Mobile application development trends in 2021

App development trends to watch this year, not only by app developers

Everyone knows that growth couldn’t be possible without changes. To constantly move forward and stay competitive in the market, it’s good to keep up with mobile application development trends. ⅓ of the year is already behind us, so it’s time to shed some light on technologies that break into the foreground in 2021.

1. Internet Of Things

Who doesn’t know this moment when you forget to turn off the lights just after laying on the bed, or you wonder if the doors are closed afterwards leaving your home? Or haven’t you ever dreamt about freshly brewed coffee waiting for you in the kitchen right after opening your eyes? All this is possible thanks to the wonderful and increasingly popular trend called the Internet Of Things. Thanks to it, you can save effort and your nerves and the much desired – time. IoT will probably also help increase our safety in the house, preventing many fires when, for example, after leaving the house, we forget to turn off the oven or iron. By condensing individual activities to a few clicks on the smartphone, it may turn out that we will save quite a lot of our precious life in the perspective of days, months, or even years. 

If you want to stay up-to-date with the trends, you’ve got less than 9 years to prepare because it is predicted that by 2030, around 50 billion IoT devices will be forming a massive connected network. In 2022 the American market of the Internet of Things will be worth ~500 billion $ with the most engagement of the consumer electronics segment (180 billion $). A well-known example of a mobile application for smart homes is Apple’s “Home” (available in App Store).

 2. 5G Technology

There are some supporters, there are also some skeptics, but without going into the divisions, 5G technology is undoubtedly a topic that has been difficult to pass by recently, and even a technological amateur has certainly already heard about it. According to the tests and research conducted, 5G is more efficient than 4G because this is a new automation that is much faster than the previous one (about 300 times faster than our eyes can record!), cheaper, more stable, and less energy-consuming. It turns out that the IoT mentioned above will also benefit from it. Why? Because one of its unique possibilities is to connect up to 1 million devices per square kilometer!

This progress means changes for developers. Firstly, thanks to the increase in mobile app transfer, developers will have the opportunity to increase their offerings. Secondly, the better quality of the content (especially video-based experiences and streaming) and will be more efficient at dealing with heavy VR & AR 3D objects. The potential for users who will be using the applications more eagerly will also increase thanks to the more efficient flow between mobile and WiFi connectivity. So stay positively tuned for the news!

3. Augmented Reality

Do you miss a four-legged friend, or are you curious what it would be like to have a massive turtle in your bedroom, but you are not going to adopt a pet anytime soon? There’s a solution! Just enter the name in Google and start the 3D mode.

That is an easy example of AR, but it isn’t just for fun and entertainment. Although it is not new, in 2021, it can revolutionize many industries, ranging from furniture through health care to beauty and fashion. This technology can also support preventing crime; for example, police officers in China test smart glasses to recognize suspects’ faces or even spot them in the crowd. 

AR is probably also quite helpful in loosening up the atmosphere during video calls when suddenly some funny glasses with a mustache appear on the nose of your interlocutor… 😉 

Probably one of the most popular apps based on AR is the mobile game – Pokémon GO.

4. Artificial Intelligence

Even if you are not in a managerial position, you may have your assistant. Who doesn’t know the one and only (beloved or hated), almost all-knowing: Siri. However, her tone of voice doesn’t sound too emotional and empathetic. She definitely won’t forget about the tasks you gave her or postpone them. Artificial Intelligence is a trend that has been maintained on the top for the last few years, and it probably will also for the several next and even the pandemic haven’t influenced its development.

People who prefer to be served in a more “human way”, probably won’t be satisfied that chatbots currently play a prominent role in customer interactions. However, from a broader perspective, it is a considerable saving of time and human resources.

5. Beacons technology 

“Beacons” sounds almost like “bacon’s,” but… not even close enough. 😉 Beacons is a great area to be used, for example, in the tourism industry. When a tourist approaches the exhibit while visiting the museum, he receives a notification on his phone with a detailed description of it, thanks to transmitters using radio waves. This technology also contributes to increasing social safety – a parent walking with a child to a crowded park or in a shopping center can put on him or her a wristband with a transmitter connected to the phone.

Stress related to the check-in procedure during the first visit to a large airport or the hours lost on driving around the city looking for a free parking slot… if it never happened to you, lucky you. 🙂 Beacon turns out to be an assistant in this matter for those who did, which will effectively guide us towards the check-in or indicate the availability of free parking spaces.

It facilitates targeting Google ads or analyzing customers’ shopping experience, helping better to understand their choices and behaviors from a business perspective.

6. Progressive web app

PWA is something between mobile and web applications. It’s just a well-adjusted website for mobile devices with some of the capabilities of mobile apps like accessing the application directly from the home screen and running it in standalone windows instead of a browser, splash screen, working offline, or push notifications just like native mobile apps. Although some limitations, progressive web apps might be a great way to boost your business and improve your website’s results and mobile conversion rate without a need for native mobile apps. That is why it is still an emerging trend in mobile app development, mainly because it’s easy to take user experience while developing a PWA. If you want to learn more about developing PWA – read this case study on how we have created a digital product for Prismade.

Keep up with top mobile app development trends

If you want to stay up-to-date with the mobile app industry and outrun the competition, these are 6 technological trends that are worth taking a look at in 2021. But there are many more exciting and prospering tech directions, and I encourage you to do your research as well and choose your own favorite 6. Regardless of which exactly you’ll prefer, one thing is for sure – every trend goes hand in hand with evolution.