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While COVID-19 has forced businesses across many sectors to reduce or suspend operations, the pandemic has been a driver for the mobile tech industry. With numerous companies now in the throes of accelerated digital transformations, trying to adapt to the latest mobile tech to not only remain viable but meet customers’ increasing digital demands, 2021 is shaping up to be a big year for emerging technologies.
As mobile technology continues to evolve and the potential for future innovation and more advanced user experiences becomes apparent, researching the trends around us becomes extremely important in helping enterprises stay ahead of the curve of shifting consumer behaviors. Here are the five significant mobile app trends we think you should keep an eye on in 2021 and beyond.
The most talked-about trend is artificial intelligence (AI). That’s because we’ve already begun to see the implementation of this technology in various markets and have seen what it can do. As AI continues to advance, we’ll see user experiences become more tailored and personalized to the end-user. AI algorithms analyze large amounts of data to detect patterns, allowing computer systems to make decisions then, predict user behavior, and recognize images and human speech, among many other things. For developers, the insights that come from AI data will help them to deliver more compelling apps. Businesses in all sectors but especially in retail, supply chain, and media and entertainment sectors, should look at AI as the key to future success.
The Internet of Things (IoT) could very well be the future of mobile app development. The technology is enabling developers to utilize open-source development, sharing their product with other developers and companies. It can lead to hybrid development where apps can make use of native features on a particular device and work with various kinds of devices and platforms. As a result, these apps will require fewer hardware capabilities and will lower development expenses.
Cloud-based app development brings many advantages to mobile app development, the primary benefit being its ability to simplify cross-platform development. With cross-platform development, developers have the freedom to work with any platform they choose. There isn’t any need to write code, so database integration is smoother, resulting in a shorter turnaround time for app development. Additionally, with cloud apps, users don’t need to download them to their devices.
With the first round of 5G smartphones now in the market, developers are beginning to use the technology to its full potential to create high tech apps that rely on faster data sharing and increased connectivity speeds. In particular, 5G is being used to enhance mobile gaming app experiences and have a significant impact on apps employing 4K video streaming, virtual reality, and augmented reality. Furthermore, CCS Insights predicts that there would be one billion 5G users worldwide by mid-2023, taking less time than 4G to reach the same milestone.
A cashless society has been a reality for quite some time, and COVID-19 has only sped it up. As people have started to prefer their cards or phones to cash, some stores have even stopped accepting cash entirely. With this, there has been an increased adoption rate of mobile payments. So it’s fair to think that we will see further improvements in user experience for mobile wallets across the board. You can also expect a heavy focus on increasing security and encryption for mobile banking.
As COVID-19 has made an already digital consumer base even more dependent on digital touchpoints, the need to leverage new digital technologies to meet new consumer behaviors and remain a viable business has accelerated digital transformations across every sector. By staying up-to-date on emerging technologies such as those listed above, companies can get ahead of their consumers and perhaps predict how their needs might change based on mobile app trends.
Clearbridge Mobile is an award-winning, full-stack mobile app development company dedicated to helping companies strategize, develop, and scale dynamic mobile app solutions that enhance business performance and enable innovative growth opportunities.
