Future of Mobile Apps: Here’s Everything that’s Worth the Wait

This year has been really rough on everyone and I guess we’ve seen enough of that already, but what we’ve also seen during this period are some amazing technological inventions. With phones, however, it’s kinda gotten boring. 

Every year the mobile users are excited because of the new Snapdragon processors and other bleeding-edge specs that these devices are pumping so they can insanely outperform the previous generation smartphones, but are the mobile apps in these phones evolving as congruently?

From the most interactive social media and messaging apps like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc, it seems like there isn’t anything beyond that. So what’s next? Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about.

Here’s the Future of Mobile Apps

When we say future of mobile apps, we don’t completely mean that these technologies aren’t already here. In fact, several of these are being incorporated right now. It’s just that these are in their primitive stages of development.

Here they are:

IoT (Internet of Things)

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It’s projected that by 2023, the global spending on IoT technology will be $1.1 trillion. Through Machine Learning and integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI), it has the potential to not just enable billions of devices simultaneously but also leverage the huge volumes of actionable data that can automate diverse business processes.

What does this entail for the future of mobile apps? Well, get ready to be able to control your car, thermostats, and kitchen appliances through your mobile devices. The IoT is being presently used in Manufacturing, Transportation, Healthcare, Energy, and many other industries.

Artificial Intelligence

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AI will single handedly change the future of mobile app design.

Mobile apps are coded to operate within the constraints of certain parameters, the implications of which have to be predefined. Simply put, if you’re browsing for a homestay on Airbnb, the results you see are based on predetermined parameters like your location, your size, and amenity requirements.

Those predetermined parameters, with the assistance of AI, can evolve to a point where you’ll be able to get results based on your preferences that it learned along the way, such as the kind of accommodation you usually prefer, the kind of facilities you need, and may even suggest you buy a place because your favourite restaurant is nearby. 

Augmented Reality (AR) / Virtual Reality (VR)

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AR and VR are attracting a high amount of investments and are forecasted to reach $72.8 billion by 2024. We can already see their success in the gaming and entertainment industry with Pokemon Go, Sky Siege, Google Cardboard, iOnRoad, and Samsung Gear VR.

Brands like Jaguar Land Rover and BMW have already started using VR to conduct design and engineering evaluation sessions to finalize their visual design before they spend any money on manufacturing the parts physically.

Gradually, you’ll be able to make more immersive simulations that can revolutionize any form of architecture involved in it.

Cross-Platform Development

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The future of mobile apps will definitely make native app development obsolete. Currently, React Native offers exceptional flexibility while developing Android and iOS apps. This will save tons of time since you won’t have to develop 2 separate apps.

More importantly, cross-platform app development will eliminate the downside of having to compromise on certain nuanced features. All of this will gradually make the app development process a lot cheaper, simpler, and time-saving.

5G

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Imagine if you could download an entire Netflix series in about 10 seconds. That’s how great the potential of 5G is. Theoretically, it has the potential to reach speeds of 10 Gigabits per second and not just high speeds, but low latency. Even in its infancy, we can witness 5-6 Gigabits per second on our smartphones in the US.

Speaking of the future of mobile apps, well, fast internet would mean faster download and upload speeds, which changes everything from Augmented and Virtual Reality, IoT, supply chain, transportation, smart cities, because everything can happen in real-time because of the latency of merely 2 - 20 milliseconds.

Blockchain

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Blockchain is a term being thrown around a lot lately. Well, it’s a technology that allows data to be stored globally on thousands of servers. Now because it’s decentralized, completely transparent, and immutable, it becomes difficult for one user to gain control over the network.

This means that it’s almost impossible for anyone to hack into blockchain and make changes. The future of app development depends highly on blockchain technology because of its ability to deliver highly secure mobile apps.

Wearable Devices

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You see wearables, or “smartwatches”, being popularly used as fitness bands these days. They’re smart in the sense that they’re able to tell you your heart rate, blood oxygen, count steps, are able to notify you in case of irregular heart rhythms. And of course, it does tell time.

The tech, when combined with IoT, opens up so many doors. Be it checking appointments, making calls, sending messages, getting reminders, it’s just scratching the surface. This tech has a huge potential to evolve and can eventually eliminate the need to use a smartphone. 

Wrapping Up

It’s pretty assuring that the future of mobile apps is ridiculously exciting. We can only imagine how the user experience is going to unfold. 

Be it data visualization with the help of VR and AR, or maximization of convenience with the help of wearables, they’re all going to bring about a massive change in the mobile app development trends. Hopefully, we’ve helped you scratch that itch of curiosity and you got to learn about how our interaction with the world is about to change.