9 Mobile app development trends for 2021
The mobile app construction industry is constantly evolving. Various factors such as technological advancements and consumer preferences have a direct impact on mobile app trends.
Staying abreast of the latest trends is perhaps the most critical factor for success in this field. As a Forbes Technology Council member, I am constantly studying patterns and sharing ideas with other technology leaders to gain an edge.
Retailers who sell mobile apps need to stay on top of new trends to serve their customers better. The same works for content creators and producers who want to take their brands to the next level with mobile development.
Are you ready for the changes in mobile app development in the coming year?
The following list is not just a guess or my personal opinion. I did some factual research and found the top trends in app development that will become mainstream in 2021.
| 1. integration of Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
IoT is not a new concept. However, the widespread adoption of mobility across a wide range of industries and categories has created seemingly limitless opportunities for the “Internet of Things.”
People are used to using technology to improve their daily lives.
IoT refers to the expanding network of internet-connected devices that provide convenience and automatic control to consumers. Innovative home technology is an excellent example of the rise of IoT and the development of mobile apps.
Mobile apps allow you to control your home’s thermostat, lock and unlock your front door and connect remotely to your home security system. Home appliances, such as refrigerators, can also be connected through mobile apps.
The global IoT market expects to reach $222 billion by 2021. Of this, $161 billion will be for software, such as mobile apps representing a 14% increase over 2019. As you can see from this chart, the IoT will grow steadily in the coming years, and software will be its driver.
Statista revenues from technologies related to the Internet of Things will exceed $1.6 trillion by 2025.
By 2021, we will see an increase in mobile app development with the Internet of Things in mind. We focus specifically on three markets: consumer electronics, automotive, and healthcare.
| 2. Applications for foldable devices
It’s done a long time since I had my first mobile phone, a foldable device. Phones have changed a lot in the last 10 years. Touch screens with only one button or no buttons have dominated the market.
But in recent years, foldable devices have started to make a comeback: 2019 has seen the launch of foldable devices like Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, Huawei’s Mate X, and Motorola’s new Razr.
These smartphones allow users to reduce or increase the screen size, depending on their preference. For example, a user can call the device closed and watch a video on a larger screen by flipping the device open.
From an app development perspective, developers and content distributors need to consider these devices when creating or updating their apps.
It is to ensure that the app fits perfectly on the screen when it is folded or unfolded.
Currently, foldable devices represent only a tiny percentage of the smartphone market share. But that will change in the coming years: according to a 2019 USA Today survey, 17% of iPhone users and 19% of Android users are eager to buy a phone with a foldable design.
According to Statista, they shipped around 3.2 million foldable phones in 2019, which expect to reach 50 million units by 2022. To achieve this kind of growth, 2021 will be a big year for Foldables, and app developers will need to plan accordingly.
| 3. 5G Technology
The introduction of 5G will have a significant impact on app trends in 2021. This technology will change the way apps are used and created for developers, vendors, and creators.
Let’s look at the projected growth of 5G connectivity in smartphones over the next four years.
Number of smartphone connections worldwide
By 2021, the number of 5G connections will be about 3.5 times the number in 2020, and by 2022, that number will have tripled.
What does this mean for mobile app development?
Will significantly improved Speed and performance. 5G expects to reduce latency by ten while improving network performance and traffic throughput. Compared to 4G, 5G will be up to 100 times faster, depending on the mobile operator.
The widespread adoption of 5G will ultimately improve mobile applications’ functionality and allow developers to add new features to their apps without negatively impacting performance.
Furthermore, mobile app developers and distributors should take advantage of 5G network speeds during the testing and development phase of their apps.
| 4. Development of wearable devices
Wearable technology has been a growing interest for many years. It is not necessarily revolutionary. Smartwatches, trackers, and fitness bands have existed for some time.
But wearable devices have yet to realize their full potential.
Take a look at this chart from eMarketer on wearable adoption in the US.
There hasn’t been a massive leap from last year, but there has been steady growth. The wearables trend has been and will continue to change mobile app development.
For example, at WWDC 2019, Apple announced a lot about how wearables and apps work together. With the new watchOS 6, the Apple App Store is now available for the Apple Watch. Will develop standalone apps for these devices, which is a massive opportunity for app sellers and content creators.
By 2021, we will create more and more mobile apps with wearables in mind. Users will be able to download tens of thousands of apps from their wrists.
We’ve only scratched the surface of what will be possible to integrate wearables and mobile apps. The next few years will be particularly progressive in this category.
| 5. Beacon Technology
Beacon technology use in a variety of industries. From retail to healthcare to hospitality, beacons can add advanced functionality to almost any mobile app.
