Smartphones are a huge part of our everyday lives. Your phone is now your music player, your clock, your messaging platform, and the way through which you connect to the world. It can also be your source of employment, your primary source of information, or your everyday source of entertainment. It is difficult to remember how people used to live before Youtube or Whatsapp or Wikipedia or even SMS. Over 3 billion people worldwide own a smartphone. Considering there are only 7 billion people in the world, and a huge portion of that are very young children, one can safely conclude that almost every adult in the world owns a smartphone. We all use our phones several times a day, and they have basically taken over almost every part of our day to day activities through the use of apps.
Apps are a huge deal. The app development industry is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and growing every day. As more and more people increasingly rely on their smartphones for everything they do, savvy developers have been driven to come up with more innovative ideas and developments to help drive this uptake even further. These trends are aimed at meeting the ever-growing demand for smartphones. If you are planning app development anytime soon, if you are in the process of developing your app, or if you want to win app awards, you need to keep these trends in mind to build a successful product. So what are some of these trends? With the help of Tactica, an SEO company in New Jersey, we have taken an in-depth look at some of the best app development trends and ideas that you need to watch in 2019 and beyond.
1. Virtual reality and augmented reality
The virtual reality and augmented reality industries are in their infancy. Leaps and bounds are being made every day, which means that virtual reality (immersive 3D worlds that you experience with a headset) and augmented reality (layering a computer-generated dimension over the real world) are only going to get more and more convincing.
As things stand, the use of virtual and augmented realities has already revolutionized the gaming and entertainment industries. Pokemon Go and Samsung Gear VR are really huge deals today. And this is only the beginning. Even more exciting times lie ahead for both virtual and augmented realities.
2. Blockchain
The blockchain is a new and revolutionary entrant into the tech space. While being primarily used for cryptocurrencies, Blockchain has the potential to do so much more. Blockchain can be programmed to record any transaction of value and not just economic transactions. The possibilities are endless. So much value can be added to our lives especially when an incorruptible digital ledger is in play. More and more businesses are taking Blockchain up, and this trend is only set to continue.
3. Personalization
Everyone wants a product tailored specifically for them. Your preferences, likes, and dislikes can be monitored by the apps you use, and this data can be used to offer a more targeted experience in the platform. Think Netflix or Airbnb. From movies you love, to trips and web searches you make, everything can be personalized to give you the best user experience for you.
4. The Internet of Things
The internet of things is a network of connected devices and appliances that have software and sensors that enable them to collect user data and communicate with each other without human input. This tech is going to be a game changer. From a refrigerator that automatically detects when you are low on milk and orders some more to a heater that warns you when it is hot, there is so much we can expect from the internet of things.
5. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The use of AI has already made many companies a lot of money. The use of advanced analytics and machine learning to gain insights into their user base is just one of the ways that this tech can be taken advantage of. Apps like Microsoft Pix, Swiftkey AI and Hound have taken the capabilities of AI and made them available to everyone, and this has proven how effective and indispensable this technology can be.
6.Cloud-based apps
Many smartphone users today want to declutter their phones and have more free storage space as opposed to filling their phones to the brim with music, videos, and photos. Cloud computing has made a name for itself by helping users reduce the impact that all the stuff they hoard has on their devices’ internal memory. Apps like Dropbox and Google Cloud have taken this to the next level.
7.Mobile Payments
Credit cards and debit cards are so outdated. Mobile Payments are rapidly taking over as more and more people opt for the simplicity that comes with m-commerce. In 2018, Google introduced Google Pay, which combines Android Pay and Google Wallet. There is also Apple Pay because no one wants to be left behind when it comes to taking advantage of the opportunities that the 700 billion dollar Mobile Payment market has to offer.
The tech industry changes every day. With every change comes endless possibilities for innovation and even better ideas, which is why the tech space is so exciting. The next big thing today could become a no big deal in the space of just a few months. Technologies can be accepted so well that no one can imagine life before them, as in the case of smartphones. Lives can be changed, and the course of history can be altered by technology.
