The Mobile App Trends That Will Be Outdated by 2021

The Essence of Technology Change

With the new year drawing upon, the developers are marching towards developing apps that are going to be revolutionary. With 5G connectivity being common, the phone apps planned to launch by next year are expected to be smart, efficient, and effective for the users.

From the past few years, the technology has undergone a massive transformation through IoTs and mobile phones. They have played a major part in it. If to be more correct, mobile phones are the basis of other units of IoT like smartwatches, mirror screening, biometric devices, etc.

The technology trend is said to be changed when a certain idea, circumstance, or innovation changes the way of lifestyle. This change then becomes the trend and then accordingly, all things revolve around it. Be it your food habits, clothing, or phone apps on your mobile.

To support it with an example, the COVID 19 situation brought the need for online appointment bookings. And due to this, apps like Practo are now trending. Investors want to learn about Practo’s cost development, features, and functionality. 

Everyone has seen mobile phones taking place of wired landlines. These phones have transformed their shape from being bulky, to slim and now foldable. And it is obvious to see changes in phone app development with respect to changing trends and technologies.

History of Phone Apps

Playstore is the heart of an android phone, so is the App Store for IOS. But if we go back to some years before, it was just a vision by Steve Jobs as stated below.

In the article by Arkena, it was written that there were no smartphones back in the 1990s. Due to which, one was not expecting mobile apps or in fact any app store. The phones used to come with preloaded apps that were already downloaded from the backend and could not be removed. Some of the basic phone apps at that time were-

• Address Book 
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Mail
• Note Pad
• Sketch Pad
• Small Arcade Games
• Ringtone Editors

These phone apps were operated without any internet connection. The app development at that time was done to perform the basic functionalities.

I wonder if you know that back at that time, these apps were known as features. The word app came into recognition in 2010 as tech slang after the launch of the iPhone in 2007.

When the iPhone came into existence, it changed the scenario of phone apps with apps like maps, photos, weather, and texting that was new in the market. And with the 3G launch, there was no looking back.

The mobile app development started taking place in accordance with the trends. There were 500 apps launched in 2008 through the apple store to the market. In one of the interviews, Steve Job said as quoted-

“The App Store is a grand slam, with a staggering 10 million applications downloaded in just three day”

After the massive success of the App Store, Google took a big step in 2012 that brought a revolution. It developed Google Play: the one-stop solution for the Android Market. The users were able to download apps, play music, watch videos all through one single marketplace. 

Thus, the trend of apps came into existence with the launch of Apple phones and got their dominance with Google play store.

Mobile Apps Today

According to Steve French (global vice president of Amdocs), mobile phones have crossed the human population in numbers. The majority of people have access to more than one mobile device or tablet. It implies that the people today have molded their lifestyle according to phone apps that offer them convenience.

The mobile apps made today are compatible with the internet, satellite location, human biometrics, and wearable devices. These apps are the result of mobile technology that went through a massive transformation in the past decade.

The apps of today involve social media integration, wireless communication, and a great user experience that provides the user with the desired result without much of a hassle. The phone app development is done with the vision of providing something unique yet usable to the users.

In one of the surveys conducted by eMarketer, some interesting findings came out. It said that US adults spend 4 hours on average over the phone and 88% of it is dedicated to surfing over the apps. This declares that apps today have made users co-dependent. Also, these apps are increasing in number which makes the mobile market extremely competitive. 

Means, the users have multiple choice to choose from due to a large number of phone app development taking place. So, the app that provides usability and goes with the trend of the time stands high chances of surviving in this technology-enabled competitive world.

What Do We Mean by Mobile App Trends

The mobile app trends happen when the phone app development takes place in accordance with the mobile ecosystem, market competition, and circumstances. The technology change is the basis of a mobile trend change.

The mobile app trend change refers to communication and usability methods that impact the way of using a mobile phone. For example, people prior to lockdown used more crowd-based apps like Uber and now are looking for mood tracking apps to cope up with quarantine. Thus, the trend changed and raised the chances of mood tracking apps.

