The ever-growing World of Mobile Apps - What's trending in 2020?

Six trends that are seeing light in 2020

Mobile app development is certainly an actively growing and competitive sector with more than 179 billion apps downloaded every year throughout the world. Apps have covered every sector of the world including games, social service, economics, education, media and what not? Over 4.7 billion of the world population uses mobile phones and 90%of the time is spent on applications. This number does not seem to slow down any time soon.

The comfort of apps cannot be matched and people want more of it with each passing year. To place this in perspective, it is predicted that the revenue on mobile apps will reach a whopping $581.9 billion this year with an increase of $120 billion from 2019. Although 2019 did not see any ground-breaking revolutions in mobile apps, the increase is majorly attributed to enhanced usage of the available technology and pushing the resources to their optimum level. More stable apps were built using technologies like Artificial Intelligence, VR and AR.

We believed that 2020 will see new technology in place but it is already exploring and expanding the available ones even further. The trends are well in that direction currently and the markets are reaching the customer demands as and when required.

The following are some trends that are taking over 2020 beyond expectations.

1. Wider usage of AI and machine learning

A classic example of AI is the viral FaceApp that became a sensation by using filters to show how one would look across various ages. The current update lets the users change gender and choose their own styles as well. Last year, Apple introduced CoreML3 as the latest version of iOS. This allows users to embed AI like face recognition, image recognition, speech recognition, predictive maintenance, etc., into various apps. 2020 is looking to expand the horizons further and AI will determine the way apps are built. In the near future, it will become an integral part of most of the newly-built apps.

2. More wearable devices

There is a major inclination towards wearable devices in the form of smart watches, fitness bands, trackers, etc. However, they are yet to reach their full potential. There are upcoming apps that connect smart phones to accessories making the personal space more like a network to keep track of one’s own activities and habits.

A study states that by the end of this year, wearable devices are expected to make $44.2 billion. Increased investments and more innovation are only going to see wearable reaching their peak in the near future. They may go beyond smart phones and even be connected to our bodies directly.

3. Varied AR/VR options

The era of AR/VR has just begun. There are better quality AR and VR devices being introduced in the market, which promise impressive mobile experiences. 2020 is the year for varied usage of AR and VR beyond just games. Google and Apple are introducing AR in their next devices. This is a major sign that AR is going to be the future of devices and apps. Currently, apps like Instagram and Snapchat have AR that create filters with various funny and gothic characters. The way forward has begun.

4. Chatbots in mobile apps

Customer interaction in real time via mobile apps should be the next in-thing, considering web apps are already doing it in a large scale. Starbucks recently introduced a chatbot barista to take orders via their app. Relationship with customers can be elevated using chatbots and users are more willing to have customised experiences than any normal and usual app experience. By the end of 2020, 80% of mobile apps are expected to integrate chatbots in them.

5. IoT and mobile apps

Internet of Things has been in place for a decent time now and mobile apps are in an urge to catch up. Domestic objects connected to a mobile app helping in monitoring and communication in some cases is the immediate step that the apps are looking at. Smart homes, smart locks, Amazon Echo are some of the existing IoT. Now, it is expected to grow into the fields of healthcare, self-driving cars, routers, smart areas, etc. IoT gadgets and systems are in high demand. To match these, mobile apps are stepping up and 2020 could be the year for unimaginable growth in this aspect.

6. The untapped potentials of Beacons

Larger industries like hotels, museums, healthcare, etc., are using Beacon technology on a regular basis. Now is the time for the public to get into the groove as it is becoming more understandable for common users. virtual tours are more personalized and informative with Beacon technology. Its untapped potentials can grow into beacon-enabled airports, mobile payments, etc. The main use of Beacon technology is proximity marketing, thereby giving utmost customer experience for a mobile app user.

There are arenas like easy usage in foldable phones, faster operations with 5G technology, mobile commerce, app security and much more that are trending in mobile apps. The above-mentioned are show only the tip of the iceberg. Mobile app experiences should become the easiest way to access anything in the world and one can safely say that we are well on our way to achieve that. Developers are keeping a tab on the current trends and are constantly looking to expand the horizon to help in smoother and better user experience. Know here how to choose technology stack for mobile apps.