The combined number of mobile apps available in the Android and Apple app stores has reached over five million. However, the demand and supply of apps show no sign of slowing as technology advances and improves. Continuous app development is in the works, especially now that we’re in a pandemic.
From these observations and facts, you can already anticipate the future of app development in 2022. In line with this, let’s look at some of the emerging mobile app development trends you should look out for in 2022.
1. Biometric Authentication
Biometric authentication is one of the most advanced developments of mobile apps, and you can expect it to develop more in the future. It provides a way to verify user identity through physical characteristics. With mobile apps, the most common way to do this is with fingerprints and facial recognition.
Biometrics are now used for providing security to protect private data and funds. Some mobile apps that use biometric authentication include PayPal and Apple Pay. Whether in finance, retail, or anything else, using biometrics to improve and develop your mobile app is an excellent way to assure potential users that their money and data are protected.
2. 5G Technology
This is one of the most popular modern app developments. Although it has been around for some time now, it’s still not used widely and is yet to become more standard. 5G, or 5th Generation, offers benefits in speed and connectivity over its predecessors.
Comparing it to 4G, 5G is a thousand times faster as speeds reach 100Gb per second. It also has low latency, high bandwidth, and connection density, opening up more and other mobile app development possibilities in various fields and industries. With 5G, there’s an increase in speed, lower latency, and lower battery consumption on mobile devices.
3. Wearables
Ever since the pandemic, wearables have been seen as potential devices to detect early asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. The wearable market is growing, which means that there’ll be a need for more mobile apps for these technological devices. Currently, they are more commonly used in the sports and healthcare industries.
Smart wearables can detect, measure, and analyze vital signs, like pulse rate, and come in various forms: watches, bracelets, jewelry, and more. The most common ones are Apple smartwatches and activity trackers like FitBit.
4. Beacon Technology
Ever since Apple launched it in 2013, the beacon has become more than a low-energy Bluetooth device. It’s now a globally recognized technology. Beacons are tiny transmitters that connect to smartphones through Bluetooth. They link the online and offline worlds and can be installed in various places like malls and embedded in various apps.
When a user enters an area with another beacon available, a signal is sent to the company’s app. It helps in how mobile app users interact with physical stores and businesses.
5. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI is being integrated into many industries and areas like security systems, household appliances, and other technologies. AI is expected to have everything you need in a mobile device: navigation, gaming, speech recognition, etc. “Smart” technologies commonly have AI since it allows the use of biometric authentication as well.
There are also many existing apps that use AI like Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, and more. Together with machine learning analytics, AI will be developed further in the future. This will help many mobile app developers to create a more personalized experience for their users and possibly allow more functions like detecting data threats.
6. Super Apps
This is one of the most promising trends at the moment and will most likely improve in the following years. Super apps are large multi-purpose and multi-tasking mobile applications. The logic behind these apps is to do many tasks in one single app instead of using numerous different apps.
For example, in the Taimi app, not only can users chat with various people, but they can also access updated news about different issues. More examples of super apps include WeChat, Alipay, and Gojek. Over time, more people will prefer to have a mobile app where they can do multiple things: chat, purchase, browse, etc.
7. Augmented and Virtual Reality
Virtual and augmented reality have been integrated into mobile app development for some time now but will develop more in the future as they become standard technology. AR and VR are currently used in various fields, including gaming, science, healthcare, travel, and navigation.
But it’s not only applicable in mobile game apps. AR and VR have much potential to cover more aspects of human activity in no time. Because of this, more mobile app developers are investing and integrating augmented reality into app development.
8. M-Commerce
Mobile commerce is one of the trending mobile app developments, and it has grown exponentially due to the pandemic. Up to 79% of smartphone users have made online purchases as of September 2021, and with the rising popularity of online shops, you can expect this to increase.
Mobile commerce allows users to purchase goods from one online platform and have them delivered to their doorsteps. As the market grows, the need for more mobile apps will be increasingly prevalent. Some examples of m-commerce include Shopify and other online shopping applications.
9. Blockchain
Blockchain technology has been around for some time now. Blockchain is a systematic way of recording information, making it difficult or impossible to change or hack the system. The most famous use of this is in cryptocurrency but is now changing mobile app development.
Blockchain is undoubtedly one of the best ways to secure data. Ever since the pandemic, there have been institutions that use this to track COVID-19 vaccines. With mobile app development, it’s primarily known and used for creating decentralized databases. Databases like these remove the need for providers and companies to be gatekeepers.
Since security is becoming a more prominent issue in mobile app development, blockchain technology will surely help in future mobile app development.
10. Foldable Devices
Wearables aren’t the only mobile development trend nowadays. Foldable devices are being launched in the market as smartphone companies aim to provide larger screens to their users without increasing their overall size. Despite the cost of these devices, many people purchased them.
As leading companies like Huawei, Samsung, and LG develop and launch new models of foldable devices, there’s an increasing demand for mobile apps that can be used with a different style of display. It is a challenge for many mobile app developers to fully create apps optimized to function and fit on all screens and displays, especially folding displays.
Conclusion
Technology is now a crucial part of society, and there’s only room for improvement and innovation. Because of this, mobile application developers have to up their game as well. There are numerous trends that will be more evident in 2022 and the following years. It’s best to know what these trends are and what challenges they impose on mobile app development. Through this, you’ll know how to improve and develop your mobile app in a way that’s popular with mobile users.
Marques is a contributing writer, proud LGBTQ+ activist, as well as a researcher on human rights violations. Marques has a passion for writing about relationships and queer issues.