Mobile development trends to watch for in 2020

Mobile development trends to watch for in 2020 – Altabel Group's BlogSkip to content

High usage of mobile phones has helped in the development of new technologies. Technology advancements, consumer demands, and a wide range of other factors have a direct impact on mobile app trends. Since mobile has the power to boost the visibility of a brand, every business owner is trying to reap its advantages.

There are many technologies that are set to impact the mobile app development industry in 2020, below is the list of some of the trends:

• Wearables
• 5G technology
• AR&VR
• AI&ML
• Instant apps
• Mobile Wallets

So, let’s take a closer look at each trend separately.

WEARABLES

We are witnessing a major shift towards wearables. Smart watches are widely known for helping with weight loss and fitness training goals. And they’re not limited to just monitoring your heart rate. They can also check other parameters (such as blood pressure) and even report them to your health apps. 

This enables users to keep a better watch of their health, especially when they’re battling a condition. Coupling mobile apps with smart devices – such as scales, fitness equipment, and weights (with a gyroscope and Bluetooth connection) – enables users to receive a complete analysis of their well-being. 

What makes wearables an ideal target for app developers is the power they wield. The processors, batteries, and memory installed give devices higher performance and functionality to handle powerful apps. Users can now get a complete experience with wearables without the need for their smartphone. 

5G TECHNOLOGY

Latest trends in mobile development are also affected by the quality of the Internet connection. The 5th generation mobile technology is the most awaited revolution coming to mobile phones in 2020. Even though 5G has been around the last year, there were few services and devices using it in 2019.

5G will make the transfer of data and media much faster and efficient. It is said to work 100 times faster than 4G. It also reduces the app load time to 1-2 seconds and makes IoT  devices battery life last 10 times longer.

The penetration of 5G will ultimately boost the functionality of mobile apps. This will allow developers to add new features to apps without negatively affecting the app’s performance. 

AR&VR

In 2019, many mobile apps already have shifted to Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality and these apps not only belong to the gaming or entertainment arena.

Now businesses in different sectors are also including the real-world experience in apps. Henceforth, App Store and Google Play Store are full of VR and AR apps.

Using AR/VR can benefit your business significantly since it makes your product stand out. Without customers there’s no business. AR/VR is not new in the world of mobile apps, but it offers unlimited resources for marketing and sales advancement.

AR technologies attract a broad audience who can experience all the features on their devices without any additional means. While immersing in VR reality requires only a headset. With AR/VR user experience becomes more memorable and better personalized, which boosts customer retention.

IOT

Letting the Internet of Things (IoT) make our lives smarter is an arising mobile trend. Today, with just a few taps on the smartphone, we remotely control heating and AC in the building; manage security roller shutters; submit gas, water and electricity readings; pay utility bills; and maintain video surveillance in physical facilities. It makes us feel so comfortable in the smart home.

Beyond smart houses, a variety of IoT apps have already delivered superior benefits in retail for a better shopping experience, in logistics – for streamlined supply chain management, in healthcare – for remote patient monitoring. The motto of any IoT-driven app will be the same – to make everything around us function smarter via a smartphone or any other connected device over the Internet.

AI&ML

The focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning will continue to be a priority in app development. Both businesses and consumers are adopting AI tools to make their work and lives easier. 

By now, the manufacturing and medical sectors have shown amazing efforts for promoting efficiency through artificial intelligence. This has been possible due to the high precision and capacity of capturing real-time events.

With the combination of IoT and AI, you don’t require tapping your fingers to get tasks done. You can relax and simultaneously AI controls your devices, houses, automobiles, etc. itself.

INSTANTAPPS

Instant Apps were introduced by Google as the fastest way to use Android apps wherever you are. With instant apps, users can try them out without downloading them first. All features of the native app are available to the user in an instant. Instant apps can be used right away without taking up any memory on the user’s device.

Instant apps pose a new horizon of opportunities for everyone. Mobile developers use the same dev base for an installable app and an instant app without a need to develop two separate apps. Business owners benefit from a spontaneous user response, wider user base, and social sharing.

MOBILE WALLETS

Mobile wallets have already started becoming a preferred choice of payment for users today. Users are swiftly moving towards smart watches and hence mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Google Wallet shall be on an upsurge in the year 2020..

Whether a mobile wallet will completely replace a leather wallet, the future will show. Still, the demand for a unified wallet is already tangible with so many plastic cards being toted around. Having a mobile wallet on the phone gets as cardinal as having contacts list at hand.

WRAPPING UP

These were just several trends for mobile development to watch for in 2020. As long as the mobile industry flourishes, more trends will surface to rule the mobile market and consumer demand and preferences. If you’re building apps today using information from two or three years ago, you won’t be able to stay competitive. You don’t necessarily need to implement every single trend into every app you build. But you need to have a general understanding of how the market is shifting so you can adapt accordingly.