We all are diving in the world of Smartphones and tablets. The backbone of these gadgets are –applications, which in general known as – Mobile apps.

Mobile apps provide a lot of benefits to the end-users and organizations. Business owners are delivering apps for different purposes such as – customer awareness, revenue generation, workforce productivity etc. This leads to emerging demands of mobile applications and app development companies as well.

Every unit of a development firm is capable and up-to-date with the latest concepts and app development trends. For the sake of all of you, we prepared a list of all the latest trends that describe the future of mobile app development. Let’s have a look – 

1. IoT( Internet of things )

IoT stands for ‘Internet of Things’. It is a technology responsible for connecting physical objects with the smartphone or each other to communicate. From past some years, mobile app development is very much into IoT because of its advanced functionalities.

The use of IoT is very common nowadays in electrically controlled devices. You can control these devices just with the help of your smartphone. No physical interaction required. For example, if you forgot to switch off your AC after coming out of the house, you don’t need to go there. You can turn off it with the help of your smartphone.
 

2. AI and Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence was already booming in 2017. In 2018, it is the most common trend in app development. Brands are optimizing artificial intelligence and machine learning in their web-apps and mobile apps. The AI-powered apps can accomplish tedious tasks. Users love those brands which are providing more comfortable interactions in their app.

Industries are highly relying on chatbots to provide happy experience to their customers. Chatbots and virtual assistant are the main assets of Artificial intelligence. They provide possible answers to the users’ query and suggest the users on the basis of previous user interactions.

3. AR and VR

Augmented reality provides a rich audio-visual experience by computer stimulated techniques. This trend is a much-needed element in gaming apps. Virtual reality is a technique used to enhance the view of a user. It generates a 3D experience in the real world. Both of these trends are gaining awesome momentum in the field of gaming industries.

As per the Statista report, “Apple App Store and Google Play gross mobile games revenue worldwide. In the first half of 2018, Google Play Store recorded gross revenues of 10.3 billion U.S. dollars from mobile games, up from 8.2 billion generated in the corresponding half of 2017”.

Gaming apps are one of the most successful industries. People find playing games through the mobile app is the most lovable time spare. There are a number of gaming apps available in the app store. To stand alone in the app market, people are using AR and VR development techniques in their apps.
 

4. Beacons And Location-Based Services

Location-based services are really helpful for businesses. The two most common location-based services are – beacon and GPS. These services are beneficial for both end-users and brands. It provides quick access to the information related to products and services in which you are interested. It promotes the direct sale.

Beacon is a device based on Bluetooth Low Energy and triggers push notifications within a range. It comes in different shapes such as USB sticks, coin etc.  Whenever a user enters into a specific region, he/she receives push notifications. Food, travel, shopping mall, automation, retail and health industries are adopting this technology for their drastic growth.

Another location-based service is GPS tracking. GPS is an acronym for Global Positioning System. It shows the direction of routes while driving. And, also provides the information based on time, date or location on the following route. On the basis of a user’s search, GPS based applications offer virtual experience to navigate the product or service. Cabs, tours, and travel industries are optimizing this trend very effectively.

5. Wearables

Who doesn’t love to move freely without holding anything? Well, that’s the ability of wearable devices. Apple watch, Google watch, Google glasses, Fitness bands are some of the most-used wearable gadgets. Many people are using these devices to track their health, get real-time updates and calculate their own activities.

Wearable technology is turning out as the most advanced and far better than handheld technology. The entire market is trying to get each essence of its benefits. Its important features are sensors, scanning, and real-time information.

The apps of wearable devices are so light, quick and adjustable that people love to use them more frequently. These apps are user-friendly and present the accurate and relevant information to the users.

Wearable app development is a complete blend of technologies which includes Real-time information, Data Security, AR, Sensory and AI. Handheld technology is still not that much progressive. Health, fitness, sports, medical, travel, education industries are its biggest admirer.

One cannot deny the uses and advantages offered by wearable devices and this trend will be constantly growing with much capabilities and advancements.
 