Similarly, trending apps keep changing with respect to technology advancement as well. The apps like memos have now been replaced by online video calling apps. People are busy and working from home. Offices are delegating multitasks. People want apps that are effective, efficient, and serve them according to current situations.

To simplify, mobile trends are like the indicators that guide investors, the market, and developers what things to consider while doing new app development. 

If you are looking for new app development with the latest trends, contact us.

Future of Mobile App Trends in 2021

As we discussed above, we now know what trends mean and how these trends affect the phone app development. Let us have a look at some of the trends that we all are familiar with today but will soon see them fading away.

The phone apps made with these trends undoubtedly solve the purpose of users in 2020. But as time is progressing and the world has shifted to “new-normal” there is a high possibility to see new trends and old normal taking a backseat.

Let us decode each of these trends with reasons for them going out of trend by next year.

1. Manual Typing

Today the apps provide features of type and search to the users. The user can type their requirement, browse, and then select as per their preferences. But very soon, this manual typing will be replaced by voice typing. 

In one of the articles by Forbes, it said that it takes 30-40 words to type in a minute. Whereas when a person speaks, he can easily go up to 100-130 words in the same one minute.

In voice typing, the speech of the user is converted into text with the help of a speech recognition tool. This software allows your phone to translate your speech into text and increase productivity.

By enabling the voice search in the apps, you give users the privilege to simply say their requirements over the phone and provide the results accordingly. It saves the user’s effort and makes your app more user-friendly.

The voice typing today is considered more practical and usable due to ease of use. People are working from home and handling house chores simultaneously. They have to send messages to their clients and officiates which could go quite long and descriptive. With voice typing message facility, it becomes easy for them to communicate, multitask, and save their productivity.

With AI systems, the phones are getting intelligent. Our phones have a typing keypad and also the mic typing option. Try to put a voice recognition tool in your app as people prefer to dictate the typewriter of the phone rather than texting. Also, on chatting apps sending voice notes has become popular over time. Therefore, voice typing will be trending in times to come.

2. Fingerprint Sensor

When the fingerprint sensor was launched, it changed the whole game of security and authentication in the mobile world. With fingerprint sensors, it became more convenient and easy to do transactions. It increased the confidence of the users.

 Firstly it got introduced with phones and later also started getting integrated into phone app development. The apps started asking for a fingerprint sensor to log in. This became extremely helpful in transactional and banking apps. 

The fingerprint authentication or often said as Touch ID works when you place your thumb/finger on the phone screen. It maps the fingerprint and pores of your skin, registers it, and matches with your initial fingerprint submission. If they match, the mobile app gets opened.

It is a very secure way of logging in and eliminates the chances of any fraud but only works when your hands are dry and clean. If the person is having moist hands or wearing gloves, the touch ID gets incompetent to perform. 

In times of coronavirus wearing gloves has become an elementary thing to do. The authentication with Touch ID at this time is a big fail. Removing gloves to give a fingerprint is something that most of the users will not find comforting.

The users are finding face-scanning more authentic and convenient to use. So, the time is near when the fingerprint sensor would not be enough to ensure security. The phone apps with a face sensor or both (thumb impression and face sensor) will be in demand.

3. Payments Through Cards

In one of the articles by TechCrunch, it was found that by 2020 90% of smartphone users will be comfortable with mobile payments. It is anticipated that there will be more than 60 billion US dollar sales through mobile payments by the end of 2020. 

Mobile payments have now become an essential part of the economy and payment systems of every country. The online payment through the card with double-checking of OTP (One Time Password) enables transactions to have reformed the way of payments.

These payment systems took a new leap with the wallet schemes that is one of the emerging features in the phone apps and will soon take over the card payment system. Payment wallets like AmazonPay, RazorPay, Zomato Gold, etc are examples of it.

An E-wallet is a kind of prepaid account in which the user keeps the money altogether and then directly keeps transacting from the same. The information of card details is saved. The user after filling the wallet with the desired amount can use it for any payments due in the app.

The user can put the lump-sum amount in the wallet at one go and then pay through the wallet of the app. This eliminates the procedure of OTP authentication through cad payments and makes the online payment much faster. Also, this ensures the loyalty of the customer towards your app.

