Global mobile app revenue is forecast to grow by a staggering 962.5% by 2017. With mobile app usage increasing on smartphones, it will soon reach $100 billion by the end of 2020. The rapid development of technology is responsible for the evolution of mobile applications in a global phenomenon. Here are some of the latest trends that the largest fraternity of mobile phone users can look forward to.
- GPS-based applications: Augmented reality or AR in games is the latest trend. The demand for location tracking features of smartphones has increased which has made these apps popular among users. AR has become extremely beneficial for those who are creating 3D games nowadays.
- Progressive hybrid technologies: Progressive hybrid technologies will become powerful and rapidly develop with the use of tools like Angular JS, Ionic, Cordova, and PhoneGap. These will be used for agile hybrid app development projects. BYOD or bring your own device is a recent phenomenon that contributes a lot to the development and acceptance of hybrids. According to the prediction, mobile business applications will be in high demand and it will be challenging for developers to accept them.
- Focus on mobile app design: The success of a mobile application depends on how easy to use the interface is. All the companies are hiring graphic artists, illustrators, and animators to draw the public’s attention to the app design. Images, micro-interactions, parallax, grid-based interface design, and split screens will be some of the innovative trends we look forward to.
- Big data becomes big: Big apps are getting really big in terms of importance by combining ease of use in interfaces, reliability and also improved functionality. We won’t have to wait long to witness cutting-edge mobile application development that combines IoT, big data processing functions and also cloud connectivity.
- Business app taking the lead: These applications have facilitated communication, as they are able to maintain a constant connection with existing and potential customers. With the customization feature, daily business management activities have also been simplified. The CRM mobile app is a great example for getting customer information quickly, making it easy for top management to operate.
- Internet of Things: IoT has really risen in a bigger way than everyone expected. It has also grown in revenue generation and profit generation and is expected to make great strides in terms of integration and profit generation by 2017. This seemed almost a decade ago, but now it has become a reality. IoT has been implemented in a wide range of industries, from healthcare to transportation to security.
- Security is taken seriously: Security threats have multiplied with the use of the Internet in everything visible. Security measures like two-step user authentication, which is used especially for mobile banking app, have become common. This is why developers are being asked to implement a powerful security measure. iOS has always had great security, but Android suffers in this regard. However, Google is trying to use automatic security updates as well as granular app permissions.
- Instant apps are the future: Instant Apps does exactly what they’re supposed to do: they make apps run instantly. These apps do not require a download or installation on a particular device. This allows users to access a wide range of applications seamlessly. For example, when a user receives a single link from a friend, she can open it with a single tap. This helps users to use a particular feature of the app without installing it on the device. This year, more such apps will be released that will run based on user demand, giving users a more personal experience. However, these are only compatible with Android.
These are some of the mobile app development trends for 2017 that both users and developers are looking forward to. These trends are important and, according to predictions, they will take shape in the coming years. However, companies are trying to adapt to the changing demands of consumer behavior. The attention span of users has been drastically reduced, which has led to the development of new applications that are helping more people achieve a prosperous life.