Can you imagine your life without a mobile phone? Absolutely no! In fact, GenZ must have not even seen life without a mobile phone. According to research by Statista, there are 6 billion smartphone users in the world and are expected to grow by a hundred million by the next few years.

You too might be currently reading this article in some corner of the world on your smartphone. There is a huge amount of mobile phone users and we all rely on it in our daily life for even the minutest work. The increase in mobile phone usage also gave rise to the number of app usage. Another research from Statistic shows that there are 218 billion mobile app downloads as of 2020. In turn, this provided an opportunity for SMEs to build applications, take their business online, and reach a wider audience.

Today there are many mobile phone companies launching new phones that support upcoming technologies like 5G. For example, China, the US, South Korea, started implementing 5G in 2020, but before that, many organizations started developing and launching mobile phones which support 5G technology. This is just one example, there are plenty of other things which the new phones are supporting.

This was just a glimpse of the hardware side, but along with a rapid change in hardware, there is an evolution in software too. Google and Apple have started introducing new OS which supports the predictive trends of the mobile phone and apps. For example, Google launched Android 12 which supports foldable phones, a new developer package and ways to develop applications for foldable phones.

There is always constant growth and change coming in the technology world. And keeping up with these changing trends is important for every business. This article talks about the future. Let’s see some of the leading trends for 5G, IoT, AR/VR, etc. for mobile app development and how it will impact the lives of billions of its users.

Latest Predictions for 5G, IoT, AR/VR in Mobile App Development

Internet of Things:

Do you enjoy it when the lights of your room sense while you enter the room and they get turned on or off? Well, we all do! all thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT). Also, there are millions of other use cases of IoT. From wearable devices, AR/VR, smart homes, supply chains, smart cities, healthcare, and many more. Today this technology is widely used in every sector of business and is helping customers to grow their business. Implementing IoT and building apps around it will help your business to go in a long way. Customers can access devices from anywhere using their application and bring ease to their lifestyle.

For 2022, IoT will not be limited to connected devices; it will be an AI-enabled IoT mobile apps era because every device will be connected. Some great examples are of Google, Siri, and Alexa that depict the future of AI-enabled IoT apps. 

• AI/ML:

AI and ML are two sides of the same coin. They are changing the way we all interact with technology and how companies work with it. There are plenty of use cases of it in almost all the industries of the world like healthcare, automobile, education, marketing, data analytics, etc.

For instance: many big companies use their customer data to understand them better, analyze their data, know, and understand their search histories, etc., and leverage all this data to make product development decisions. In turn, it guides businesses to know what customers want and develop products accordingly.

With the help of ML tools, organizations will be able to construct interactive features for iOs and Android platforms. ML leverages big data to enhance data security plus has the potential to deliver efficient and flexible experiences. Soon, IoT and ML will have greater recognition for business purposes.

5G:

The best thing about 5G networks is that they help provide an improved smartphone experience for users with fast data sharing at the speed of 10 gigabits per second. IT is not an upgraded version of 4G, but an entirely new infrastructure that could revolutionize the way mobile networks operate. Here are some trends specifically for mobile app development that will revolutionize the industry.

• Lower Latency 

The current 4G networks have an average of 50 milliseconds of latency. However, this may cause a delay in the performance of mobile applications. With 5G networks, the latency will be cut to just one millisecond providing fewer network interference delays.

• Better Connection Density

Connection density means a network’s ability to support the delivery of several messages even in crowded areas. With 4G the currently only 2000 connected devices per 0.38 square miles and with current smart gadgets like smartphones and smartwatches, the number of connected devices is also expected to increase. 5G, with its capacity of supporting up to 1 million connected devices will facilitate this issue. With zero latency, it will maximize connection density, share data, browse the internet faster, etc. 

AR/VR:

Companies like Meta (than Facebook), Apple, Google, Microsoft, and others are already investing heavily in Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). These two technologies are booming in the gaming industry and slowly their use case is increasing in other fields too. Companies are leveraging this technology for their various applications like eCommerce, healthcare, tourism, education, retail, etc.

For example: Imagine you are buying a new piece of furniture from an eCommerce website. Till now it would have been difficult to purchase it online from the website as you can not watch it from all directions and angles. But, with the help of AR, you can actually feel it and see how it will look in your room, at a particular spot. This helps you in making better decisions whether you want to purchase it or not.

To help developers build AR applications, Apple and Google provide platform and development toolkits to code, compile, run, test AR models, and integrate with the application.

Similarly, talking about Virtual Reality provides users with an overall virtual experience of things. It is widely used in real-estate portals which helps users to experience their homes with every corner and actually feel it. Again this helps real estate businesses to connect in more depth with their customers and sell their houses.

These use-cases are just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many other examples where we can use AR/VR in businesses and connect with users in a better way. Moreover, demand for developing models will increase in various industries and revolutionize the way users interact with their applications.

Trends in Mobile App Development for 2022

mCommerce:

Pandemic brought the digital revolution for offline businesses. Today mCommerce is growing exponentially by 3.56 trillion dollars and provides customers with the ease of shopping. Mobile app developers are introducing new features like one-click ordering, voice shopping, contactless delivery, multiple online payment options, wish lists, add to cart, etc. These features and many others make it easy for users to order and operate things online, from the comfort of their homes and get things delivered safely.

mCommerce and eCommerce application development completely transformed the way people purchase things and provide more convenience to them. This also raises consumerism and a need to purchase more things. Hence,  it is clear that in the future people are only going to consume more of this trend to make their daily purchase operations smoother.

