Disruption was the distinctive feature of 2020.
Each one of us was used to some level of constant change but COVID-19 impacted the world in ways no one could have ever anticipated.
And this led to businesses figuring out new ways to deal with the change. Businesses advanced manifold and began innovating.
We came across better apps, new technologies, fresh content and whatnot!
As innovative companies continued to respond to the crises and explore new ways to operate and drive growth, these app development trends highlight areas of opportunity and ways for them to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
This year’s top app development trends highlight significant disruption and opportunity over the next five to ten years.
Take notes!
1- Machine Language and Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is providing machines the ability to perform certain tasks that reduce human efforts. This includes anything between learning and solving problems for them.
Machine learning is a kind of artificial intelligence that enables self-learning from the given data and applies that knowledge without human interference.
2023 will continue witnessing companies leverage data and intelligence to realize smart, data-driven insights.
As per a report by Statista, The AI industry is expected to reach 126 billionU.S. dollars by 2025. And that growth is HUGE!
In 2018, the AI app market was worth 4.6 billion U.S. dollars approx.
AI is proving to be an important technology, and enterprises need an efficient way to scale their AI practices and implement AI in business.
As organizations face increased pressure to optimize their workflows, more and more companies will ask BI teams to develop and manage AI/ML models.
2- Apps for foldable devices
Remember flip phones?
Foldable phones belong to the same family.
Bigger screen and takes up less space in your pocket!
Dreamlike!
Foldable phones have already started to emerge in the market quite aggressively. You must be familiar with the ones launched by Samsung recently.
It is anticipated that more foldable phones would be launched in the market in the coming times. Hence, the mobile app developers are working towards the best solution to create apps for foldable devices.
Apps such as Spotify, Microsoft Office, Amazon Prime, Twitter, and Facebook are on the list already. The development of other such apps has already started and we can expect them already integrated into the devices.
3- 5G wireless technology
5G’s been in for a while, but I think it’s just around the corner now.
Apple is not one of those companies that jumps on the bandwagon or new and shiny technologies, and their adoption of 5G in the newest line-up of iPhones should be a good sign that we’re getting ready to step-in into the 5G era.
What’s important to know about 5G is that it’s FAST. 5G will allow its users to stream 4K videos on their phone.
4G gives a real maximum of 100 Mbps transfer speed and 5G will be 10 times faster than current LTE networks. This increase in speed will allow IoT devices to communicate and share data faster than ever.
Since streaming 4K content shouldn’t be an issue any more, IoT is going to be extremely happy too, and then we have wireless health technologies, connected driverless vehicles and many many more.
4- AR/VR
Augmented and virtual reality have transformed user experience in apps, making it much more interactive. From AR apps to social media to business apps, AR and VR has revolutionized how apps work.
If you ever had a problem imagining how that new piece of furniture fits the interior, Ikea’s augmented reality (AR) app is the perfect tool. This app enables the user to use the smartphone camera and screen to virtually place the digital armchair or bookshelf in a room.
In 2023, augmented reality is expected to revolutionize app development trends in various fields such as healthcare, engineering, real estate, retail and others.
The VR app can help customers recreate what a particular product will look like.
For instance, some apps can show you how a dress, glasses, or a piece of jewelry will look on you before you actually get it.
5- Mobile wallets
Mobile payments are about making users convenient with billing payments through their mobile devices.
As per a survey by pymnts.com, 13% of American smartphone users claim to use Apple Pay, 24% use Walmart Pay, 5% say that they use Samsung Pay and 7% use Android Pay.
Considering the fact that most people use mobile payments, mobile wallets will be a great opportunity for offline retailers who look for ways to keep the customers loyal.
Take for example, UPI. India’s famous payment gateway system is already the best in the world.
Mobile wallet is not only for offline payments – it may also be used to power loyalty programs.
Starbucks’ app is one such example.
6- Cloud integrated mobile apps
Considering the current industry trends, the 5G-enabled future, IoT and edge computing, cloud-native definitely has its place amongst the mobile app development trends that you should follow in 2023.
The hosting service has proven to be extremely helpful thereby providing easy access to data. If you are looking for one of the most secure platforms to store your personal data and get access to it smoothly.
Cloud-integrated apps are seamless and quick to develop. Moreover, they are cost-effective and help save a lot of money.
Some of the future cloud-technology that are expected to take over the industry include:
Cloud quantum computing
Multi-cloud platform
Hybrid cloud solution
7- Wearable devices
While we’re not seeing a staggering jump year-over year, the growth is still steady. The wearables trend has changed and will continue to change the way that mobile apps get developed.
For instance, Apple made a big announcement about wearables and app integration at WWDC 2019. The new watchOS 6 has brought the Apple App Store to Apple Watch. Independent apps are being built specifically for these devices. This has created an enormous opportunity for app resellers and content creators.
Wearable devices have seen a huge boost in the market. Number of connected wearable devices has increased to 722 million in 2019 from 325 million in 2016.
Wearables today can monitor our sleep habits, track our heart beat cycle, blood sugar levels, workout rates, almost everything!
Moreover, the number of wearable devices might reach up to billions by 2023. A few more years in the future, people will depend entirely on wearable devices.
The future is wearable!
8- Beacon technology
Bluetooth-powered beacons are not new.
Beacons have evolved from being used as marketing gimmicks to now focused purely on customer engagement.
Beacons are used to gain a better understanding of user’s behavior in brick-and-mortar stores. Knowing the patterns of their movement, the retailer is able to optimize the placement and merchandising.
Take for instance, Amazon Go grocery stores. Beacons are an indispensable part of Amazon Go infrastructure.
According to Grand-view research, the Bluetooth beacon market will be worth $58.7 billion by 2025 with an estimated Compound Annual Growth Rate of 95.3%.
9- On-demand mobile apps
It seems like everyone is leveraging mobile apps to increase revenue. From large retailers to individual content creators and personal brands, there is plenty of money to be made in this space.
Mobile ecommerce functionality is a top feature for mobile app resellers to showcase during client pitches. It seems like every day another business is launching an app to drive sales.
Every single person and business selling online is competing with giants like Amazon. By the end of 2023, more than 80% of total ecommerce sales will come from mobile devices.
10- Subscription based apps
Subscription-based business models have been with us for years now: Spotify, Netflix, Google Workspace, we all know about them and there’s no surprise they’re prospering.
For instance, the gaming industry is currently putting tons of effort into making gaming a cloud industry, essentially breaking the current need of keeping updating your PC hardware or buying new consoles to play more and more sophisticated titles. Google is pushing their Stadia, NVIDIA has its GeForce Now, Microsoft’s making advances with their XBOX Cloud Streaming services. And it’s obviously being pushed into the mobile world.
2023 is going to be huge. And we’re ready for it.
