7 mobile app development trends of 2021

Despite 2020 put some bounds on our mobility, the mobile app industry is thriving and throbbing. According to Statista, the "Corona" year showed 218 billion mobile app downloads worldwide, which is 6.9% higher than the previous year's results. And 2021 will definitely make its own statement assisted by distinctive features forming new or following old trends. So, here they are – the top 7 app development trends that will dominate at least the following 11 months.

1. M-Commerce

People tend to sell and buy more via mobile apps. The idea of online purchasing isn't new and web applications will keep it honest. However, the native apps deliver a better UX since they are more user-friendly, which increases the chances of making a purchase. As BrizFeel reports, 49% of consumers use their smartphones for shopping. And there are a few reasons for it. Users choose mobile shopping apps for how easy they make browsing products. Also, apps are smart: they collect user-data to provide customized and relevant offers, which undoubtedly improves user experience. Another point is that people hate form-filling routines and apps redeem them from boring activities. For example, apps remember transactions and allow them to be carried out faster when buying again. Sellers, on the other hand, can encourage customers to make more purchases by offering special pricing and terms when shopping in apps. Together with such solutions as AI, cloud computing, 5G, mobile payments apps m-commerce has a great future ahead.

 

2. Mobile payments – wallets

 

After M-Commerce enlisted, that would be a blunder not to mention payment applications making it possible to finally forget cash and a dozen of credit cards at home. Our smartphone becomes the new wallet. Mobile payment systems such as Apple Pay are growing in usage and popularity. According to eMarketer, about 36% of the worldwide mobile started using a mobile payment app system by the end of 2020. And the numbers are steadily growing.

 

This way, mobile developers must get ready to implement mobile payment functionalities to the projects they work on. There is plenty of digital wallet services to consider: AliPay, WeChat Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and others.

 

3. Internet of Things (IoT)

 

Of course, the IoT is not a new concept. However, a wide range of sectors and industries experience the evolving integration with the mobile app ecosystem. By connecting IoT with smartphones, we get a convenient tool for managing the entire smart network, which creates seemingly endless opportunities for the Internet of Things. Smart home technology would be a perfect example. With just a mobile app users can adjust the thermostat from a remote location, monitor live surveillance, lock/unlock doors, etc. It's even possible to connect to smart refrigerators and other household appliances.

 

Statista predicts the revenue from technology associated with the Internet of Things will go beyond 1.6 trillion by 2025. In 2021 the number of IoT-related projects will grow too, especially those connected with healthcare, household devices, and cars.

 

4. Development For Wearable Devices

 

It's been a while since wearable devices became a part of our everyday life. Nowadays there are a lot of smartwatches, trackers, and fitness bands of any shape and color on the market, and people simply got used to them. But in 2019 Apple's announcement gave the industry a second wind with their watchOS 6 inspiring independent developers to build apps specifically for Apple wearable devices. It brought another wave of investments along with app resellers and content creators into the booming market.

 

Wearable devices are no longer a breakthrough, but still far from reaching their full potential. The graph shows how slow but consistently wearables penetrate the US market. The wearables trend has already affected and will continue to affect the way developers design modern mobile apps.

 

5. Beacons & Nearby Networking

 

Beacons are small wireless devices that periodically transmit radio signals. When the signal is detected by nearby smartphones via Bluetooth, the user either gets a personalized offer or message. That's it. Despite the technology is not new, beacons still provide an effective way of brand-customer interaction with the help of mobile devices. With beacons, sellers can enhance the online and offline presence of their brands, learn more about user behavior, and effectively personalize their messages.

 

Statistics say that the beacon technology market is going to reach about $56.6 billion by 2026. Beacons create a wide range of possibilities for mobile apps with their great potential to enhance their marketing, promotion, and sales capabilities. Also, the technology is recognized by such giants as Google and Apple, since they announced the COVID-19 contact tracing system based on beacons designed to reduce the spread of the virus. This and other cases would only generate more and more attention to the technology. So, it's high time to add beacons to your tech stack in 2021.

 

6. 5G Technology

 

While cellular networks expect the next generation of technology standard – 5G – mobile app developers should get ready to implement new functionality according to the new level of performance. Experimental tests and researches state that 5G is faster, cheaper, and more stable than 4G, consuming even less energy. Statista forecasts 1.3 billion 5G subscriptions worldwide by 2023.

 

For mobile software development, it means considering processing improved content, such as 4k videos, heavy VR & AR 3D objects, and others. Users want cellular networks to give the same experience as wifi does, so 5G may become the solution, and implementing its features support must become a priority in 2021.

 

7. Cloud Computing Integration

 

It is quite a challenge to develop a functional mobile app mobile that won't take much device power and significantly reduce battery usage. While smartphones become more innovative and can handle tons of operations, it's still crucial for vendors to provide efficient and optimized apps. Instead of using the resources of the device an app is installed on, developers can turn to cloud-based solutions and carry out heavy computations in the cloud. This can improve the performance of mobile apps at the user's end.

 

In 2021 the cloud computing trend will gain even more strength by leveraging 5G technology.