Top Mobile App Trends That Every Developer Should Know in 2021
Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, restrictions on free movement and the fear of contracting the virus have confined us to our homes. In this scenario, people have found solace in their mobile devices, triggering a rising demand from the mobile app development industry.
The mobile phone usage in India increased from 23 hours per week to a little over 26 hours Businesses leveraged mobile apps to stay connected with their customers during COVID-19 and offer uninterrupted services.
Resultantly, the year saw a staggering number of 31 billion new app downloads in the first quarter The mobile app industry experienced its largest-ever consumer spend in the App Store at$23.4 billion And the upward trend is expected to grow further in 2021!
These numbers play into the idea that mobile apps are becoming more intuitive and offer a better user experience. Businesses wanting to increase their customer loyalty and improve their brand presence must leverage a few mobile app development trends in 2021. Let’s look at them in detail.
AR/VR
Augmented Reality (AR) centers around adding digital elements to a live view. The concept generally applies to the phone’s camera by allowing one to project new images to the view captured on screen. The most popular use case of AR has been in Pokemon Go. The gaming app involved players going around town and catching Pokemon that appeared on their camera feed.
Although often confused with augmented reality, Virtual Reality (VR) is an entirely different concept. VR takes over an individual’s vision to give an impression of a different world, allowing people to immerse themselves in imagined environments. HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, or Google Cardboard are a few notable examples of virtual reality technology.
Intelligent Chatbots
Over time, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has evolved to interact seamlessly with mobile users. For good examples, look no further than Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Siri. These virtual assistants provide personalized experiences to the users, automate tasks, and offer multiple features.
Business owners wanting to keep up with the newest mobile app development trends are exploring similar chatbots to personalize user experiences and offer assistance to customers. These AI-powered chatbots can mimic human conversations to resolve complaints and answer queries. Plus, these bots can be both text and voice-based to allow hands-free operation.
By using these chatbots, companies can automate query resolution, educate the users on app features, and deliver a better experience.
Not sure how to leverage the power of chatbots to enhance customer satisfaction? Trust SKEIN TECHNOLOGIES, a leading mobile app development company in India, to take care of it for you! Try our free 60-minute consultation to know more.
Internet of Things (IoT)
By using these chatbots, companies can automate query resolution, educate the users on app features, and deliver a better experience.
The Internet of Things (IoT) has been around for some time and masterfully demonstrated its power in the form of connected smart homes. However, there is a lot more left to explore.
For instance, there has been an advent of smart devices with inbuilt capabilities to access the internet. Mobile phones have a wealth of data — right from emails to photos to calendars — making it easier to make a suite of interconnected devices driven by user preferences.
Think of your oven/fridge that tells you the score of an ongoing sports match as you are cooking a meal in the kitchen. That’s the future of IoT that makes it one of the mobile app development trends to look out for next year.
Apps for Flip Phones
Once considered a status symbol, these foldable phones were nowhere to be seen in the last decade. However, flip phones have made a comeback this year. These mobile devices offer different features in their closed and expanded versions, thus impacting the top mobile app development trends in 2021.
As these phones gather more steam, an app developer will have to redesign the existing apps and create new ones with these smartphones in mind. The app designs should provide a seamless customer experience as they open and fold their phones. App owners will have to find a way to optimize the mobile app development cost accordingly.
Mobile Wallets
Although mobile wallets such as Google Pay and Apple Pay have been around for a couple of years, COVID-19 has brought a sweeping change in public attitudes, encouraging people to embrace online payment gateways wholeheartedly.
Social distancing norms prevent people from exchanging cash or paying with their cards. Mobile wallets are an effective solution to this problem as they offer a convenient and touchless payment mode.
Mobile wallets allow users to pay for in-store purchases, online shopping, and transfer money to their friends and family — all with a few taps on their mobile device. As COVID-19 continues to drive online sales, integrating these mobile wallets for payments is also becoming more prevalent.
Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Analysis
In simple terms, predictive analysis is the use of historical data for sharing future recommendations. Shopping recommendations on Amazon or Facebook are classic examples of this.
When used in mobile apps, predictive analysis can not only enhance user experience but also share recommendations, thereby growing sales. Apps that use advertisements to monetize can also vastly benefit from this. By showing the ads as per the individual’s interests, they can deliver higher ROI to their clients.
Similarly, predictive analysis can be used in other areas such as preventing fraud and enhancing engagement with the users, making it one of the top mobile app development trends in 2021.
If you’re looking to integrate predictive analytics into your mobile app, SKEIN TECHNOLOGIES can do it for you. As India’s renowned iOS and android app development company, we use the latest technologies to build quality apps according to your business requirements.
On-Demand Mobile Apps
From food delivery to cab booking, on-demand mobile apps have offered a new way of living to this generation of mobile users. On-demand services have cemented their place as a widely-used mobile app development trend in recent times as more and more businesses are taking the plunge.
With the healthcare industry, local deliveries, and personal utility businesses offering on-demand services, smartphone users can enjoy these services with just a few taps. As more people take to freelancing, the demand for such user-friendly apps will only increase in the future.
Cloud Technology
As individuals use multiple apps on their smartphones, the limited storage space on their devices will be a problem. They will eventually have to uninstall data-heavy mobile apps and use more device space for computations.
Cloud-based mobile apps offer an effective resolution by easing the burden of heavy data loading. Moreover, apps that use cloud computing and storage deliver better performance and allow users to access their information anytime and from anywhere. These features make cloud technology one of the key mobile app trends to watch out for in 2021.
Wearable Devices
Wearable devices have met with great success over the past few years. And with a greater focus on health due to the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for smartwatches and fitness trackers will only rise.
With the current mobile applications, we have only begun to scratch the surface in this category. While looking to work with a mobile app company, you may want to watch out for a mobile app developer who can make independent apps that are specific to these wearable devices.
5G Technology
5G technology has already started inroads to the mainstream phone market. With a much faster speed, better network efficiency, and greater traffic capacity, it will open a new world of possibilities for mobile app developers.
By harnessing the power of 5G technology, mobile app development companies can deliver a much better experience, such as 4K video streaming and handling heavy AR and VR. Due to this, there will be a higher demand for Android app developers well-versed in this technology. Business owners that fail to embrace this mobile app development trend will lose steam.
Summing Up
2021 is all set to witness radical changes in the app development industry as 5G technology and artificial intelligence become more prevalent. App developers will have to watch out for the latest app development trends mentioned here to make their apps more useful and relevant.
To partner with an experienced app development agency for your business, head over to SKEIN TECHNOLOGIES. As a leading app development company, we stay up-to-date on the newest mobile app trends to transform your business ideas into feature-rich apps.
Originally published at https://www.skeintech.com.
