What is the future of mobile app development?

——Six major trends guide enterprises to sail smoothly

With smartphones so prevalent today, people often forget that mobile apps are a “new thing.” Since the first mobile phone came out in the early 1970s, mobile app development has gone through many iterations and has greatly changed our lives.

There is no sign of any slowdown in mobile app development. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), VR, AR, and blockchain are constantly influencing the progress of mobile app development, and applications on mobile phones and wearable devices have gradually penetrated into people's lives. So, what is the future of mobile app development?

How has mobile app development evolved?

In 1973, Martin Cooper invented the world's first handheld mobile phone, but it was nearly 20 years before the first commercial cell phone began to pave the way for today's technology. In 1993, IBM's Simon was launched, the first cell phone with a touch screen and built-in applications, including an address book and calendar.

Next came the Java-based BlackBerry 5810 in 2002. This game-changing device included integrated applications such as wireless email and laid the foundation for rapid mobile application development. To this day, Java remains the primary development language for Android-based applications.

In 2008, both Apple and Google launched online app stores. Nine months after the launch of Apple's App Store, its downloads reached 1 billion times. In 2021, the number of first-time mobile apps downloaded by users around the world on Apple and Android devices has reached 230 billion times.

As mobile phones have become more popular, the development of applications has not only exploded, but their functions have also become more and more advanced. Initially, applications were mainly based on user input, but many applications today can analyze data to meet user needs and even provide users with the information they need before they express their needs.

Here are six trends that mobile app developers will continue to explore in the coming years:

5G lays the foundation

The hype about 5G has been going on for nearly a decade, but most operators will not start to launch 5G access services until 2021. The feature of 5G is speed. It is not only faster than the current 4G technology, but its speed is also exponentially faster, running 100 times faster than most existing networks. In addition, users can connect to 5G on any device, whether using personal or enterprise networks, and can connect to mobile phones, wearable devices and various machines. Due to its extremely fast speed, information is transmitted in milliseconds, reducing transmission delays and providing a better user experience.

The use cases for 5G are numerous, ranging from simple to complex. A simple use case could be users using 5G to watch high-definition videos on their devices without buffering and without worrying about quality loss. A study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) also describes such a use case, in a 5G-enabled healthcare ecosystem, including applications, the Internet of Things (IoT), and wearable devices, patients are able to better monitor their health and quality of life, which helps patients detect other diseases early and can reduce medical costs by about $2,000 per patient.

AR and VR aren’t just for gaming

Augmented reality (AR) technology inserts artificial images and objects into real-life objects, such as users can play Pokémon Go while taking a walk. In contrast, virtual reality (VR) creates an artificial environment. For example, Meta's Oculus Quest 2 allows users to exercise at home, explore new countries, and watch immersive concerts. As AR and VR technologies continue to improve and become more popular, they are no longer the exclusive domain of gamers. These technologies are rapidly expanding to other industries, including tourism, real estate, and retail.

The "black swan event" of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has driven the application of AR technology in the real estate industry. When the epidemic broke out, it was a very unsafe measure to visit a house in person. In response to this dilemma, real estate companies quickly developed applications and integrated AR technology to allow users to "virtual tour" at home, giving users a new home buying experience. Matterport, a 3D virtual tour platform, created an iOS app at the end of 2019 that allows sellers to scan their homes using the camera on their mobile phone or tablet. In the past, expensive camera equipment was required to achieve this function. According to data from real estate brokerage company Redfin, 63% of buyers who visited houses virtually at the end of 2020 made an offer on a house they had not visited in person. Compared with data from February 2020, the monthly views of the app surged by 500%.

Artificial intelligence technology has become increasingly mature and widely used

Artificial intelligence (AI) is by no means a new technology in mobile app development, but as AI and machine learning become more sophisticated, apps will become more powerful. For example, algorithms can predict a user’s next move by learning from their past actions.

Where AI plays an important role in future application development is in biometrics, such as facial and voice recognition, used to enhance security features. For businesses, especially those in the insurance and financial sectors, AI and machine learning can be used not only to improve user safety and data security, but also to help detect fraud. McKinsey estimates that the potential annual value of AI to the global banking industry is more than $1 trillion.

As more and more users use mobile phones and wearable devices as payment devices, identifying and preventing fraud will become more important. It is estimated that there are about 2.8 billion mobile wallets in use worldwide in 2020, and this number may rise to 4.8 billion by 2025. As people use these wallets to complete more complex transactions online, fraud prevention companies are creating AI-based technology services for banks and retailers to reduce false positives, enhance fraud detection and minimize investigation time.

Blockchain is not equal to cryptocurrency

While the term "blockchain" is most often associated with digital currencies, the underlying technology is used in many innovative applications. Simply put, blockchain is a digital ledger that securely records transactions. Once a transaction occurs on the blockchain, that record is nearly impossible to change or delete, making blockchain technology extremely useful for tracking digital assets and protecting identities.

An increasing number of mobile wallets and person-to-person (P2P) payment apps are leveraging blockchain technology to increase transaction speed and security. An estimated 68 million people now have a blockchain wallet. In January 2021, blockchain wallet apps were downloaded 5.6 million times.

Due to its security features, we expect to see blockchain technology combined with IoT and smart contracts in various industries in the coming years. For example, when working with shipping and logistics companies, IBM found that using blockchain technology could help them reduce costs, improve supply chain efficiency and resolve disputes.

Wearable devices are more powerful than we thought

Wearables include watches, earbuds, other smart devices, and even some clothing. Wearables can perform a range of functions from answering phone calls to recording people's daily steps. There are currently about 1 billion connected wearable devices in use worldwide. In 2021, the wearable technology market is valued at approximately $116 billion, a figure that is expected to climb to $265 billion in 2026.

Consumer electronics account for the largest share of wearables, but there are hopes that they will be used for more than simple step counting, especially in healthcare. For example, some wearables, including Fitbit and Apple Watch, have received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use electrocardiogram applications to monitor heart abnormalities.

In the near future, you will see more security-related smart application functions from wearable devices. Recently, Apple and lock manufacturer Schlage have developed smart locks that can be opened using Apple Watch or iPhone, and users can also add virtual house keys to their mobile smart wallets.

Security issues need to be addressed urgently

As more and more personal information is passed online, concerns about consumer security and personal privacy are also increasing. Often consumer data is collected to provide better services, especially in use cases involving artificial intelligence and machine learning, but consumers' concerns about the leakage of personal information are not unfounded.

A recent study of highly downloaded Android apps by Synopsis found that 63% of apps contained open source components with known security vulnerabilities. This puts many consumers at risk of having their information hacked or leaked, which can affect customer experience or confidence in the app. Currently, two innovative technologies are emerging to address security issues such as these. One is biometric authentication, which verifies the user's identity through eye, face, fingerprint or voice recognition. This helps provide a first line of defense against fraud or information theft and is easy for consumers to use. The other is the use of distributed ledger technology (DLT), which includes the use of blockchain technology. This technology can help improve IoT security on mobile devices and other smart devices through additional layers of encryption.

The Future of Mobile App Development

The adoption of existing technologies and the development of new ones will continue to fuel the growth of the mobile app industry, and the incentives for developers to get in on the action are clear: It’s estimated that mobile app development will bring in more than $600 billion in revenue by 2025, and that’s just a down payment on the returns from development.