Right now we are in the middle of 2019 and witnessing a spectacular rise in the number of mobile users worldwide thanks to the affordable prices of new smartphones and also due to increase in the interest of mobile users in using smartphones and mobile apps installed on them. Smartphones these days have fast internet access which has led to people spending more time online as compared to a few years ago. Studies have revealed that about 90% of the time which people spend on smartphones is actually spent on mobile apps rather than websites. Therefore, mobile app development has become an effective way to reach a large number of users and potential customers. But the mobile app industry and technologies around it are evolving rapidly and we have seen new trends and improvements almost every year and many businesses who opted for app development based on them have got huge benefits.

As per statista.com, the total number of smartphone users is expected to reach about 2.5 billion in 2019 from 2.1 billion in 2016. The mobile apps are installed on these smartphones hence the number of mobile apps is also increasing at a very fast rate.  Right now the number of Android apps on Google Play Store is about 2.6 million while there are about 2.2 million iOS apps in the Apple App Store.

So many businesses are now keen to know what’s new on the technical front and what are the innovative technologies that will define the future growth of mobile apps. Therefore, it has become important to discuss the latest and top mobile app development trends which will dominate in 2019. Let’s discuss these and understand how they will affect the mobile app development industry.

Best Mobile App Development Trends for 2019

1. Artificial Intelligence

The research report says that usage of AI across platforms and industry sectors will increase drastically. Big companies are already investing a lot in AI technology research. You must have heard about Siri, Cortana, Alexa, and Google assistant. They all are applications which make our life much easier by doing everyday tasks like reading, writing and sending messages, switching camera and microphone on or off, settings reminders, searching the internet for some particular information and more and all of these innovative services are offered by using artificial intelligence based technologies. Businesses are looking at these virtual assistants and they want to develop similar kind of mobile applications like Chatbots and personal assistant for their business apps. Hence developers cannot ignore this new mobile application development trend and they should prepare themselves and learn AI technology to develop such applications in 2019 and beyond.

2. IoT (Internet of Things)

IoT is among the top application development trends that will rule in 2019. A network of interconnected smart devices is known as the internet of Things or IoT. IoT has already found its place in numerous industry verticals till 2019 and it is expected to impact many more in years to come.  As per research report, the worldwide IoT market has been growing at a CAGR of 28.5% since 2016 and will reach $457 billion by 2020. When we see applications of IoT then we can clearly see its impact on the retail sector, real-estate industry, education industry, and healthcare industry.

For example, by using IoT technology retail sector is expanding their business. The real-estate industry is utilizing its power to build smart buildings with smart cities, sensors and parking lots. In schools, IoT is playing an important role by allowing teachers, student and parents to become more informed and connected about the latest events happening in the school. It looks like that now in 2019, IoT will spread even more and it will benefit its clients in many ways. Developers are working on projects related to IoT and providing automation in the business processes.

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3. Wearable Apps

Wearable apps are the future of mobile apps development as they have huge potential. As per latest reports, the number of wearable devices is set to triple from about 84 million units in 2015 to about 245 million units in 2019 and the wearable industry will be worth $33 billon by the end of 2019. This shows there is a huge demand for wearable gadgets whether it is smart watches, wearable headsets or fitness trackers which means the wearable apps industry will expand rapidly in 2019 and beyond.

The thing is that all of the wearable gadgets are connected and synchronized by smartphones. Hence there is a need for apps which can pair these together. Wearable mobile app development is a new market which needs to be tapped in 2019. Similar to smartwatches, fitness gadgets and wearable headsets, the wearable apps industry will see many new applications. For example, sectors such as medical facilities have started using wearable apps which are used to get the vital health parameters including the heart rate and blood sugar levels in patients.

4. AR and VR

Since past few years Augmented reality is really revolutionizing the app development, especially in the gaming and entertainment industry. Mobile app development using these technologies is expected to reach around $209 billion till 2022 as per Statista. Many companies are investing in these AR and VR technology. In 2019, AR is expected to transform app development trends in various fields like retail, real estate, engineering, and health. For example, take the case of IKEA which has many furniture stores all over the world. They have developed their app based on AR technology and they say ‘try before you buy’. This IKEA place app lets customers see exactly how more than 2,000 of their furniture items would look and fit in their homes.

