billion to $12 billion. Moreover, mobile app development field has show resistance to the economic crisis, and, according to Statista, global mobile app revenue will grow up to $935.2 billion.
Cherry on top, more people own a mobile phone, than a toothbrush.
New Trends in Mobile Application Development
As you can already see, applications are evolving and are present in every area. Nowadays, keeping abreast of the latest trends in mobile app development has become more of a necessity, than just an option. We’ve decided to save you time searching to help your business grow faster, and rounded up some of the top mobile application development trends you need to know about if you want to become a pioneer in your niche and be head and shoulders above the competition.
Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things (IoT) describes several concepts at once. These are the devices themselves that go online and interact with each other. This is also a way of connecting – M2M – meaning machine-to-machine, without human intervention. This is the big data that devices are now generating. Data that can (and should) be collected, analyzed and further used to improve comfort or make business decisions.
Transforma Insights analysts report that the number of active IoT devices will triple by 2030 and will amount to 24.1 billion vs 7.6 billion registered at the end of 2019.
The global IoT market is expected to grow up to $222 billion in 2021, of which mobile apps will generate $161 billion.
The graph shows that IoT will be steadily evolving in the coming years with software leading in this direction.
According to Statista, revenues from IoT technologies will reach $1.6 trillion by 2025.
In 2021 a sustainable growth is expected in mobile app development for IoT.
These are the specific fields to watch out for:
- Smart homes and cities;
- Smart & Self-Driving Cars and other vehicles;
- AI-powered IoT devices;
- IoT in healthcare.
5G Mobile Internet Network
It is projected that by 2022, almost half of mobile phones will support 5G. In the latest release of Apple’s iPhone 12, the company provided for the possibility to connect to the 5G network. This clearly demonstrates the most anticipated trend of the development of 5G mobile applications.
5G may be 100 times faster than its predecessor, 4G. Such major change in the speed promises to cause revolutionary changes in video streaming applications, especially what concerns 4K video streaming ease of working with VR and AR 3D objects, as well as better connectivity of IoT devices and services.
In the near future, the emergence of a 5G network may open up new business opportunities in the following areas:
- Wireless medical services;
- Cloud computing;
- Wireless Automotive Technology.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
Automated face recognition, pretty masks in Instagram stories and funny stickers in Snapchat – these are just few examples of how AI has rooted in our everyday lives. Let alone the famous FaceApp which gained recognition overnight because of how smartly it used AI.
In 2021, Artificial Intelligence will take even more space in our lives. These are the things we will thanks AI for:
- Recognition, classification and labeling of static images;
- Improving the efficiency of an algorithmic trading strategy;
- Efficient, scalable patient data processing;
- Predictive maintenance;
- Object identification, detection, classification, and tracking;
- Automatic detection of geophysical features;
- Distribution of content on social networks.
The global Machine Learning industry, growing at a CAGR of 42%, is expected to reach $9 billion in worth in the second part of 2022.
Apple contributed to the development of the ML industry by introducing their Core ML 3 – the machine learning framework created to help developers easily embed AI into their apps.
AI and ML together will make a breakthrough in mobile app development. Both Android and iOS apps will benefit, since the machines will be able to learn from the previous development process, detect problems and fix them in real time.
Augmented Reality (AR) & Virtual Reality (VR)
2021 promises to be fruitful in terms of new AR and VR features. We may see motion tracking, human occlusion, etc arriving in the market. Many AR-based app ideas will also evolve into full-featured mobile apps.
Remember Pokemon Go? Oh yeah, that was a thing at the time. Nowadays, developers use AR to come up with a more practical use. For instance, virtual clothes, hairstyle & make up fitting are especially demanded right now. We are all waiting for the pandemic to be over, however, let’s accept the fact that the world has changed. Technologies are developing at a shocking pace; AR & VR are not an exclusion.
Keep an eye on the following areas:
- Virtual training simulations;
- Virtual traveling (VR);
- Live performances (VR);
- Visual learning (AR);
- Virtual fitting (AR);
- Game Development (VR).
Enterprise Mobile Apps
Enterprise apps are apps that are developed at the request of an enterprise for its employees’ internal use. This shows to be a huge trend in the app development industry.
As a rule, companies make more profit when employees can access corporate mobile apps. Such apps bring internal communication onto a new level. It improves employees’ satisfaction and significantly enhances productivity.
