Yet another year passes by as the Mobile App Development industry retains its tremendous growth rate. In 2018, the tech world witnessed significant changes across various industries that influenced app development, more specifically iOS and Android app development. Mobile devices and applications evolved due to various trends and technological advancements.
Statista’s research expects the number of smartphone users in 2019 to exceed 2.5 billion next year along with a proportional increase in the number of mobile apps – both iOS and Android.
However, on a technical front, app developers and mobile technologies enthusiasts are looking forward to seeing the updates 2019 will bring to the table.
That said, here are the mobile app development trends to watch out for in 2019.
IoT will be prevalent
The Internet of Things, popularly known as IoT, turned a lot of heads in 2018, and has evolved enough to boost a number of industry verticals including healthcare, eCommerce, transportation etc. It’s expected to penetrate the retail and real estate industries soon, and be the catalyst for the development of ‘smart cities’. The technology is expected to solve traffic issues and vehicle parking problems.
IoT app development is trending now though we don’t see many IoT apps gaining traction at the moment. Owing to the technology’s massive potential, it’s safe to assume that IoT will be involved more in revamping businesses across the globe next year. The technology will become common in various regions.
Intelligent chatbots
Many on-demand apps today feature chatbots with unique features and functionalities. The advancements in Artificial Intelligence helped make chatbots smarter.
Statista forecasted that the global chatbot market will increase to 1250 million by 2025. Chatbots is expected to bring forth many success stories for businesses in the form of virtual sales assistants and customer support. Customer relationship management will be further escalated by chatbots in 2019, essentially making chatbot development a big deal next year.
Application Performance Management (APM) will be the norm
APM originally was defined as the mobile metrics integrated into Google a few years back. It was meant to avoid issues that degenerated app performance. With proper APM, app performance and quality can be significantly boosted. As a matter of fact, many QA specialists use APM during the app testing process to ensure quality. In 2019, APM will have more relevance and will be more prevalent among testers and developers.
EMM or Enterprise Mobile Management is also expected to gain momentum next year improving app development technologies as well as the skill of the people behind the development. Both APM and EMM will play key roles in streamlining mobile computing, covering various aspects including app maintenance, security, finance management, and user experience.
Enhanced beacons
The Beacon technology isn’t anything new, and is primarily used to attract customers who are in close proximity of the physical store of a business. In 2019, we will be seeing an enhanced beacon technology tailored to serve various purposes. It can be of great use in airports and for mobile payments. Users will be able to access information seamlessly while businesses can get closer to their customers and prospects more efficiently.
Robust app security
A common trend followed every year, app security will have even more significance next year as new kinds of cyber-threats emerge. Corporate giants like Google and Apple are relentlessly trying to augment app security to offer uncompromising features that’d safeguard confidential user and business data. As such, we can expect better app security protocols to emerge in 2019.
Conclusion
Developers as well as testers will need to enhance their skill sets and expertise in various technologies and leverage buzzing trends to stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly competitive app market. There will also be a shift in the expectations of the average app user demanding more responsive, secure, and fast mobile app experience. Evidently, every enterprise mobile app development company has their work cut out for them in 2019. Staying up-to-date on changing trends is the key to a great start in 2019 for app development companies.
