Desktops and PCs are part of our daily lives, but as technology advances, so is our usage of other devices. In 2019, there are more mobile users than desktop users. This is because mobile phones are easier to carry around. There 5.1 billion mobile phone users, and 3.2 billion of these users use their smartphones to scroll on social media. This only indicates that as we enter 2020, we are to expect a lot more mobile apps coming out in the market. Mobile apps make people’s life easy. Since convenience is what people always look for, there is no doubt that most opt to use their phone and download applications that can help them simplify their needs. This increased use of mobile phone and download of applications challenge mobile app developers to come up with fresh ideas. They have to create apps that will contribute to people’s daily convenience.
TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR
In 2020, the mobile app industry is expected to generate about $189 billion. And this draws us a picture that more mobile apps are about to come our way. For developers to create more innovative and popular apps that will make the world go crazy for a while, they need to keep up with new trends.
THE RETURN OF BEACON TECHNOLOGY
Beacon technology has already made an appearance in the past. However, because of its imperfections, it wasn’t used by many. Now, this technology slowly moves its way up again. Beacon tech has been improved to establish better results. This technology is expected to rise in 2020. People will also see apps integrated with this technology. Some expected Beacon-integrated apps or technology are Beacon treasure hunt, Automated machine learning, Mobile payment beacons, AI-enabled chips, and even beacon-enabled airports. The rise of Beacon tech will become widespread and expected to generate about $56.5M in 2026.
5G
5G technology has already gained popularity this year. With its promising fast speed, data security, and more, prompted telecommunication companies to incorporate this into their new devices. Companies such as Huawei, AT&T, Verizon, and even Nokia have already found a way to make 5G tech possible. In 2020, 5G is expected to stand out in the market. Therefore, mobile app developers should consider this trend when creating apps that can work with 5G.
INTEGRATION OF WEARABLE APPS
People become dependent on their phones when doing daily tasks. The shift from PCs to a mobile phone is a trend because it’s convenient. However, not long enough, people will become more and more dependent on wearable devices such as smartwatches and more.
This wearable technology has become handier and easy to bring around. The industry of these devices is expected to generate to $45 billion in 2020 and increase to $73 billion by 2022.
Apple has also made stores for their smartwatches to purchase apps instead of buying on their usually Apple Store.
This indicates that mobile app developers must up their game when creating a new app. They should make mobile apps that can be easily integrated with wearable devices.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE or AI
AI has been known for a long time. It has done many wonders in everyone’s life, especially in businesses.
This technology brings efficient, cost-effective, and productive results that humans aren’t able to do. Hence, most businesses incorporate AI into their system.
One known example of a mobile app with AI on it is FaceApp. The AI technology used to change photos of people, turning them from young to old and vice versa.
Incorporating AI in mobile devices is not only used for creating entertainment apps, but soon we’ll be expecting AI-enabled chips, AI automated DevOps, and more.
INSTANT APPS
The creation of instant apps by Google in 2016 has been of big help to users and mobile app developers. Instant Apps or Native Mobile Apps are designed to give a preview or a trial of the app without the need to download it.
This allows users to experience the app, decide if they like it, and then download the actual app. The advantage of this instant apps is that it doesn’t take up a lot of space on a user’s phone memory because of its small size.
For developers, instant apps are also a convenience. It helps them with a better conversion rate. Like NYTimes and Hollar, they are able to increase their conversion rate to 27 percent since investing in an instant app.
ON-DEMAND APPS
Technology has been created to make things easy for us. Hence, on-demand apps were created to provide a convenient user experience.
This user experience will be more prominent in the coming years. As life becomes busier, people tend to have no time to cook meals, book an appointment, and so on. That’s why more and more on-demand apps will be developed. And by the end of 2025, this industry will generate about $335 billion.
CHATBOTS
Chatbots have already been part of many businesses, particularly in their websites or online shops. However, chatbots in mobile apps is not a common practice. Since chatbots are helpful for users, it is time to integrate this technology into mobile apps being created.
50% of customers would be happy to interact with chatbots as they provide quick answers to their queries. Therefore, in 2020, 80% of businesses are going to include chatbots in their plans. More mobile app developers are also going to create apps with chatbots.
AUGMENTED REALITY AND VIRTUAL ASSISTANCE
AR and VR have already been making their name on websites and businesses. Now, it’s time to incorporate these technologies into mobile apps. There have already been AR integrated apps like the trending game Pokemon Go. Since this captured a lot of people’s interest, mobile app developers are coming up with ideas to incorporate AR and VR technologies.
MOBILE WALLET
Paying bills have been more convenient with the use of smartphones. Apps like Apple Pay and Google Pay are not new to the world. Users have been using mobile wallets to easily pay bills and purchases.
Aside from a faster transaction, the use of a mobile wallet becomes more secure as compared to online banking. Therefore, people moved toward using mobile wallet apps.
Because this is becoming a trend, companies are trying to develop more wallet apps that will cater to the needs of their consumers.
ACCELERATED MOBILE PAGES (AMP)
Google has included AMP as one of its indexes to boost a site’s search engine ranking. Websites that have integrated this technology allow users to view their page on mobile phones quicker. The loading time of pages who are AMP-friendly is faster. A fast loading page will lead to a lower bounce rate and increase web traffic.
SECURE MOBILE APP
As mobile app developers create more and more apps to supply for the users’ demand, there is also an increase in cyber threats. Therefore, during the initial stages of creating the app, developers must be keen to integrate security measures into it; particularly to apps that involve payment.
The more secure an app is, the more likely people are to download or purchase it.
CLOUD STORAGE
Despite that cloud storage has great features, there are still companies that haven’t moved to use this technology. But it has been predicted by the coming year, businesses will be moving to integrate this technology into their system.
These cloud-based techs are also slowly allowing mobile users to store their data into the cloud. Integrating this technology on mobile phones will allow users to now store data safely from their phone to the cloud.
CONCLUSION
Mobile users have increased in many years, and due to this increase, the demand for more mobile apps has also increased. The mobile app industry will constantly grow, and we are to expect more than the trends mentioned above. The best thing is for businesses or mobile app developers is to create apps that people want by following what’s new out there.
