Many practices have become out-dated, and technologies have become redundant, while new methodologies and technologies have replaced the old order to deal with the rapidly arising requirements. We take a look at a few of the mobile app development trends that became the forerunners of 2016 and will persist through 2017.
The stress on mobile app security
Until a uniform security standard arrives on a global scale, this will continue to be a debatable yet burning agenda in the industry. iOS has always been reckoned with as the platform that lays highest emphasis on security and users are willing to pay the premium Apple levies on its products to ensure security remains uncompromised. However, with iOS 10 and Swift, Apple may also be soon migrating towards and open framework standard. Android, on the other hand, always placed highest importance on maintaining its open source status, even at the cost of a security breach. However, since the 6.0 Marshmallow version, they have revised their stand and made security a central issue too. A 2014 Gartner report stated that in the year 2015, 75% mobile apps will face security issues which turned out to be true and led to strenuous efforts on the part of manufacturers and developers to ensure security remains central. These efforts will be redoubled to retain consumer confidentiality and trust in the application.
IoT and Mobile Integration
“Smart” is the buzz-word for 2016, aided and abetted IoT devices and technologies, and this will continue to be the case through 2017 and years to come. We are moving towards a world where handheld device functionalities are currently being augmented by wearable devices and will soon be replaced by them. As trends go, one can clearly foresee the integration of sixth sense technology making any physicalq interaction with internet enabled device unnecessary. So, we are staring at a future where the user interacts with the device through voice commands, touch sensitivity and sensors.
Hybrid Development and the Vanishing Tablets
Tablets are a popular device amongst education institutes, medical practitioners and enterprise workers in customer-centric or field roles. The mobility advantage, coupled with internet access and screen size enables them to tackle more tasks. This is also the space that promotes cross-platform application development so that users are not restricted to single platforms, especially in the BYOD policy setup. In the foreseeable future, though the tablet market will continue to dip, hybrid applications will see a rise in demand, especially since tools such as Node.js, AngularJS, Ionic etc. enable developers to create sophisticated solutions with simple and reusable codes – making the app development process time efficient and cost-effective.
App Market Maturity and Build Your Own Apps
Apple’s latest initiative, the Swift Playground is a colossal indicator of an industry trend that encourages more developers to participate in the mobile app development process. As frameworks simplify and coding becomes easier, very soon users will be building and releasing their own applications into the market place for everyone to use. The premium for paid apps may definitely go down. This speculation may or may not become a true assessment within the next year, but the competition surely remains pertinent and app relevance will definitely dip as the market place matures. Already, tottering with over 2 billion apps, the two major app markets – Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store are witnessing applications dying insignificant deaths due to lack of viable features. Getting visibility will be even more competitive and expensive as Apple is planning to charge premium spots for apps in the App Store as a viable revenue earner. Further, new modes of revenue generation will have to be considered by app developers as paid applications may or may not receive the same traction as free alternatives become aplenty. Some revenue generation techniques being used currently include in-app advertising, in-app purchases, pop-up ads among others.
Personalising the Experience
Siri renders a personalised greeting to its user on being activated, Google’s voice recognition feature is mature enough to understand more number of accents and respond accurately. Future for mobile applications will be more about personalisation as users will store their personal data on them. Sensors will be expected to remember choices and respond quickly and intuitively to user’s needs. Of course, here again the issue of security will arise and the onus this time will lie as much on the application itself as it does on the device. Fluid data access across platforms and devices will be another important touch in the personalized experience, so cloud will automatically become relevant.
Overall, the trends are visible and Mobile App Development Company are working in conjunction with hardware and software manufacturers of mobility solutions to release relevant applications that leverage the complete potential of the technologies that are present in the market.