Top Mobile App Development Trends

In 2020, the number of unique mobile internet users reached the figure of 4.28 bln, meaning that more than 90% of the global internet population used mobile devices to access the internet. The trend of using mobile gadgets to go online is rising and can be seen in the active development of mobile networks as well as continuous innovations appearing in mobile app development solutions.

To reach more consumers and provide enhanced customer experiences, more and more businesses opt for building mobile apps empowered by the latest digital innovations. In this article, we’ll look into the top mobile app development trends that will be prominent in 2022 and explain how they can help businesses to thrive.

Internet of Things (IoT) App Integration

The Internet of Things, an interconnected network of sensors and instruments, has a limitless potential to change how households, businesses, and entire industries are managed. It’s expected that by 2025 there will be 30.9 bln IoT devices worldwide with 3.5 bln IoT devices connected via a cellular network by 2030.

Integration of IoT with mobile applications brings this technology to a whole new level. With just one mobile application, users can control entire plants or their smart homes without getting too much into detail about how the system works. IoT solutions empowered by mobile apps with simple and user-friendly interfaces can be used in diverse industries from healthcare to agriculture, to manufacture, to retail, and many other fields.

Here is how mobile applications improve IoT:

• provide one centralized platform for multiple IoT devices;
• offer simple device management, narrowing a significant quantity of settings to 1-2 buttons;
• provide advanced security with biometric app access or two-factor authentication;
• enhances personalization when each mobile app user can adjust IoT network to their preferences;
• allow controlling IoT devices anywhere and anytime.

Apps For Foldable Devices

In 2019 Samsung presented the world its Galaxy Z Fold. It became clear that foldable devices is a new trend in the mobile phone manufacturing industry. Statista predicts that foldable smartphone displays will eventually dominate the market and 75.6 mln foldable smartphone displays will be shipped in 2025.

Foldable devices provide their users with a combination of displays that can be active for various folding positions and perform different functions. Therefore, mobile phones can provide a more immersive user experience with large screens or send important notifications when the device is folded.

This foldable smartphone functionality has resulted in new approaches in mobile app development. For example, software developers have to consider how to make their apps smoothly resizable for closed, flat, and half-opened positions or add a multitasking function into the app, dividing it into several screens.

Development For Wearable Devices

Wearable devices aren’t a new invention in the industry of gadgets, however, their popularity will continue growing in 2022. According to Statista, there were 722 mln wearable devices in 2019 and its number is forecasted to reach over 1 bln by 2022.

More and more companies use wearables for their business development. They adopt the technology to improve their workforce performance and enhance and personalize their interaction with customers. The Putting Wearables to Work report by Salesforce reveals that 76% of businesses have improved their performance and 86% were planning to invest more in the technology. Whereas, a study by Ericsson states that 40% of smartwatch users prefer interacting with their wearable devices rather than using smartphones. Moreover, 43% of respondents in the same study believe that mobile phones will eventually be replaced by wearable technology.

Many software development companies watch the tendencies in the wearable device market and start providing app creation services for smartwatches, smart glasses, hand terminals, and other smart devices. This involves building well-balanced and user-friendly UI/UX with powerful and customer-centric functionalities. For example, Spotify with its wearable app frees its clients from always holding their smartphones to access their musical lists, and the contactless e-payment apple watch allows paying in stores in just one movement.

Beacon Technology

The beacon technology, small wireless transmitters powered by low-energy Bluetooth, is widely used for proximity marketing. It means that companies can transmit important information about their products to their potential customers’ devices as they approach the transmitter. The technology gained increased exposure in retail outlets, though it’s also widely used in sports arenas, concert venues, airports, conference halls, hospitals, museums, schools, and others.

Mobile Commerce

With more and more consumers willing to buy anywhere and anytime the e-Commerce market is booming today. According to Statista, there were over two billion people purchasing goods and services online in 2020, and the same year e-retail sales surpassed $4.2 tln worldwide. Moreover, the pandemics triggered e-Commerce sales growth for more than 25% globally. In another survey, Statista revealed that 65% of respondents made online purchases via mobile phones.

Mobile shopping is growing in popularity among users and becoming more profitable for retailers. The most popular m-Commerce apps attract a huge number of users, e.g. in December 2020 the Amazon Shopping mobile app for iPhone comprised over 14.4 mln daily active users in the US, the Walmart app gained an audience of 6.7 mln daily active users, and OfferUp, a marketplace for C2C, accumulated more than 4.5 mln iPhone users.

All these statistics make it clear that mCommerce is the future of e-Commerce and that m-Commerce apps will become the primary channel for online shopping. Insider Intelligence predicts that by 2024 the global retail m-Commerce will amount to $4.5 tln, making 69.9% of total retail e-commerce sales.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence is an omnipresent solution that makes the basis for many emerging technologies from speech recognition to processing vast amounts of data. Here is how AI can be effectively used in mobile app development:

• studying user behavior patterns – this helps businesses to learn more about their customers’ preferences, study the most common behavioral patterns; as a result, companies can enhance their brand/customer interaction, making it more personal or better plan their marketing campaigns, recommending their customers the goods and services they really need;
• conversational UI – facilitates interaction with apps through voice messages or texting, making it more exciting and human-like;
• automated reasoning – the technology can calculate the shortest route, offer best prices or exchange rates, and give many other useful hints;</