COVID-19 changed not only the way we live, but also the way we work. There is a significant impact on the economic landscape, social behaviors, and consumer preferences. There is a dramatic increase in demand for technology solutions. Best mobile app development services that helped users maintain social distance, work remotely, as well as facilitated online collaboration saw an upward trajectory of growth. It is important to partner with an iPhone app development company or Android development agency to leverage changes for competitive advantage.
Companies heavily invested in development of apps to increase capacity and bring new features. The year 2021 signifies rebuilding of lives. With vaccination gaining momentum across the globe, there is a strong feeling of resilience. But still with pandemic waves and different variants grappling different countries across the globe, technology continues to help people work and live safely.
Here are mobile app development trends that will continue to grow:
Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality
We thought AR and VR was limited to travel & tourism. But, then came Pokemon Go, a gaming application that made Augmented Reality go mainstream. Forward 2021, AR and VR are not only popular in the gaming industry, but also created a profound impact on diverse industries such as healthcare, tourism, education, retail, marketing, architecture, and real estate.
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- $160 billion: Combined market share of AR and VR will be by 2023.
- The AR and VR market size reached $12 billion in 2020.
AR Trends that are shaping mobile app development
- AR Avatars
- AR Indoor Navigation
- VR training in the retail & education sector
Apple’s LiDAR scanner is changing AR. It is important to partner with iPhone app development company to leverage the growing technology.
ARKit 4 allows building the next generation of augmented reality apps. RealityKit is “Apple’s rendering, animation, physics, and audio engine built from the ground up for augmented reality. Augmented reality experience for your app or game, including harnessing the LiDAR Scanner on iPhone and iPad, tracking faces for AR, and more.”
The aim is to help iPhone developers “prototype and produce high-quality AR experiences.” Both ARKit and RealityKit can add new dimensions to retail experiences or combine with Machine Learning and Computer Vision to build much smarter & intellectual apps or games.
Cross Platform Development: Rise of Flutter, React Native & PWA
Cross-platform apps will continue to gain prominence and relevance with its ability to reach users across different platforms. React Native and Flutter are rising in the world of cross platform app development. While still in a relatively nascent stage, Flutter is surging ahead with its popularity with several success stories.
PWAs are also a feasible option, offering the advantages of apps. They take less time to develop compared to normal apps. To put it in layman’s terms, because they are websites with app functionalities. They offer expanded utility as you can save them on your home screen. Further, PWA apps are lightweight, run faster and offer less dependency on Internet. They can be accessed and updated automatically.
- React Native comes across as mobile framework used by software developers in both 2019 and 2020. (Statista, 2020)
- Cross-platform frameworks allow developer to code only once, but let the app run in both OSes.
Wearables
Wearables are growing. Going ahead not only would websites and apps work on mobile devices, desktops, but also seamlessly on wearables. This would throw new challenges. Wearables play an instrumental role during COVID-19 cases in detection of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic users. Equipped with features to continuously monitor physiological data in real-time, wearables help in detection of any deviations from an individual’s normal health vitals.
Low-Code App Development
Like cross-platform app development frameworks, organizations can use low-code app development frameworks for quicker time to market. Low/no-code app development uses drag-and-drop actions and intuitive UI to create an app. These apps will be a quick fix solution for companies looking to hit the ground running without the hassles of coding.
According to Forrester, “Accelerated adoption of low-code platforms will change how teams organize. During the pandemic, many organizations embraced low-code platforms to build and deploy new apps fast. These experiences will drive most development shops to adopt low-code tools and more. Expect to see new hybrid teams emerge, with business users and professional developers building apps together with low-code tools built on cloud-native platforms.”
- 75% Development shops will transition to low-code platforms in 2021.
- 65% App development will be done using low-code platforms by 2024.
- Low-code platforms is expected to create more cross-functional teams in 2021.
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)
AMPs are an open-source project by Google and Twitter to make pages load faster. As you can surmise from the name, accelerated mobile pages improve web page load time by minimizing unnecessary code. This means pages load much faster and use fewer data. While AMPs will never replace native mobile apps, it will make low-quality apps redundant. Get ready for more mobile-friendly applications in addition to PWAs.
Internet of Things
IoT is indeed one of the most remarkable discoveries of technology in the current century and mobile app developers have increasingly used it to redefine the parameters of their apps. With the Internet of Things, automating various operations has been the key. Starting from implementing real-time delivery tracking options in e-commerce sites to inventory management in business operations, IoT has achieved it all. You can also manage your transportation and logistics network with IoT and ensure your vehicles and drivers run smooth without any issue. The implementation of IoT in mobile apps has also reduced human labor and error in developing and executing them.
Cloud integration
Storing and managing data can be a herculean task in business. Mobile app developers have made it easier through cloud integration technologies. You need not worry about storing essential data and getting rid of unused files. They all get stored in a centralized location without affecting your device. However, you can use them whenever you need. Can it get any better? Thus, cloud integration technologies have offered the necessary solution to data storage and management. This highly encrypted technology also helps maintain the security of your data and ensures top-notch privacy. Thus, you need not worry about data breaches or your sensitive data being leaked.
Increased focus on clientele
Mobile app developers have shifted their focus from the business to the target customers. Thus, these apps have developed several features for the benefits of the customers. While on the one hand, mobile apps comprise of the necessary business features, they have also incorporated customer friendly features like automated chatbots, 24*7 customer support to entertain the queries and complaints of the customers and the like. Thus, evidently, there has been a drastic shift in the focus of mobile app developers which have taken a more customer-centric approach in the recent times. Such an approach has helped in increasing user satisfaction and engagement in the apps.
Biometric authentication
There has been a rise in cyber threat and cyber crime, with the increase in technology. As a result, mobile app developers have increasingly implemented greater tools and technology to enhance data safety and security. The introduction of biometric identification in mobile apps has been one of the outcomes of this. Biometric authentication involves face locks and other such privacy features that help in protecting the information better. With biometric locks and authentication, the chances of data thefts and breaches have reduced considerably. Thus, you need not worry about the safety and security of your data stored in different apps as they have biometric authentications to protect the same. This has been one of the most revolutionary contributions of technological advancement because of the increased need for data privacy and security. Biometric authentication is also one of the most recent trends in mobile app development process and is yet to be included in a full-fledged way.
Finally
As tools and technologies continue to mature, new trends will continue to dominate the mobile app development industry. Emerging technologies will continue to make the development process exponentially faster. It is important to understand your business objectives and goals before implementing the process.
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