Top 13 Mobile App Development Trends {2022 Update}

From the time when smartphones entered the technology scene, there was no turning back. Mobile phones have witnessed a huge makeover in the past few decades and everything that happened later was beyond anybody’s wildest dreams. Within a blink, smartphones have become our persistent companions. However, it doesn’t stop there, emerging technological expansions weaved with advanced applications have led to the enhancement in these hand-held devices every year. Over 40% of the world’s population owns a smartphone today, and by the end of this year, more than 300 million people will also enter into the smartphone bandwagon. The smartphone industry is at its peak presently, and advanced apps have played a most important role in its success. With each passing day, the abilities of these applications are rising leaps and bounds. 

The mobile app development industry is constantly evolving. Technical enhancements, customer demands, and an extensive range of other factors have a direct impact on mobile app trends. Staying up to date with the most recent mobile app development trends is perhaps the most crucial part of success in this space. These trends made our lives simpler in several ways. Alternatively, it also brought more tools into the developer’s collection.

While the early invention of mobiles made it possible for us to connect, at present, there is much more to accomplish with smartphones than just make some calls. Powered with multimedia functionalities, a countless range of sensors, and a wide range of multifunctional applications, today’s mobiles are the convenient and cutting-edge devices available commercially. In this ever-evolving and dynamic world, simply having a mobile presence isn’t enough. Just executing the correct mobile app development approach won’t assure success, you need to integrate the latest mobile app development trends in your strategy. 

Latest Mobile App Development Trends To Watch Out In 2022

Here is a list of some latest mobile app development trends that will transform the smartphone market.

IoT App Integration 

Nobody expected that the internet would enter into our livelihood to this extent. Just when we assumed the internet couldn’t control our kitchen and bedroom, there comes the Internet of Things. Imagine, you are in your office and suddenly you realize you forgot to lock your house. So instead of going back home, you can lock the house from your existing location. All you want is an IoT-powered lock system, an IoT app, and a working internet connection. In the future, not only the office or home, but we can control nearly everything by using IoT systems.

Mobile apps can be used to adjust the controls in a house from a remote location, connect to home security systems, and even lock or unlock a front door. Refrigerators and other household electronic appliances can also be connected to mobile apps through IoT. Today, almost every single gadget or household appliance you can imagine is being built with Internet access.

IoT products like – Amazon Dash button, August doorbell cam, Philips lighting system, August smart lock, etc. are already winning users worldwide. Many businesses are rapidly shifting their gear into IoT app development. So as the future of mobile app development trends in 2022, IoT devices will be as universal as smartphones.

Augmented Reality (AR)

Augmented reality will continue trending upward in this ever-evolving mobile app trend in 2022 too. Mobile apps can use AR features for an extensive variety of use cases. Today, the applications for AR have turned out to be more practical for other apps as well other than mobile app gaming. L’Oreal has also built a virtual makeup app using AR technology to see what makeup looks like on the user’s face. Using AR technology, the app showcases different hairstyles and colors directly to the user. Implementation of AR technology can be seen in photography-related apps and games too that use virtual elements to deliver an immersive gaming experience to the users. Slowly but clearly, this technology is also gaining traction, opening new doors of possibilities and opportunities in mobile app development.

Google Maps have rolled out a feature named Live View in which users can see turn-by-turn directions in real-time on real-world imagery. By pointing the device’s camera at buildings and street signs, the app can find out where a user is exactly. While these examples may perhaps not essentially be useful for the majority of apps built-in 2022, there are many additional ways to use AR in mobile apps. AR adaption is a top mobile app development trend for developers. 

Blockchain Development

The rate at which Blockchain technology is growing has placed it at a vital point in the latest technology trends. While presently predominant with cryptocurrencies, the world will realize its mass adoption in the future, and Blockchain technology trends will certainly stay here.

Cryptocurrencies, the significant Blockchain component, will also find themselves divided into many currencies and would be floated in the market similar to fiat currencies. As a result, people who are currently uninformed of what Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain are and where they can spend them will start doing their everyday transactions. 

The future will see Blockchain development solutions being explored ahead of cryptocurrencies. In 2022, the latest technological expansions will scale with updates and better implementations of smart contracts. When it comes to securely exchanging data, the updates to Blockchain technology may mean that it can be used whenever and wherever there is a case of safe, undeniable data exchange. 

According to reports by Markets and Markets, the global Blockchain market size is estimated to expand from USD 3.0 billion in 2020 to USD 39.7 billion by 2025, at an inspiring CAGR of 67.3% during 2020–2025.

5G Technology

The rollout of 5G will have a major influence on mobile app development trends in 2022. This technology is composed to change the way apps are used and created. 2021 will have approximately 3.5 times more 5G connections as compared to 2020 and these connections will almost triple by 2022.