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Like AR, Virtual Reality or VR is among the top mobile technology trends which will be popular in 2019. Till now VR has been used for simulation of scenarios that are not easy to create. For example, space simulation for space travelers. VR can help people to recreate how a certain product would look on their customers. Hence there are some mobile apps that can show how a particular dress, for example, would look on you before you buy it. This year so many more businesses are going to develop their mobile app using VR technology.

5. M-commerce and Mobile Payments

The year 2019 will see a huge increase in the number of mobile payment apps as most of the banks and financial services companies are now offering mobile banking services. A report by Business Insider says that the mobile payment will reach $503 billion by 2020 with a CAGR of 80% between 2015-2020. In coming years, more and more people will be going to use digital methods for transfer of funds and for any kind of transactions. If you are a mobile app developer, then you must take this very seriously and should focus on the apps around m-commerce. Reports say that the number of m-commerce transactions will surpass the number of E-commerce transactions n 2019. Online contactless payments through mobiles using Google Pay, Apple Pay, and other services is increasing at a CAGR of 30%. These things show us that m-commerce is going to become highly popular in 2019 and will be one of the latest mobile apps development trends which will become popular across the world.

6. App Security

When we look at the latest trends in mobile apps then app security is one of the most important mobile trend and major concern for mobile app developers in 2019. The smartphones we use accumulate lots of highly sensitive data through mobile banking apps, mobile wallets, smart home apps, payment gateways and lots of other identity information through social networks and other mobile apps. Facebook admits that it was attacked and hackers have stolen lots of users’ data. LinkedIn too became the target of a phishing attack where users’ credentials were stolen. Similar story was also told by many other popular apps. This situation becomes even more complicated when lots of apps used open-source code, third party libraries, APIs, components and modules. Hence due to these kind of threats, mobile app developers need to place high-end security measures in mobile apps and keep them on top of their priority list. Therefore, in 2019, high attention is going to be paid for protecting users’ data by using encryption, permission systems and by releasing security updates as many as required and as soon as possible. Also in this year, peoples’ expectations for app security will be high and mobile app developers will need to implement effective security mechanisms to satisfy and convince everyone.

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7. Cloud Integration

So many people nowadays are using cloud technology to store their personal as well as professional data anytime and from anywhere using so many cloud apps like Google Drive, Evernote, Dropbox etc. Many apps use cloud technology to reduce the memory they use on smartphones. Therefore, more and more mobile app developers are increasingly turning towards cloud storage. Storing important data in the cloud also increases security and allows easy and fast data sharing between users. Take the services of Gmail which if installed on a smartphone does not need to store all of your messages on your device. Your email is in the cloud, where it is safe and protected and can be accessed from anywhere. Therefore, integration of cloud technology in mobile applications will be a key trend for mobile app developers in 2019. This will ensure a seamless experience for the users. Mobile apps integrated with cloud are faster and more lightweight and have so many other advantages. That’s why so many businesses which go for cross platform app development keep cloud integration as one of the must feature in their app.

Final Note

We have just discussed some of the top mobile app development trends that are looking really promising and bringing exciting times for the mobile application development services as well as for the businesses by offering challenges as well as giving them clear-cut advantages. The business houses which have got impressed with these trends should hire android app developers or iOS/iPhone app developers to embrace these app development trends. These developers can build high potential mobile apps for their businesses. 

Xicom is a professional and reputed mobile app development company which keeps on doing research in the latest trends in mobile app development hence it’s team is fully equipped to imbibe latest trends which will dominate in 2019. If you too want help in developing a mobile app which follows the latest trends, then you can contact us and share your requirements with us. We will definitely develop an amazing mobile app using the latest trends for your business that will have all the capability required to bring success for your organization.