Mobile App Development: Top 7 Trends to Watch For in 2021

It all began in 1994, when IBM Simon, the first smartphone to be introduced, was preloaded with apps like Address Book, Calculator, NotePad, and Sketch Pad. Since then, the development of mobile apps has never looked back. Today, mobile apps have become part of our lives and our growing reliance on work and life-related activities. Both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store are popping up with many applications from different genres.

The ever-increasing number of downloadable app store applications is directly proportional to the rising number of smartphone users worldwide. The number of smartphone users has already risen by 3 billion and is projected to rise dramatically over the next few years.

Talking about an ever-increasing number of applications, developers and individuals need a creative approach to creating a user-friendly app that can attract and maintain many users. That is because we find a lot of similar applications for performing individual tasks in app stores. If you choose native apps or cross-platform app development, innovation and creativity will lead your app to succeed amid growing competition.

Mobile app development companies have also improved the app development process over the years by incorporating technical advances. Emerging technologies such as AI, ML, and IoT contribute to creating high-end mobile applications that efficiently meet the client's business needs and the end-user's demands. Let us take a closer look at the top trends in mobile app development that are likely to rule in 2021.

1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Growing instances of cyber-attacks and data breaches in the mobile app market have held IT workers at their toes. As businesses have begun to assign the utmost importance to the protection of data stored in the business app, advances in AI and ML will help. Both technologies will reduce the amount of misuse of information on the Internet.

With voice recognition and face detection capabilities powered by AI and ML, the app development company will add high-end security features such as 2FA reinforcement (Two-factor validation). AI-based calculations can be used to avoid malware programming and log-in feedback while protecting app users.

Another application of AI is in the development of the chatbot. The introduction of chatbots will boost the capabilities of the mobile app and enhance the user's experience. The on-demand app development company will incorporate a chatbot to allow service providers to communicate with their customers in real-time without any human interference. Also, chatbots work wonders in finance, shopping, and other applications. In the coming years, chatbots can improve customer experience and make it more personalized by gathering user-centric data.

2. Flip Phone compatible apps  

Flip phones made a significant return in the year 2020. These phones are modular so that they can be conveniently compressed or extended as the user wishes. Flip phones allow users to experience the features in a way they like. From a mobile app development company viewpoint, developers need to configure their applications for flip phones. As these phones are relatively new on the market, applications compatible with flip phones will demand 2021 and beyond.

3. Rise of 5G

The 5G roll-out could become one of the biggest stories of the year 2020. But we are sure to get it in 2021 worldwide. Big names in mobile manufacturers such as Samsung have already launched 5G-enabled smartphones. It is fair to note that 5G will become the norm for deciding the speed of the Internet and the traffic volume, and the overall throughput in the coming years.

The 5G network would also have an impact on the creation of mobile applications. High-end 3D apps and games with advanced virtual reality and other technology features will gain ground on the 5G mobile network.

4. Instant App Development

The trend for instant app creation is here to stay. Instant apps allow users to use the app's basic features without downloading it. If businesses want to give their consumers a prototype or a memory-efficient version, the idea of instant apps remains handy for them. Instant applications also help users determine whether to update the software after using its essential features.

We should expect instant applications to become part of the digital marketing and online advertisement strategy over time and help agencies reach the target audience effectively. It is also very likely that instant applications will gain ground in 2021.

5. Apps For Wearable Devices and Gadgets

Wearables are increasingly becoming popular across industries. Owing to the rise of IIoT (Industrial IoT) and technology development, industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality have brought innovative improvements to their processes. The demand for wearables will increase in 2021, and the domain of wearable app creation will also evolve.

Wearable apps connect wearables to smartphones, and as a result, their demand is steadily growing. In the last four years, wearable users in the US alone have increased by more than 15%. Wearable software development companies will work to enhance user experience in 2021 and beyond.

6. Apps on demand

There is a trend of on-demand applications to linger. While this is not a new development, it has rapidly gained ground in the pandemic's recent time. On the one hand, on-demand applications improve app users' comfort and convenience, and on the other hand, they allow us to meet the locking and social distance regulations. They make it simpler for consumers by having the requisite products at their doorstep.

As far as research is concerned, on-demand apps will draw more than 22.4 million customers per year, and these consumers are expected to spend USD 57 billion in the coming decade. Many entrepreneurs and start-ups who want to take advantage of the growing growth of on-demand applications consult the on-demand app development company to turn their on-demand service or product-related concepts into a customer-friendly mobile model.

7. Apps For Tracking Location 

Location-tracking app creation has begun mainstreaming in the last few years. As on-demand apps are becoming increasingly popular worldwide, most applications seek permission to track user locations for location-based services. Location-tracking apps often collect data on the demographics of the user.

Companies can handle regional marketing campaigns and on-demand distribution models with the aid of location-tracking software. Companies may run location-based promotion campaigns for their target audience using location-tracking software and improve their online sales.

In 2021 and beyond, companies will use location monitoring technology to raise conversion rates and execute regionally relevant online marketing campaigns. In a way, this will be a big trend in mobile app development in 2021.

Concluding Lines

Apart from these developments, we may view that IoT-enabled apps will also gain popularity among entrepreneurs. This will also continue to concentrate on AR and VR technologies and mobile app development's mobile payment system. As the number of applications will increase significantly in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, we should expect apps to come with features based on these trends.