Here are some examples of the use of beacons in mobile apps. For example, let’s say you are a mobile app vendor developing an app for a retail shop. You place a beacon in the shop, and if the user has the app on their smartphone, you can connect to it via Bluetooth. When a user walks past the beacon, you can instantly notify them of sales and special offers on the shop’s products.
Beacons can also help you track shopping behavior in your shop. You can detect if a user spends a significant amount of time in a particular aisle. The app can then automatically trigger push notifications to inform them of sales related to those products.
One of the most significant advantages of beacon technology is proximity marketing. Ultimately, it improves the customer experience on mobile apps.
According to Statista, the beacon technology market is growing at an annual rate of 59.8% and is expects to reach $56.6 billion by 2026, which is more than ten times the $519.6 million in 2016.
| 6. Mobile commerce
You can’t list the app trends for 2021 without mentioning mobile commerce. This trend dominated 2019 and 2020, and it will continue to thrive in 2021.
It seems that everyone is using mobile apps to generate sales. From large retailers to individual content creators and personal brands, there is a lot of revenue to be made in this space.
Mobile e-commerce features are the essential features that mobile app providers offer to their customers. It seems like every day, and a new company launches a sales support app.
We are not there yet, but we are getting to the point where we need a mobile commerce application to stay competitive. Anyone or any business that sells online is competing with giants like Amazon. To remain forward of the competition, you need to emulate what makes these brands successful, and apps are the best way to do that.
By the end of 2021, over 72.9% of all e-commerce sales will come from mobile devices. Apps play a crucial role in the success of mobile commerce now and in the future.
Listing all these mobile commerce trends would take days. To obtain a long story short, here is our complete guide to mobile e-commerce statistics.
The year 2021 will continue to be an essential year for the development of e-commerce applications. Plan accordingly.
| 7. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence and machine learning infiltrated mobile app development several years ago. However, we are just scraping the surface of how these advanced technologies.
When we think of AI, we think of virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa. But in application development, there are use cases that go far beyond that.
Last year, Apple released Core ML 3. They created this latest version of the iOS machine learning framework to help developers integrate AI technology into their apps.
Here are some parts of AI features that can implement in mobile apps.
- Image recognition
- Facial recognition
- Text and image classification
- Sentiment recognition and classification
- Voice recognition
- Predictive maintenance
Artificial intelligence can make your application smarter and ultimately improve its performance at all levels. From the back-end development process to the front-end user experience, AI will change the way applications integrate in 2021.
| 8. Mobile portfolios
We’ve already talked about the role of mobile commerce in app development in 2021. But the way people use their mobile devices to pay is also changing.
Mobile wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay are booming.
According to a recent report, transactions via mobile wallets accounted for $6.1 billion in 2019. This figure is expected to reach $13.98 billion by 2022.
In other words, the mobile wallet market expects to double in the next two years.
Mobile wallets should be taken into account when developing applications for 2021. Wallet integration should become a standard feature of all applications that process transactions. Currently, this is not the case. However, the use of mobile wallets in applications will increase significantly over the next few years.
| 9. Augmented reality (AR)
Augmented reality is still in full swing in 2021. Mobile applications can leverage AR capabilities to support a wide range of use cases.
Pokemon Go paved the way for AR in mobile app games. But today, AR applications are also being used in other applications.
This app uses AR technology to show users a variety of hairstyles and colors directly. L’Oréal has also used AR to create a virtual makeup application that makes it look like makeup applies to the user’s face.
Google Maps also has a feature called “Live View” that allows users to get real-time directions on real-world images. By pointing the camera at buildings and street signs, users can see exactly where they are.
While these examples may not help most applications, This app uses AR technology to show users various hairstyles and colors directly. L’Oreal has also used AR to create a virtual makeup app that makes it look like makeup applies to the user’s face.
Google Maps also has a feature called “Live View,” which allows users to get real-time directions on real-world images. By pointing the camera at buildings and street signs, users can see exactly where they are.
While these examples may not help most applications developed in 2021, there are many other ways to use Ar in mobile applications. For example, a workforce application could use AR-based training programs for employee learning. AR adaptation is a significant trend in application development for content creators. They can be creative with this technology, just as Instagram and Snapchat have done.
Conclusion
Top app development company In India is constantly evolving with these trends if you are developing applications today with information from two or three years ago, you will not stay competitive. As a reseller, you can treat the mobile application trends of 2021 as your bible. This will give you an edge in your field. You don’t necessarily have to implement all the trends in every app you create. But you do need to have a general understanding of how the market is evolving.
