In 2020, when most industries suffered from sluggish growth and even endured losses, some benefited and grew to provide value even amidst the pandemic. The mobile app market, much like the entire tech world, saw massive growth and opportunities securing itself as a safe and growing industry while the rest of the world suffered an economic downturn.

But the mobile app industry didn’t necessarily need a pandemic to demonstrate such growth. According to Grand View Research, the mobile app market is expected to grow at an annual compound rate of 11.5% upto 2027. Mobile app development is and will continue to be a highly profitable and sought-after business. 

This means that we’ll see more innovation in the coming years, more technologies, and thus more (and better than ever) apps from the mobile industry. Under such promising projections, it is paramount (and profitable) that businesses have an online presence. Not just a website and a Facebook page, but a mobile-friendly presence.

Most of our everyday activities have steadily shifted online. This shift has mainly been enabled by the growing number and functionality of mobile apps that continue to make our digital lives richer and more productive. This trend of transitioning online is likely to continue as the smartphone market expands and businesses are sure to compete for a larger slice of this ever-growing market.

But to make the most out of your app development adventures, it is important that developers and business owners alike understand the growing trends and themes in this rapidly evolving and somewhat chaotic market. Capitalizing on upcoming mobile development trends can turn out to be your lucky ticket for making it big in the app world. 

Below is my list of the top (somewhat underrated) mobile app development trends that business need to utilize today.

1. Mobile wallets

Mobile wallets, simply put, are payment apps. And yes, they aren’t new by any means, but they have been steadily growing in terms of options and users and seem to have an exciting future looking forward. Many recent innovations hold the potential to revolutionize the humble mobile wallets, precipitating their widespread adoption.

When we speak of upcoming trends in the mobile app market, we often consider technologies like AI and 5G to occupy the center stage. And while this is true, these disruptive technologies could significantly influence existing technologies ushering in new trends. Similar is the case with mobile wallet apps. 

For instance, consider the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies. Like it or not, but crypto is the future of money. And digital wallets are in a unique position to facilitate and benefit from this transition. As crypto users continue to rise in the coming year and beyond, businesses will be inclined to develop mobile wallets with ‘crypto-elements’ that enable the easy use of said technologies.

Beyond that, as phones continue to get NFC enabled, NFC-based contactless transactions can also be a big selling feature for upcoming mobile wallets, especially in a pandemic struck world. Another major area of innovation for mobile wallets can be within the realm of biometrics. As technology gets better at collecting and handling biometric data, mobile wallets can utilize it for safer and more reliable authentication for transactions.

Mobile wallets also hold significant potential in developing countries like India, which are entering a digitization phase. Mobile app development companies India have the opportunity to produce apps native to the country but equipped with the necessary technologies to meet the needs of the growing local and global digital markets.

2. Apps for foldable devices

Remember when the bezel-less display first came out? It went from a ‘cool fringe feature’ to the mainstream, almost overnight. And then came the grind to tweak existing apps to fit larger screens better. The same will be the case with foldable mobile devices, except the ripple effects will be much larger this time.

Samsung has been experimenting with foldables for a while and seems to have figured out the recipe to finally make these devices practical for the average user. Other manufactures will shortly catch up, and foldable phones could soon be the new normal. The key advantage to foldable phones is the dynamic screen size they offer. Users can use them in the full-screen mode or fold them for smaller screen sizes. To take full advantage of this extra screen space, apps need to be dynamic and capable of adapting to various screen sizes.

Apart from upgrading existing applications to make better use of foldable screens, there is an untapped opportunity to design apps for foldable architecture. Multimedia and gaming apps might benefit the most from a bigger screen. If the bezel-less trend has taught us anything, it would be that every user could use a bit more screen on their phones. Considering which, apps built for foldable phones represent a growing trend in the mobile market.

3.  Apps for wearables devices

Be it the glorified smart glasses or good old smartwatches, wearable technology is trendy, and it’s only getting better. As computers continue to get tinier while also getting smarter and more efficient, they’ll transition from being in our pockets to being on our skins. 

With the announcement of Apple’s wear OS for Apple Watch (that would entail developing apps separate from their mobile counterparts), the wearable tech market gained a significant boost. This means companies can now design apps specifically focused on wearable devices (at least in the iOS universe for now). As wearable tech continues to grow, so will the app industry associated with it. 

Currently, the US is the biggest market for wearable devices. This means that mobile app development usa will focus heavily on building apps for these devices in the coming future. According to Statistica, 25% of all adults in the US will be using wearable devices by 2022. Building apps for these wearable devices will surely be a growing trend among developers and business in the coming years.

4. Chatbots integration 

As mobile users are expected to grow over time, so will the need and expense for customer support and customer relationship management for mobile app companies. To get around this problem, many businesses have integrated AI-powered intelligent chatbots within their applications. 

Chatbots within apps provide a unique user experience for the customers, delivering precise answers to customer queries and increasing user engagement. When implemented well, chatbots can help reduce customer service expenses while delivering a better experience for the end-user. 

Only a fraction of the apps available today utilize chatbots to boost customer engagement. But that’ll soon change as implementing smart technologies like AI will become easier for app developers. As major companies adopt these changes and users begin to expect a certain standard of customer support, chatbots will inevitably go mainstream, marking a significant app development trend in the coming year.

Final word

Though uncertain, the future of mobile apps seems very promising. With rapid developments in disruptive technologies, many new, previously unimaginable, possibilities have come to life. As companies compete to deliver the ‘next big hit’ to their customers, the market overall continues to grow and innovate. 

Staying ahead of the curve by adopting upcoming market trends is a sure way for businesses to lead in a dynamic and challenging market. How do you plan to utilize fresh trends to take your mobile app to the next level?