The role of mobile applications in digital transformation can’t be underestimated. Today there are around 1.6 million apps available for download on the Apple App Store, and around 3.55 million apps are waiting to be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
Mobile games and entertainment is the most robust segment, while social networking apps are going strong too. And given the popularity of mobile solutions and the increasing smartphone penetration rate all over the world, it will be rather sensible to suppose that in the future these figures will only grow.
Thanks to the modern technologies and tools that are available to developers today, it is possible to build advanced feature-rich applications tailored to varying needs. The popularity of custom mobile development services these days is being boosted by various factors, including but not limited to the increased interest in accessing remote services, the growing number of fans of mobile online shopping, and the general increased demand for mobility.
In this article, we’re taking a look at the top trends that are setting the standards for the future of the mobile app development industry.
1. Cross-platform development
Though developers preferred to build native apps initially, thanks to modern frameworks like Flutter, it has become much more feasible to build cross-platform solutions. Now with the help of such frameworks for creating Android and iOS apps, it is possible to use just a single codebase.
As a result, this approach is much more feasible, time- and cost-efficient in comparison to native app development. In other words, programmers need to create just one app that will be compatible with different platforms. Let’s admit that it sounds much more pleasant than building a separate application for each platform.
2. AI- and ML-powered tools
Artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms are actively applied to mobile solutions for offering personalized experiences and increasing user satisfaction. One of the examples of the use of AI in mobile apps is the integration of chatbots that provide customer support, can answer users’ questions, and even make recommendations based on users’ interests and needs.
Quite often, such chatbots are used in retail applications. In this case, recommendations are based on users’ previous purchasing history and searches. AI also can analyze user data for recommending music and movies.
3. Focus on data security and privacy
It’s impossible not to mention an important issue such as data security, especially since this issue is extremely pressing when we are talking about personal information and sensitive business data. Developers have to think about user data protection not just from hackers when building any app. Today, programmers also need to bear in mind updated GDPR and other regulations when they are working on new solutions.
Among the measures that development teams introduce these days to protect users’ data, the list only just begins with data encryption, updated data privacy policies, and advanced authentication methods.
Developers are required to stay transparent and open when it comes to the mechanisms of data collection and storage. And users are supposed to be provided with access to privacy policies so that they can stay aware of how their data is being processed.
4. AR and VR
Augmented reality offers people a completely new way of interacting with digital items in the real world. Already, we can see how this technology is being applied to different solutions. Thanks to AR tools, you can visit a museum without leaving your house, and you take a 3D tour of the property that you want to move into right from your couch. AR technologies allow people to virtually try on clothes or place a new sofa in their living room in order to make sure that it will look nice there.
AR as well as VR have a huge positive influence on user experience and satisfaction as thanks to such features, app developers can ensure better user engagement.
5. Social features
It is becoming more and more popular to add social and collaboration features to mobile apps, especially business apps for task tracking and increasing productivity. Nowadays, a wider range of software such as eLearning apps, telemedicine solutions, fitness applications, and many other types of mobile software products are being enriched with such functionality as well.
Chats, social sharing, shared calendars, and other tools can help people to increase the efficiency of their interaction, motivate each other, get valuable insights, and exchange data. Thanks to social features, people can build sense of beloinging that is very important for both corporate and informal communities.
Final word
In this article, we’ve mentioned a few in trends mobile app development that will be in focus in 2023. Some honorable mentions include IoT integration, 5G support, on-demand apps and more.
