Top 10 Trends in Mobile App Development in 2023
Due to the rapid advancements and changes in mobile application development trends, many companies prefer to continuously monitor the appearance of new technologies in the mobile app development world. Effective implementation of the latest innovations in custom mobile solutions allows businesses to ensure that their mobile apps remain up-to-date and can fully satisfy their business and customer needs.
In this article, we share an overview of the top 10 mobile app development trends companies should pay attention to ensure that their mobile solutions are relevant in 2023.
AI & ML
2023 has become the year of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning transformation. Having been used by many businesses as a tool for analysis and prediction for a long time, AI and ML technologies have changed their development direction in the current year, moving toward content generation.
The “generative AI” that produces various types of content such as texts, images, audio, and other data was introduced at the end of 2022 and is booming now. This has become possible due to the public release of such innovations as ChatGPT, DALL-E, and many others. The impact of the new AI/ML is so massive that Microsoft has already invested $10 bln into the development of ChatGPT to integrate it into the Bing search engine. Meanwhile, Google is trying to quickly improve its own AI technology in an attempt to remain a major competitor in the market.
While generative AI technology is only at the beginning of its development, it’s already disrupting the way companies do their business and create content. According to Markets and Markets, the generative AI market is expected to increase from $11.3 bln in 2023 to $51.8 bln in 2028, growing at a CAGR of 35.6% in the forecasted period. Meanwhile, in its IBM Global AI Adoption Index 2022, IBM states that 35% of companies already use AI in their business and 42% of respondents are exploring ways to implement AI for their business.
Definitely, the implementation of AI/ML in mobile apps isn’t limited only to content generation. There are many more ways to use the technology for mobile app performance enhancement. It can be used for:
- Learning customer behavior patterns to provide more user-focused experiences, e.g. personalized services recommendations;
- Use of conversational UI when users can interact with a mobile app via voice commands;
- Automated reasoning for enhanced planning or building better routes for car services;
- Automation of routine tasks, e.g. automated invoicing, payments, document processing, and more;
- Predictive intelligence and reporting when AI helps companies find better solutions for emerging issues, and more.
IoT
From air-conditioners to smart cars and cities, the Internet of Things (IoT) improves our way of living. It makes the world’s fabric more intelligent and responsive, connecting both digital and physical in real time.
IoT devices can keep track of key business processes, level up efficiency, improve productivity, provide insights, and encourage companies to render enlightened decisions.
The major tech companies that provide IoT technology software and hardware include Amazon with its Echo line of smart speakers connecting to Alexa, Google Home Voice controller with speakers that connect to Google Assistant, and Siri by Apple that connects to any Apple device. Apart from these three major market players, Samsung, Xiaomi, Bosch, and Honeywell also have their own IoT brands. As a result, there is a wide range of technologies that can be selected for implementation in mobile solutions.
IoT gadgets and systems are quickly growing in demand. Statista states that the number of IoT devices used worldwide is forecasted to almost triple from 9.7 bln gadgets in 2020 to over 29 bln IoT devices in 2023. Provided that, Market and Markets expects the IoT market size to increase from $300.3 bln in 2021 to $650.5 bln in 2026, presenting a CAGR of 16.7% in the forecasted period.
Cloud Apps
Integration of advanced technologies into a mobile app requires much storage and increased device memory. However, even if there is enough space and processing power, it doesn’t mean that users are ready to install mobile apps estimated in gigabytes. Cloud computing technology can simply solve this issue. By using remote services, companies remove the concerns of internal memory shortage on mobile devices, heavy computational processes, or even back-end infrastructure support.
Another reason why companies prefer building their mobile apps cloud-based is multiplatform support. It means that the mobile apps built for the cloud often run on several mobile platforms, the most popular ones are Android and iOS. Cloud is a perfect solution for cross-platform mobile development as software developers can build one back-end codebase for various mobile platforms, put it on the cloud, and provide access to the app via a web browser.
Other cloud technology benefits for mobile apps include:
- Enhanced security and privacy
- Saved expenses on app hosting
- Improved loading capacity
- Support of streaming operations
- Seamless scalability, depending on the current business needs, and much more.
Wearables
Being a part of IoT technology, wearables require a separate mention when it comes to mobile app development. That’s because the technology has penetrated deeply into people’s everyday routines. Medical appliances, fitness trackers, fitness rings, and smartwatches are just some examples of wearables used daily by millions. That’s why this trend can’t be ignored by companies developing mobile apps. Customer service, IT, medicine, marketing, and sales are the key spheres where wearable technology is used now.
Today, there is a wide range of companies that manufacture wearable gadgets, including the renowned Fitbit, Apple, Google, more medical-focused Philips and Omron Healthcare, and many others. The technology keeps developing and is growing in demand, this is evidenced by the Insider Intelligence stats. It shows that in the US wearable technology market, users exhibit interest in the technology and it has grown from 23.3% of YoY in 2021 to 25.5% in 2023 and is expected to reach 27.2% of YoY in 2025.
AR & VR
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) blur