Apps for Foldable Phones:

Foldable phones are the new buzz in 2021 with companies like Samsung and LG launching them and providing customers with a new way of using mobile phones. To keep up with this emerging trend and provide software that supports it, companies are launching a new OS and even businesses are developing an application. Google and Apple are providing complete support to developers to build applications that support foldable devices. 

With the new phone models, developers need to make sure that the app is working seamlessly in all the different screens, transitions between them are easy and frictionless. Another thing they need to care about is the design, copywriting, UX writing, and security of the phone as well. Slowly the demand for foldable phones is increasing and so are the opportunities for SMEs.

Mobile Wallets:

When was the last time you made a cash payment? Hard to remember, right? Today we all prefer to make payments via a payment wallet, credit, or debit card. There are many companies that build secure payment wallet solutions for users to pay their bills, do online shopping etc. In fact, there are many businesses that have integrated various payment gateways and other options in their application. 

Users prefer mobile wallets as it provides an ease to pay bills, buy from eCommerce sites, send money to family members, etc. Considering the high demand for the usage of mobile wallets, developers are building secure payment solutions with the latest features like QR-scan, NFC, and RFID payments. In the coming years, we can say that countries will completely go cashless providing more opportunities to developers to carry out hassle-free transactions.

Beacon Technology:

Beacon technology has been around the corner for a time now and is eventually growing especially for businesses as it helps them to target their audience in a better way. Beacons are tiny transmitters that communicate with other devices via Bluetooth and are widely useful for location-based searching. Using it, businesses can know their target audience, communicate with their customers’ device Bluetooth and send them personalized marketing messages. Thus, helping them to provide better customer service. The future trends of Beacon technology look promising, for example, customers can make easy and quick payments using mobile payment beacons and provide customers with better solutions.

Geo-location Based Apps:

Geo-location based apps provide businesses with an opportunity to serve their customers better. These apps track users’ location and demographics and depending on it, they provide customers with personalized marketing campaigns. Hence, customers can get relevant information from companies and stay informed about any upcoming sales, discounts, etc.

Progressive Web Apps:

Progressive Web Apps (PWA) deliver a complete mobile app experience, but they don’t need to be installed from app stores or require any physical storage space within their device. They can run directly from the browser and if you install them they can even run without the internet. The USP of PWAs is they can operate at low-bandwidth networks and work smoothly on low-spec mobile phones. Companies like Alibaba, Flipkart, Spotify, Netflix, have integrated PWAs into their website and have achieved great benefits.

Cloud-based Apps:

Cloud technology is growing rapidly over the past few years as it is inexpensive as service providers invest in efficient cloud infrastructure. It is the backbone of mobile app development and companies are getting the best out of it. Many companies leverage the power of the cloud by hosting their applications on it and providing their customers with faster access to their applications. The expected trends in the cloud are cloud computing, hybrid cloud solutions, and quantum computing. In fact, many companies have also taken a huge leap in the field of quantum computing and are aiming to bring a huge shift in the field of cloud computing.

Predictive Analysis:

Predictive analytics uses vast amounts of data, extracts valuable insights, and uses them to improve other processes. It helps in improving the user experience and development process and can process the data collected from other developers to identify issues before they occur. When applied, it helps businesses to identify pages with the least retention rate, the marketing team can understand which campaign is working and much more.

Chatbots:

Chatbots are built-in applications that help businesses to provide their customers with round the clock support. This, in turn, helps businesses to grow their company, handle customers’ demands and complaints effortlessly, increase customer retention rate, less waiting time, and provide timely support. They are designed in a way to behave like a human because of the inbuilt AI technology and connect customers with the support team if required. Companies are understanding the growing demand for chatbots and are investing in them to grow their customer base and provide quality service.

Blockchain Technology:

Blockchain is widely useful in Bitcoin, mobile wallets, currency converter apps, tracking digital assets, providing cloud storage solutions, etc., there are limitless possibilities of Blockchain technology. You can also integrate IoT with Blockchain and provide your users with a secure and fast experience of using your application.

Wearables:

Today wearables might seem like a luxury for many people, but over a course of time, they will be around us all the time just like mobile phones. For now, the control panel of wearable devices is in the smartphone apps, which means to develop a wearable it should connect with their devices. But, in the near future, we can predict that all the control for wearable devices will be in the watch itself and will provide users with needed assistance.

Conclusion:

It is safe to say that Mobile applications are here to stay. Today it is extremely easy for any company to build their application, take their business online, and connect with customers. Mobile Application Development not only provides an ease to customers, but also acts as a medium to interact with your business, and with all the new trends, you can take your business to the next level. If you too are planning to take your store online, hire an eCommerce app developer from us and we can guide you to build the perfect e-store.

Summary: Know about the latest 15 trends in the field of mobile app development and how they will change the landscape of technology.

Author Bio

Maulik Shah is the CEO of Biztech, an eCommerce mobile app developer from India. Maulik likes to explore beyond his comfort zone. When it comes to writing for the blog, his contribution is priceless. No one else on the team can bring the deep industry knowledge to articles that he has. However, his door is always open and he is generous with sharing that knowledge.