From the perspective of mobile application development, speed and efficiency will drastically improve. Depending on the mobile network operator, 5G will be up to 100 times faster as compared to 4G. 5G will bring innovative modifications in streaming services as 4k streaming without buffering will finally stop being a dream. With its broader bandwidth, handling VR & AR 3D objects becomes possible. It will also help to boost IoT services with its enhanced connectivity. The diffusion of 5G will eventually boost the functionality of both iOS and Android apps. This will also allow developers to add improved features to apps without affecting the app’s performance. .

Also Read: Mobile App Performance Optimization Tips

Robotic Process Automation

Robotic Process Automation has moved forward of its association in the production lines. There are several ways automation will make its presence around us by becoming one of the most awaited and innovative technologies. This new technology is fast climbing the food chain from routine tasks to more complex decision-making tasks, from packaging juice boxes to delivering pizza in self-driving vehicles.

Associated with Robotics, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence, processes across various industries like Food and Beverage, Medical, and Customer Service will become further rationalized and automated when the future hits our doors.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence entered into mobile application development years ago. But we’ve just started to scratch the surface with how these cutting-edge technologies can be used. When we think about AI, virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa come to mind initially. However, the use cases have gone far beyond this for mobile app development trends. These assistants are cultivating every year by learning user behaviors and activities to provide a more precise and personalized experience. Last year, Apple released Core ML 3. This most recent version of the iOS machine learning framework was developed to help developers implant AI technology into their apps. AI features that can be implemented into a mobile app development include:

• • Image recognition
  • Facial recognition
  • Text and image classification
  • Speech recognition
  • Predictive maintenance

Artificial intelligence can make apps smarter, and eventually increase performance at every level. From the backend development process to the frontend user experience, AI will transform the way apps are built in the future. When AI and IoT are joined, we won’t even have to tap our fingers to get things done. AI will properly control our homes, devices, automobiles, etc. on its own while we relax.

Facial Recognition

Face recognition technology identifies a human face by using biometrics to map facial features from a stored photograph or video. As soon as the system identifies a face, it compares it with a stored information database to find a match. Facial recognition systems can be incorporated into mobile apps and security systems at entrances and checkout to help authenticate personal identity. 

Presently, from the capability to unlock your phone just by looking at it. The advancement in facial recognition technology will soon allow you to unlock your house and car connected with the internet. In the future, an individual would be able to withdraw money from the ATM using nothing but just with his face.

There are so many applications that utilize the facial recognition system in today’s digital world. Popular applications can be seen in check-ins and checkouts at organizations, smartphone security, security logins, and mobile apps. The technology is blooming every day and is integrated with AR, AI, and deep machine learning to strengthen its proficiencies. 

Mobile Commerce

The mobile commerce trend has been leading in 2019, 2020, 2021, and will continue to boom in 2022. From large retailers to individual content creators and personal brands, everyone is leveraging mobile apps to increase revenue, as there is ample money to be made in this space. Mobile eCommerce functionality is a topmost feature for mobile app resellers to display cases during client pitches. It appears that every day another business is introducing an app to drive sales. Over 72.9% of total eCommerce sales came from mobile devices by the end of 2021. Mobile apps play an important role in the future success of mobile commerce.

Apps for Foldable devices

Touch screens with one or no buttons have taken over the mobile app development trend. But over the past couple of years, foldable devices have made a comeback. 2019 has seen the release of foldable devices like the Samsung Galaxy Fold, the Huawei Mate X, and the all-new Motorola Razr. These smartphones fold to compress or increase the screen size based on user preferences. From a mobile app development lookout, resellers need to account for updating or developing apps for foldable devices. The idea is that an app should effortlessly alter its display as the screen folds or unfolds depending on user actions. 

Presently, foldable devices are just a sliver of the global smartphone market share. But this will certainly change in the future scope of mobile application development trends in 2022. According to a recent study by “USA Today”, 17% of iPhone users and 19% of Android users are thrilled about purchasing a phone with a foldable design. As per Statista, approximately 3.2 million foldable phones were shipped in the year 2019. This is estimated to reach 50 million units by 2022. 2022 is expected to be a huge year for foldable devices, which means app developers need to plan accordingly. Surely, it will take along more complexity to mobile app strategy. But it will also open several prospects for mobile app developers. 

Cloud Integration

Cloud technology is not new in the market, it hasn’t quite integrated into mobile app development to its full potential yet. Cloud computing has endless benefits and a wide range of possibilities for mobile app development. Cloud integration can expand the performance of mobile apps at the user’s end. Apps can store data and perform complex tasks on the cloud, as opposed to storing data directly on the user’s device. Cloud integrated mobile apps directly run on the cloud and take the pressure off your smartphone’s internal memory. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about our phones crashing while running these apps.

