Mobile app development is one of the biggest tech industries in the world now, with millions of users around the globe using apps as part of their daily routine. The potential uses of mobile apps are nearly limitless, and constantly being advanced by development in hardware and software technology, so keeping pace with the changes is essential for anyone looking to enter the market.
Here are our top five mobile app development trends for 2019.
1. Speed rules
With advances in technology bringing a host of possibilities to mobile app developers, we’re now entering the phase where the limiting factors tend to be more human than machine. One of the most significant limiting factors with mobile use is the amount of time spent using any application, site, or service.
Many of the most popular apps are now single-function services, with the aim of getting the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Focussing your design brief around speed and efficiency is key to creating a successful app.
2. Hardware benefits
Many of the first highly successful mobile apps found innovative ways to integrate the most basic hardware services in useful and innovative ways – think of how ubiquitous location tracking software is now. Whether it’s ordering a taxi or checking the weather, location tracking has been a hugely successful and important function for many applications.
Hardware developers have since added a host of functionality to their devices – from 3D cameras to heart rate monitors – and finding new and useful ways to integrate those into services people actually want to use is a great way to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
3. Silver linings
Specifically the benefits of cloud storage. Hardware developers have pushed the envelope on the storage capabilities of their devices with each new iteration, but in many ways cloud storage provides superior capabilities to any on-board technology. For a start, cloud services can provide continuity independent of the hardware used, and with users regularly updating their handsets and devices, that saves a lot of time and hassle.
With the impending release of 5G networks across the globe, the infrastructure is in place to take that to the next level, with networks speeds making truly distributed software a feasible prospect.
4. Security matters
When sensitive personal information is made public, it almost always makes headlines, and it never works out well for the company involved. Security has become a key issue for mobile users; with the wealth of information stored on mobile devices, from health issues to banking details, that’s entirely understandable.
Security technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, from facial recognition technology to blockchain cryptography, and users expect it to be integrated into every app they use. Software advances allow discrete security measures to be built into applications from the ground up, so it’s essential for developers to incorporate them at every opportunity.
5. Smarter phones
Artificial intelligence and machine learning have gone from science fiction pipe dreams to everyday reality without much notice, but the functionality machine learning brings is now widely understood. From games to picture editing to more accurate online searches, AI has brought benefits to all mobile app users.
Unlocking the potential these new technologies hold is a sure-fire way to capture significant numbers of users, and in a booming marketplace, bring significant value to any developer who harnesses it in new and practical ways.
