Mobile development trends in 2020
It is not a secret that mobile traffic and the mobile application market will continue to grow at least for the next five years. Here are some numbers to assess the dynamics of this growth: from 2017 to 2021, the mobile applications market will grow by 385% (forecast), and the number of mobile device users in the world will reach almost 7 billion (forecast), that is, about 85% of the world’s population will use mobile devices. By 2022, user spending on the App Store will increase by 90% to nearly $160 billion. In short, we can say for sure that this market is growing and growing very quickly.
Future of mobile development
But we can notice not only quantitative growth but also a qualitative one. New technologies and trends will be introduced in the near future. Here we have collected the most interesting directions in the mobile application development:
- Artificial Intelligence. AI is no longer something astonishing in the modern world; it has already penetrated into mobile devices, allowing you to save time and resources for application development. AI-enabled chips, automated machine learning, application development, and fuzzy logic neural network technologies are coming. AI is already being used in virtual assistants, IoT, cybersecurity, and intelligent applications.
- Chatbots. Chatbots are a good way to enhance the communication capabilities of organizations with clients and reduce the costs for maintaining the staff of consultants, because as a rule, most clients will have standard questions, and a chatbot can easily handle them. While this technology is already widespread in the retail trade (online stores) and services (cafes, taxis, etc.), there is also a noticeable trend of their penetration into other areas. The giants also have virtual digital chat assistants: Google Assistant, Siri, etc. They will develop further and introduce new functions to make the life of their users easier and more comfortable.
- Wearable electronics. Wearable devices, including smartwatches, fitness trackers, bracelets, and smart clothes, etc., are gradually becoming part of our everyday life. The number of those who wish to have such gadgets is growing from year to year. But there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of developing applications to run devices. So far, in most cases, such a device is paired with a smartphone, but engineers are already implementing ways to ensure their autonomy and minimal dependence on a smartphone. This is a very promising area for development
- IoT applications. The Internet of Things is a relatively new direction in IT. Many large corporations such as Google and Amazon have already tested the potential of this technology. In the Western world, such industries as shipping, retail, and healthcare have come to integrating with IoT as close as possible, and this is no longer science fiction. The Internet of Things is a clear trend in the near future.
- Augmented and virtual reality. Until recently, AR and VR technologies were used only in computer games. But now they are starting to penetrate into other areas; for example, it is planned to implement these functions in Google Maps, which can offer the user directions in real-time using the smartphone camera.
- Electronic payments. Mobile wallets have become the preferred payment method. Now people are actively using mobile payment methods such as Apple Pay, Google Wallet, etc. Besides, cryptocurrencies and blockchain are entering a new payment arena, offering better security for mobile transactions.
- Cross-platform apps. Due to their convenience, compactness, and similarity to a website, the popularity of cross-platform applications is growing due to the fact that they can be instantly accessed without installation. Plus, they provide better conversion rates than regular mobile apps.
- Cloud computing. Clouds are already very popular; in 2020, they will increase their presence. Modern cloud integration services help mobile apps efficiently store gigabytes of data and perform complex tasks cost-effectively. Cloud platforms (Dropbox, AWS, etc.) will allow you to install applications directly to the cloud and work there.
- 5G technologies. One of the hottest mobile app development trends of 2020 is 5G. Thanks to its high speed (nearly 100 times faster than 4G), 5G will provide a boom in business productivity. This year, the standard will be involved in the development of data security, 3D games, AR, etc. Almost all network chip manufacturers will launch 5G-enabled boards. Mobile developers will have to update their app UI and upgrade their design and development skills to meet the requirements.
Conclusion
So, we can say that the integration of artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality technologies will revolutionize the application development process. The number of chatbots, wearable apps, and cross-platform is growing and will continue to grow. Beyond these trends, the Internet of Things, the reduction of security concerns, the integration of cloud platforms, blockchain technologies, and payment services will be some of the most important app development trends this year.
There are still a lot of interesting things ahead, stay tuned with us.
- Written by: Recruiter
- Posted on: September 20, 2020
- Tags: android, development trends, ios, mobileapps