Cloud integration profits both the users and app developers likewise. It makes it stress-free for developers to build a mobile app by making the development easier and quicker. And the users get to access the apps smoothly without installing them. Not only does this simplify development operations, but it’s also a profitable development solution. It’s the most dependable and secure mobile app development trend which will help you to store and access your data in a smooth and faster way. By the end of this year, around 83% of enterprise workloads will be cloud-based. If your organization is developing business apps or internal workforce apps, you must keep an eye on cloud computing – much-needed mobile app development trends in 2022. 

Mobile Wallets

Mobile wallets are rapidly garnering the hearts of consumers. You do not have to pay in cash or type in our account details every time you need to manage your transaction. All you need is to link your account details to a mobile wallet app and then you can effortlessly transfer money to anyone with the mobile wallet app. By integrating payment gateways with mobile wallets, the payment procedure can become seamless and faster. Various mobile wallet applications like Google Pay, Amazon Pay, PhonePe, PayPal, etc. are already gaining enormous popularity. So it’s time for mobile app developers and businesses to introduce mobile wallets into their apps.

As per the recent report, there was around $6.1 billion worth of transactions from mobile wallets in 2019, which was estimated to reach $13.98 billion by 2022. Mobile wallet integration should become a regular feature for every app that processes transactions. Presently, that’s not the case, but the mobile wallet integration in Android and iOS apps will nurture significantly in the future and become the most promising mobile app development trend.   

Wearable App Development

Wearable technology has been trending for years now as well. This isn’t certainly a breakthrough in the digital market. We have seen smartwatches, trackers, and fitness bands for now. But wearable devices have yet to touch their full potential. While we’re not seeing a surprising jump over the year, the progress is still steady. The wearables trend has reformed and will carry on to transform the way that mobile apps get developed.

Apple has made a big statement about wearables and app integration at WWDC 2019. The all-new watchOS 6 has carried the Apple App Store to Apple Watch. Independent apps are being developed especially for these devices. This has generated a massive opportunity for app resellers and mobile app developers. Wearables are the next big thing, and in the future, more mobile apps will be made with wearables in mind. Users will be able to download apps directly from their wrists. We’re just starting to scratch the surface with wearables and mobile app integration. The coming years will be extremely progressive in this mobile app development trend. 

Beacon Technology

Beacon technology has been incorporated by an extensive range of industries. From retail to healthcare, beacon technology can add advanced functionality to almost every mobile app. The first mobile app beacons were built back in 2013. But over the last few years, major expansions have been made to this new technology in mobile application development. 

Let’s see how beacons work with mobile apps. Imagine you’re a mobile app reseller that develops mobile apps for retailers. Your clients can install beacons in their stores that connect with a user’s smartphone through Bluetooth if the app is installed on their device. When a user passes by a beacon, they can be immediately alerted about a sale or special on products in that store.

Beacons can even track buyer behavior in stores. They can detect if a user is spending a lot of time in a particular aisle. The app can automatically generate a push notification to entice a sale at a later date associated with those products. The main advantage of beacon technology is proximity promotion. It eventually increases the customer experience within a mobile app. As per Statista, the beacon technology market is growing at an annual growth rate of 59.8%. The expected market value will touch $56.6 billion by 2026. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Is The Recent Trend In Mobile App Development?

Despite many mobile app development trends to watch out for in 2022, Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things will be the most noticeable ones. These trends will empower the consumers and offer real-time data to them while using smart devices.

What Is The Next Big Thing In Mobile App Development Trends Of 2022?

Mobile apps are being used all over the world to make life more innovative and better. To streamline the procedures, most of the mobile app development trends of 2022, like Blockchain technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotic Process Automation, will be expected in the coming years.

What Are Future Technology Trends?

While several technologies exist in the market and will continue to disrupt the market, here are a few that are recently entering the market and are composed to bring transformation:-

• • IoT App Integration
  • Facial Detection Technology
  • Cloud Integration
  • Blockchain Technology
  • Augmented Reality (AR)

Conclusion

Mobile app development trends are continuously evolving. You don’t essentially need to implement every mobile app’s future trends into every app you build. But you need to have a common understanding of how the market is ever-changing so you can adapt accordingly. Numerous mobile apps are already present in Google Play Store and App Store, with all these latest mobile app development trends, the mobile app industry will continue to expand at a fast pace. Therefore, to stand out in this extremely competitive space, businesses and mobile app development companies need to stay up-to-date with the most recent mobile app development trends and technologies.