4. 4G Connectivity

With the introduction to 4G internet technology, the mobile app trends shifted towards high connectivity and seamless user experience. The 4G allows the internet to work fastly, thus making the apps work faster and show you desired results quicker.

However, with people demanding for smooth gaming experience and buffer-free streamings on OTT platforms, the 5G is coming to light. 

The new phone apps will be developed with 5G compatibility that provides a lively experience to the users. The app development will be done to serve ultra-fast speed, movability, and functionality to make your app more interactive. 

Talking about 5G speed, it will be 20 times faster than 4G. Where 4G LTE has a maximum speed of 1 GB per second, the %G connectivity has a capacity of 20GB per second. Such a lightning-fast speed of internet connectivity will change the outlook over the apps we are using today. 

Therefore, to develop mobile apps that are as fast and functional as 5G speed will be crucial in times to come.

5. Augmented Reality

In recent times, augmented reality has taken over the mobile market and trends with a great swipe. People prefer to use apps that give them life experience and involve them in the process. The major proof of this is the success of online gaming apps. The user experience is constructed in a way that everything looks real. With lifelike designs, these apps stimulate the users to get engaged from the outside world to the inside world of the mobile app.  

Augmented reality acts as Chanel to inform the real-life content through mobile screens. You can witness the use of augmented reality in gaming apps, fitness apps, designing apps, and many more. In this, the character and the designs move in the specific area of your mobile screen. But the user of today wants more.

Virtual Reality is one step ahead of Augmented Reality. In VR, the user is completely indulged in the experience given by the app. There every gestural reaction impacts the outcome in the app. If to state in lay man’s terms, the VR is there for making people cut-off from real-life surroundings and get involved with the User Interface of the mobile app. 

Obviously, many gears come with VR enabled apps today- like VR glasses and headphones. But in the coming times, there is a high possibility of a trend that does not require these gears but still manages to give V R experience. For example, playing a football match on a mobile screen with just your fingers’ gestures without touching your phone.

6. Chatbots

Today the user is the king. He demands absolute convenience and usability from your phone app. With the high competition, you need to be in constant contact with them for business generation and chatbots do that. 

A chatbot is an artificial intelligence system that initiates the chat with potential customers in the most natural way possible. It works with making a conversation with the customer after identifying their buyer’s persona. 

Majorly the phone apps today have chatbots integrated with them. It keeps the customer on track and is beneficial for bringing sales. But, in the coming times, these chatbots will be outdated or it would be better to say replaced by virtual bots on the phone app.

These virtual bots will be fictitious characters that could be seen on the display or you can hear them speak instead of popping the chatbox. They will gain more attention from the customer and would be able to communicate better.

In chatbots, the conversation happens on the algorithm of suggested combinations to the query. Whereas in virtual bots, there will be a free flow of communication between the user and bot. While doing the phone app development, the making of virtual bots may seem complex or costly. But in the coming time, they will definitely outshine the chatbots. 

Smart Tip To Keep Your Phone App Trending

As told above, the technology never stays the same. It keeps changing with time. If you have developed an app back in the past without knowing about trends, don’t feel bad. You can add on the features aligning to new trends. Consult the phone app development company on how to keep your app updated with the latest trends. 

I know it is not possible to change your app completely with new trends coming in the market but you can go for mid-way. Keep introducing some new feature or an update in your phone app frequently. It does not make you lose the essence of the original app but at the same time keep the user experience friendly with the current situation. 

For example, when the iPhone came up with a dark mode option for users to use in day and night. Instagram also came up with its own dark mode feature for the users (Android and iPhones). Thus, this trending feature of dark mode was well utilized as a feature for Instagram.

Conclusion

Trends come and go with the demand of time. You need to be updated with what is coming in the market as it could give you the benefits of a first mover’s advantage. And if not that, at least you can gain maximum audience attention that is looking for something that is in trend. 

We can not deny the fact that with instant technology advancement, there will be a continuous change in the trends. It is up to you to make your phone app develop with the trends that could gain a maximum user base and have the possibility to survive for a longer time.

In short, to keep your app trending, you have to align with the trends and have a constant check upon economic, social, and technological changes taking place.