Let’s examine some of the most influential trends that are going to rule the mobile app development industry in 2020.
Today where the global industry is quickly heading towards massive digitization, the developments in the app development industry are affecting the entire digital ecosystem. Many top industry names have invested heavily in the apps market since the last few years. While small businesses and startups are also slowly realizing and started harnessing the power of mobile apps in their operational procedures and customer experience.
As of the 2nd quarter of 2019, around 2.46 million apps are featured in Google Play, and 1.96 million are available on the App Store.
This takes us to the realization that 2020 is in for some powerful surprises, and some already tried and tested things that are only going to gather momentum.
Top Mobile App Development Trends in 2020
The rise of beacon technology
The beacon technology is the foremost development trend that has promised a great future and happily accepted in the different industries like hotels, healthcare, museums, etc. The trend is extracting a quality use of location technology and proximity marketing.
Beacons are wireless transmitters that use Bluetooth technology to send signals, which in turn instructs an application to perform an action. Plenty of businesses like retail, restaurants, transport use beacons, mainly when incorporated with IoT, to conduct their businesses and drive sales.
Some specific trends related to beacon technology include mobile payment beacons, AI-induced chips, automated machine learning, and beacon treasure hunting.
APM and EMM
Application performance management (APM) and enterprise mobile management (EMM) are the two important aspects of any app development process.
Google incorporated APM as the mobile metric in 2016. The metric was introduced to elevate the overall performance and eliminate the snag that is responsible to slow down the app performance. In doing so, the tool is often preferred and used by QA testers to test the app.
Speaking of EMM, the platform permits businesses to safely enable mobile phones used by the workforce, this also helps in the process of mobile computing. Besides securing the app structure, employees tend to become more productive and disciplined when data is shared across different mobile devices.
The influence of 5G
Speed is the foremost aspect that comes to mind when we ponder over the 5G technology. The trend is on course to become one of the most powerful trends in the tech industry, and not only in the app development market.
Realistically speaking, there is still a lot of work left in 5G, but through 2020 and beyond, we can expect users to start from the 4G to 5G wireless network.
Besides speed (as stated above), 5G will also contribute in the data security, 3D gaming, augmented reality, and other major elements in the app development industry.
To extract maximum juice out of the 5G technology, phone companies like Samsung, Verizon, etc. have already begun preparing the staging of their own 5G-supported chips.
Hence, quite a work to do from the developers’ end, making the new applications powerful enough to cater quick, tap-in speeds and higher performance from the wireless network.
AI and ML
Apparently, artificial intelligence and machine learning are gathering some of the thickest investment from the globe. While the trend is only gathering momentum for the future.
So how many of you use Siri, Alexa, and other virtual assistants and chatbots on their smartphones? How about the recent viral apps like FaceApp, Prisma, etc.?
In 2020, we’ll experience a deeper inclusion and use of AI technology in the global industry. With the current applications apart, various tools like AI-incorporated cameras, user predictions, voice translations, and similar tools will start entering our smartphones.
Fortunately, the blend of AI and ML have started to prove real beneficial for industries like mobile app development. It doesn’t matter if you’re running a game development company, or even a small retail store next door, artificial intelligence is powerful and smart enough to learn the development process from previous data, locate potential problems, and fix them in real time.
Machine learning, as the name suggests, is the technology that helps the machines learn by examining algorithms and statistical models. ML can understand the buying behavior of users, you might have often seen the application suggesting you similar products to the one you bought last time online.
While the artificial intelligence technology is just getting started, in future we can expect to see developments in smart camera with subject recognition, advanced voice and language translations, top app authentication for cybersecurity, AI-based face unlock, AIOps for automating IT operations, and more.
Augmented and virtual reality
Easily, one of the hottest mobile app development trends in 2020, the augmented and virtual reality technology has been the buzzword of the digital world for quite some time now. Besides consuming the gaming and mobile app development industry, it’s only a matter of time before AR/VR enters most of our daily life activities including retail businesses, smartphone usage, educational institutions, to name a few.
Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARcore are teasing the idea of the next big thing, mixed reality technology. Despite that fact that we already have mixed reality smart glasses like HoloLens, Magic Leap, Oculus Go, etc., an immersive and interactive user experience still has a lot to offer.
Currently, developers are testing various features including people occlusion, motion tracking, environmental comprehension, light estimation, etc. in the virtual reality field.
Hence, in 2020 we can rightly expect various upcoming AR-based applications to compete with other fully functional apps and take the center stage in industries like education, retail, tourism, advertising, and more.
Furthermore, we’ll also experience the mixed reality technology influence our social media usage. For instance, Facebook has introduced Facebook spaces to let us interact with friends through VR, and users on Instagram can create their own AR-based filters.
The applicability of augmented and virtual reality in different industries and situations is virtually endless. For examples, doctors can perform live surgeries from different parts of the world, virtual teleportation to interstellar space can be made possible, observing the deepest depths of the ocean, only to name a few.
In 2020 and beyond, we will surely experience AR-based virtual user manuals, trainings and simulations, live musical concerts, destination navigation, visual learning, and more advancements in the mixed reality technology.
Increased visibility of wearables
Wearables are not something new to the eyes, as most of us have already seen and used fitness bands, smartwatches, trackers, and even smart rings. These wearables have influenced the way through which we use our smartphones.
According to Business Insider, the wearable market will experience a rise of about 35% in 2019. Furthermore, according to Statista, the market will generate a revenue of 33 billion in 2019.
Given the vast potential in the wearable technology determined to make its name in the mobile app development trends in 2020. The mobile app development industry is at the right moment to invest in wearable devices for a convenient, superior customer experience.
The blockchain growth
Blockchain, as tech professionals and enthusiasts already know, has stepped in the game of cryptocurrencies and smart contracts, not to mention the robust security it offers for any company’s valuable data.
Besides cryptocurrency, Ethereum is working on to uncover the true potential of blockchain technology. The scope of decentralized applications and what opportunities they board for app developers is a clear indication of what’s to come forth.
Decentralized apps, also termed as Dapps, can be found in different industries employed such as healthcare, finance, trading, gaming, media, and more. This is where blockchain application development steps in!
In 2020, we’re going to see blockchain in anti-piracy, asset tokenization, blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS), swarm robotics, safe public elections, transparent betting, and related markets where the gap between users and providers will be bridged in a transparent, secure manner.
The employment of cloud integration
Evolving from the basic hosting service, the cloud technology has come a long way and continued to surprise the digital world with its limitless benefits.
Apparently, cloud integration is the most secure and quick way to store and protect your data. However, the use of cloud technology in the app development market is yet to reach a considerable extent. Nevertheless, we’ll be seeing plenty of cloud-integrated mobile applications.
These applications will run directly on the cloud. In doing so, the user will be freeing plenty of smartphone’s internal memory, fortunately, the risks of phone crashes will get considerably less.
Cloud integration offers a two-way benefit for both the developers and users. The development process promises to get quick, easy, and cost effective, while the users get to use plethora of features without actually needing to install the application.
Undoubtedly, the mobile app development trends in 2020 and future has some big plans for cloud integration such as hybrid cloud services, multi-cloud platforms, and cloud quantum computing.
Imran Abdul Rauf is a Digital Marketing Strategist, employed at CMOLDS, and specializes in content marketing, email marketing campaigns, lead generation, and other aspects of digital marketing. A content enthusiast by the day, and hardcore gamer by night, Imran is also a regular guest contributor at some of the top tech and digital marketing platforms.