6. Cloud-Based Apps

In the world of apps, the cloud is playing a vital role. Users are demanding cloud-based apps because these apps are easy to manage, handy and robust.  You don’t require saving those big data files on your device. Integrating the cloud into your app will allow having a secure platform for data saving.

Many industries are taking a great interest in cloud-based app development. These apps have lower security risks along with easy to manage, integrate functionalities than regular apps.

As per the Forrester research, “Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google are supposed to capture 76 percent of all cloud platform revenue in 2018, and 80 percent by 2020”.

Cloud technology is the safest technology which allows you to manage your data remotely with the help of the internet no matter where you are.

7. Mobile Payments

The world is getting completely digitalised. Physical wallets are the thing of past, mobile wallets are booming nowadays. People have got a big relief by removing traditional wallets which are tricky to use and not safe.

You can pay and receive transaction of any amount of money in a very secure and fast manner. Some apps have their own integrated payment system and some are serving as a wallet itself. Paytm, MobiKwik, Airtel Money, Freecharge etc. Banks and financial industries are using their own payment system to facilitate their customers for easy transactions.

 As per the Statista report – A significant rise of about 600 million in the year 2016 of mobile wallet transaction was made. Furthermore, the projection of a mobile wallet transaction would reach 260 billion approx. till the year 2022.

8. Instant Apps

The idea behind the instant apps is – to allow the users to know about the app before downloading. In this way, you can reach new users. Also, these apps are easily reachable and searchable from Social media, Google searches, emails, URLs, YouTube comments, etc.

Instant apps are like ‘lite versions’ of the regular app and also known as ready-to-use apps. These apps are having great speed and power. You can use these apps like running a webpage in a browser.

Developers can deliver the portion of an app to the users and lock the rest of the features until the user download it. Mobile App Development Companies can advertise their content with the help of these apps. If you are having an app and want to win over the competition, do give a try to an instant app. It will give your business a good exposure and increase your user base as well.

9. In-App gestures and Animations

This trend is about the app’s functionality. In-app gestures are boosting user experience by providing multi-touch technology. Swipe, pinch, spreading are some in-app gestures and contributing a great part in increasing user experience.

The app automatically becomes more content focused with fewer buttons and more space. Users experience seamless interaction. Animations play an essential role in gestures. It makes the app more interactive and visible to the users. To increase your user base, follow this trend.

10. Cross-platform App Development

These days staying on one platform is boring. Businesses are opting for cross-platform app development to cover all kind of users. We all know that Android and iOS are the two main platforms and the audience for these two are completely different from each other. It is really beneficial to understand the type of audience and deliver the app accordingly. But sticking on one platform will never give you the wide exposure to the users. You must go for the Cross platform app development. There are many advantages of using Cross-platform app development.

Let’s have a look –

It is expected that in the upcoming years, the app market will have more Cross-platform apps than native apps.

11. On Demand apps

Just as the on-demand services are most preferable, the demand for developing apps for these services are also increasing day by day. Uber and Airbnb are the perfect examples of on-demand app’s success. People love to hire services like – plumber, beautician, and transportation etc. Businesses are embracing this human nature in a beneficial way. The speciality of these apps is personalization which is again a trend in app development market. And, one can win the race, if he/she is paying great attention to personalization. Personalization is the direct and solo ingredient which can hit your app among users. These apps keep an eye on your searches and ‘interests’, and then, trigger the notifications and suggestions by using recorded information while you are using the app. Food, healthcare, travel, fitness, beauty and education industries are optimizing this trend.

12. App Security

Last but not least, – Security. How much you love your app for different features and functionalities, but you will always be conscious of security. There is a huge amount of personal data is stored in our smartphones, so the concern arises for privacy. There are lots of techniques applied by the developers to make an app secure, just as –

Security is always a prime consideration in app development. Mobile application developers are required to be more cautious towards the use of the authorization techniques.

The Final Note –

2018 is a bright year for mobile app development. Let’s hope that 2019 enters with a lot of more trends for users, developers, and organizations as well. Hope above trends help you in getting the right direction in your future app development.