According to Motus: The Mobile Workforce Report, 84% of companies observed an increase in productivity after implementing a mobile app. What’s more, 62% of IT leaders have claimed that to achieve in 12 months or less because of a well-defined mobile strategy.
The numbers speak for themselves, thus, this field should also be taken into account.
Development for Wearable Devices
Gartner has released a forecast for the global market for wearable devices for 2021 and upcoming years. Though, we haven’t seen any dramatic jumps in the growth rate, however, the industry promises to continue to grow steadily. We’ve seen a lot of wearables enter the market, such as smartwatches, fitness bracelets, wearable displays, wireless headphones and headsets, as well as gadgets attached to clothes.
They are especially popular in the health and fitness market with their tracking of body movements, heart rate, steps etc. Especially now, in the middle of global pandemic, wearables can be used to track various health parameters and support the diagnosis process.
Among promising trends in wearables developments there are:
- Smart glasses (mind-reading);
- Contact lenses with a virtual assistant;
- Virtual keyboards.
Mobile Commerce
According to Walker research, by the end of 2020, customer experience will be more important than price and will play a major role in brand selection, and mobile applications noticeably help with this matter.
In 2020-2021 m-commerce has experienced an unprecedented growth, for most part due to you-know-what. By the end of 2021, more than 72.9% of total e-commerce sales will come from mobile devices. Today it’s not a surprise that apps play a significant role in the current and future success of mobile commerce.
These are the reasons why more and more e-com businesses are choosing mobile apps and an additional, or even main, distribution and sales channel:
- Convenience and ease of searching for goods % services, and making purchases;
- Higher conversion;
- Additional communication channel;
- Reduced marketing costs;
- More client data;
- A very important element of a multichannel interaction strategy.
Beacon Technology
Beacon technology has taken over a lot of industries, such as retail, hospitality, healthcare, etc. Beacons can add advanced functionality to any app.
These are small devices used to send messages to the user based on their exact location. Beacons can also track buyer behaviour, tracking the time spent at a specific aisle, for example. These tiny devices, combined with a control panel, allow you to edit and customize the content you send to support your marketing strategy.
According to Statista, the beacon technology market is growing at a CAGR of 59.8%. The estimated market value will reach $ 56.6 billion by 2026, which constitutes more than a 10x-growth since 2016.
See the future trends in beacon technology market:
- Presence in the healthcare industry;
- Traveling and tourism;
- Mobile payment;
- Games such as hint games, treasure hunt, etc.
Blockchain
Blockchain has fairly become a phenomenon of the century. In terms of mobile app development, blockchain skyrockets security and reduces the risk of funds theft. Also, this technology can help prevent possible database hacking and leakage of personal information. Among other advantages of using blockchain in mobile applications there are:
- Decision making transparency;
- Digitization of processes;
- Data encryption;
- Guarantee of user compliance with the rules.
Here are some promising areas for the new technology:
- Financial transfers;
- Online shopping;
- Database storage;
- Rent;
- Identity identification;
- Copyright protection;
- Health tracking;
- Voting.
Folding Display
Samsung and Huawei were the pioneers in this area with their Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X. Foldable phones are very specific in terms of app development, where designers and content creators will have to make an additional effort.
At the moment, foldable phones occupy a rather small share of the global mobile phone market. But things promise to change in the future. According to Statista, around 3.2 million foldable cell phones were shipped in 2019. While for 2022 the number is expected to rise up to 50 million units.
Geolocation Apps
Geolocation-based app development has already established itself as a prominent trend in the field. Using geolocation enables companies to provide a personalized experience for users.
Using geolocation gives an opportunity to offer geolocation-relevant services. Also, this feature allows you to track and analyze user behavior patterns.
Consider integrating a geolocation feature in your app for:
- Better suggestions;
- Personalized experience.
Also, here are the promising avenues to watch out for:
- Location-based AR;
- AR in astronomy.
Superior App Security
Protection of user data is crucial for any respectable business. Recently, cyber attacks aimed at damaging mobile devices have increased by 54%. More than 60% of all fraud cases come from mobile devices, while 80% of them occur through mobile applications. Consequently, developers and society are becoming more concerned about cyber security.
