Mobile App Development Trends for 2021 and Beyond

New technology in mobile application development, and in the devices themselves, has been a fundamental aspect to the way the world has changed. From being a bulky luxury several decades ago to a vital object today, mobile phones have witnessed an enormous transformation in a very short period of time, with new mobile app future trends set to continue this in the coming year. While the initial invention of mobiles made it possible for us to connect with other people much more easily, current mobile marketing trends ensure there is much more to 21st century smartphones than just taking and making calls. This is why understanding exactly what is the future of mobile app development and the mobile app trends 2021 has in store for us is important for individuals, communities and businesses alike.

Technological advancements mixed with futuristic applications has led to the improvement in all types of electronic devices, but none more so than with mobile and hand-held devices. Currently, over 40% of the world’s population owns a smartphone, and by the end of this year, more than 300 million people will have joined this growing percentage. The smartphone industry is at its peak right now, and innovative apps have played a major role in its success leading to a revenue generation of more than $581 billion for mobile industries.

With every passing year, the capabilities of these applications are becoming more and more impressive. The mobile app trends 2021 will produce will once again illustrate how the app development field is transforming the way we leverage these quintessential devices. So exactly why are mobile apps the next big thing once again?

Importance of Mobile in 2021

The fact that mobile app technology continues to evolve isn’t a surprise, the speed with which it is doing so however is unprecedented. Businesses all across the world are now moving to mobile app solutions to help expand their services, customer-reach and overall profitability in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. Due to their enormous popularity, overall ease of use and inherent usefulness on a day-to-day basis, mobile apps offer a significant opportunity for businesses and enterprises to succeed.

Various small and medium sized businesses are gaining an edge over industry giants and tech leaders due to the prevalence of these apps and tools. When added to the fact that mobile app development companies are now working with the latest tools and technologies to serve their clients or end-users better, the prospect for wide-spread mobile app usage seems incredibly likely.

Mobile App Development Trends for 2021

Many mobile app developers have already said that the mobile app development industry is one of the fastest-growing industries and that it shows no signs of slowing down in the future as well. If you are planning to build your own mobile application for your business, then you need to be prepared with the top mobile app trends that we are going to discuss here.

1. AI Chatbots: The advent of Artificial Intelligence has transformed almost pretty much every industrial or commercial segment on the planet, and will only continue to do so year-on-year. When paired with other emerging trends like voice recognition and face identification, this technology enables apps to identify and even predict user behavior seamlessly. The integration of mobile chatbots enables service providers to interact in real-time with customers without the need for human-to-human interaction, letting users receive immediate and exceptional customer service, no matter where they are or what language they speak. As this type of technology only gets smarter the more it’s used, expect the user-centric data gathered from chatbots to start dominating the mobile app industry way into the future.

2. Synching Wearables: Wearables such as smartwatches, healthcare monitors, and fitness bracelets have seen explosive growth in the past few years, especially during the recent lockdowns around the world as people look to stay fit, only encouraging this market expansion. Mobile applications that can properly sync wearable devices with smartphones are therefore likely to stay in huge demand In the US alone, adult users of wearables have increased by more than 15% in the past four years and with more people looking for this technology to make their life easier, it seems only fitting that many app providers and developer will be more than willing to do so. This helps give the users what they want, as well as connect all the information and data they need in one place, a feature that is also ideal for businesses too.

3. 5G: 5G is set to dominate everything in the next few years and mobile apps are no different. Mobile devices and apps are centered around connectivity and this is the main goal of 5G. Today, 5G has become a standard to determine internet speed, traffic capacity, overall throughput, spectrum efficiency, and network effectiveness. The growth of the 5G network will leave its impact on app development as well due to the features of 5G cellular connectivity expected to empower key app features like 3D multiplayer gaming, AR capabilities, and improve the overall security of a users data, reflecting the expected technological developments in all industries moving forward.

4. Locations: Many mobile applications are now dependent on utilizing and also tracking the location of their users. While most of the apps track users’ positions in order to provide their services at a pinpoint location, it can also be used to build data on a number of different factors and key demographics. The rise of location tracking is immediately apparent with many apps asking for location enabling to be allowed as a fundamental part of the application itself. They can run promotional ads based on the targeted location of their users to drive online sales or can use other concepts such as geofencing. It is more than likely that this technique is going to be used by companies to boost their conversion rate, making location tracking a trend that will become increasingly prominent and accurate as it relates to mobile app development.

5. IoT: Further emphasizing the importance of connectivity to mobile apps, IoT is set to revolutionize the industry once again. A world where everything will be controlled on a single tap on a smartphone display is not one that is too far away now due to the technology the Internet of Things can create. IoT creates a network of interconnected devices that share data in a seamlessly connected manner whereby this data can then be controlled by a mobile app, allowing users to regulate their devices remotely. This feeds into one of the great selling points of mobile app use, their versatility, ease of use and remote capabilities to help improve the quality and ease of an individual’s life.

Final Thoughts

Currently, there are over 2.2 million apps on the app store and more than 2.8 million on the play store. In just a few years though, these numbers will pale in comparison to what are expected to be matching the continued rise in mobile device usage. These features and trends mentioned above are likely to define what these apps will likely be, as well as the capabilities they can have for businesses. By employing the above-mentioned trends, applications are going to gain more features and functionalities, which in turn will elevate the experience of the users and create a cycle of continued usage and development. In many ways, when we talk about the future trends of mobile apps, we are in fact talking about the future trends of how the world will work, how businesses will operate, and how people will connect with one another.