In the last decade, very few inventions have become as ubiquitous as ‘smartphones.’ The massive boom in the number of smartphone users is paralleled by the accessibility of the internet and mobile data.
As smartphones became more and more integrated into our lives, we looked towards them to provide the solutions for our day-to-day problems. This is where ‘mobile phone applications’ found their way into our lives.
Now, from shopping and traveling to management and accounting, everything is executed from apps installed on our smartphones.
As of the 4th quarter of 2019, Statista reported that smartphone users had a total of over 5.5 million apps at their disposal in all the leading app stores. It similarly found that global mobile app revenues are expected to reach $581.9 billion by 2024.
With such high usage, the industry holds immense potential, and app developers have realized this. Each year, new developments and trends swarm the mobile app industry to meet the increasing and evolving demands of the users.
Whether you are an app developer or a business, you need to keep yourself informed of the latest developments in the mobile space. In this blog post, we are going to share the latest trends that are changing the way we build apps. Incorporate these trends in your app to make it big in 2024 and beyond.
1. Instant apps:
Instant app is the next step in the evolution of mobile apps. Instant apps are the type of native Android apps that you can run without installing them on your device first. These apps are popular among users and app developers alike because of their convenience and better conversion rates compared to regular mobile apps.
For instance, Jet – a US-based shopping platform – increased its conversion rate by 27 percent after the launch of its instant app. Similarly, the NYTimes Crosswords instant app has experienced a 2x increase in the number of sessions per user, with improved user acquisition and retention.
For now, a limited number of instant apps are available in the Google Play Store, but they are attracting more and more users due to the following benefits.
- Small size
- Excellent UX
- Website-like functionality
- No installation is required; hence, no space is used in a device’s memory
2. The use of AI in app development:
A lot has been written about Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the last few years, and the technology is now finding its feet in the realm of mobile app development. The integration of Artificial Intelligence with mobile apps has made mobile apps smarter and simplified the development process in terms of the resources required.
A striking example of an AI-driven system is Google Duplex, which allows customers to make appointments to local businesses over the phone. The Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) makes it possible for Google Duplex to make reservations just like a human would do.
With time, more and more businesses are trying to integrate AI technology into their mobile apps. The technology can be used in the app development space to analyze customer behavior and improve cybersecurity, and personalization.
It will also be a game-changing technology in customer services by enhancing chatbot services, which is also a leading trend in the mobile app industry.
3. The rise of Chatbots:
The demand for real-time interaction between users and service providers is continuously on the rise. Fortunately, automated chatbots have come to the rescue for businesses by replacing the requirements for human-to-human interaction in different areas.
However, with the rise of chatbots, developers are now using them to provide a spam-free experience to their users. One example is the popular mobile app developer AirG which is using bot technology to ensure perfect user experience. Therefore, when using apps by AirG, spam is not a concern for the user.
Mobile apps in shopping, management, and transportation services are working on integrating chatbots in their apps to help customers get quick answers to their queries.
With the rapid adoption of technology, it is predicted that AI-enabled voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant will become smarter in the coming years. Such apps will provide a more personalized experience by analyzing user behavior and leveraging chatbot technology.
4. Cloud-based apps:
Cloud integration in mobile apps will allow a large amount of data storage and seamless functionality across multiple platforms. Currently, most of the apps with large databases are using Dropbox or Amazon Web Service to meet their cloud storage requirement.
Cloud solutions have made it possible for app developers to not only streamline their operations but also reduce their hosting and equipment costs. Additionally, it has also helped developers improve their speed and processing power and enabled them to handle a large amount of data.
5. Accelerated Mobile Pages:
The Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) project by Google is aimed at increasing the loading speed of mobile pages and lowering their bounce rates across mobile devices. It is an open-source project that enables developers to build webpages that offer a seamless experience than regular HTML.
AMPs are mobile pages that contain only the essential information about a subject without heavy features. It does so by stripping all the irrelevant scripts and delivering the information in the fastest possible time.
Following AMP’s success with web pages, its transition in the mobile app industry seems noteworthy.
6. Mobile Wallets:
There is no doubt that e-commerce is on the rise, but the way people pay online is also evolving. Mobile wallets such as Google Pay and Apple Pay are currently trending, and by 2024, it is expected that the total transactions from mobile wallets will reach $13.98 billion.
Hence, it is an area that needs to be taken into consideration by app developers in the coming years. More and more apps will need to be integrated with mobile wallets to meet the growing consumer demand.
Final word:
When it comes to mobile app development, you cannot afford to use outdated tools and trends. The mobile app development space is constantly evolving, and you need to be aware of the latest trends and technologies to stay competitive in the market. Whether you are an established entrepreneur or a fresh startup, implement these development trends in your app, and stay at the top of your game.
Author bio
Andrea Bell is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences and express herself through her blogs. You can find her on Twitter:@IM_AndreaBell