Make sure to watch out for these mobile app security trends:
- SoC approach. Security Operation Center (SoC) approach focus on constant improving and adapting new data protection technologies, forming a team with primary security knowledge and responsibility, supporting high security standards and rules;
- MSSP. Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) as a specialized system of backing up cyber security;
- Biometric user identification;
- Identity Management;
- Machine Learning for cyber security.
Mobile Wallets
Some time ago plastic cards almost completely replaced cash, but then mobile wallets took over. Apple Pay and Google Pay are no surprise today. They make transactions much faster, and eliminate the need to carry around a bunch of cards.
According to recent research the volume of transactions from mobile wallets was $6.1 billion in 2019 with a strong potential to reach $13.98 billion by 2022.
Just like that, many companies are starting to create applications that offer alternative payment methods. The main advantage of mobile wallets is the increased level of security compared to mobile banking. People love to have options when making digital payments. Therefore, a number of companies offer support for payments ‘starring’ cryptocurrencies.
Virtual Events Streaming
People are social creatures, and public events are rooted so deeply in our lives, so that even Covid-19 is not an obstacle to gather. Virtual event platforms are a go-to solution for that. They recreate the vibe of in-person conferences, workshops and others, and are here to satisfy craving for live events. Some of the most popular virtual event platforms are:
- BigMarker;
- GoToWebinar;
- HeySummit;
- vFairs;
- SpotMe.
Virtual event platforms are powered by VR tools and can be a promising niche in mobile app development.
Android App Development Trends In 2021
Android devices encompass 72% of the market. Not surprisingly, that many app developers choose Android as their target platform.
Here are the top android app development trends to look out for in 2021:
Instant Apps
Instant apps are the type of apps that you can check out without installation on the phone. It allows users to save their time and storage space, which significantly increases capacity of the device.
Motion Layout
Motion layout is used by the developers to manage the motion and widget animation in the app. This tool comes within the Constraint Layout library and is compatible with Android 4.0.
Android Enterprise
Android Enterprise is a Google-led initiative that enables workers to use Android devices in their workplaces. It includes APIs and some other tools to integrate Android into businesses enterprise mobility management (EMM).
IOS App Development Trends In 2021
The launch of Apple’s 5G in the second half of 2020 has helped the vendor maintain growth amid the pandemics; IOS sales increased by 6.5% year-on-year in 2020. Moreover, iOS is likely to continue its growth driven by the recent 5G release, which is expected to slightly boost iOS sales in the coming quarters.
Check out these iOS app development trends for 2021:
Cloud Integration
Cloud technologies allow users to store large amounts of data online. They also provide other benefits, such as:
- Scalability;
- Reduced costs;
- Better security.
Siri and AI
Recently Apple released SiriKit, which will help iOS developers with iOS apps as well as WatchOS apps with Siri voice functionality. This new addition will allow users to use the lock screen hands-free.
CoreML
CoreML helps implement machine learning into an app. It allows developers to build apps featuring a more intelligent Siri, Camera, and QuickType.
App Development Trends in 2021 with Joinsoft
At JoinSoft we are constantly monitoring the market to always stay up to date with the current trends. We keep in touch with our clients at every stage of the development process. By making sure we are constantly transparent on what we do and how we do it, we build a strong B2C relationship based on trust and reliability.
JoinSoft developers uphold the life-long learning principles. Thus, we use the latest technologies and leading frameworks, so that your app users could take benefit of a high quality product compatible with the latest OS versions. However, we also make sure to include backwards compatibility for an app to run smoothly on older versions.
There are three approaches that we offer: Native, Cross-Platform, and Hybrid. We consider all of their pros and cons relative to your particular case.
Before launching the development process, we have a round table to come up with an app development plan that suits your business. Our consultants will offer you the best product considering your requests. We also inform you on the latest trends in the market to make sure you consider including some of them into an app development plan upon your desire.
Conclusion
That’s all, Folks! Now you are familiar with the new trends in mobile application development and your app is one step closer to success. In today’s highly competitive world a mobile app that doesn’t follow the latest trends is like a fish out of water – little to no chances to survive.
Covid-19 has affected literally every aspect of human existence. However, we’ve seen a radical jump up in development and dissemination of the new technologies. At the time when we are separated from each other, most of the new trends in mobile app development are all about connecting people and making isolation a less burdening journey.
Make sure to check out JoinSoft’s Mobile App Development services. We always follow the latest thing. So will you if you decide to choose us!
