2019 has been a good year for mobile application development. Words such as artificial intelligence, wearable devices, augmented reality, or blockchain have been popular and will continue to do so in 2020. Continuous innovation brings more opportunities for application developers and goes hand in hand with the rise of new trends among app users. In this article, we’ll cover some of the most important mobile app development trends to watch out for in 2020. Keep reading!

The Internet of Things grows stronger

The latest advances and innovations in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT) have allowed us to control different devices using our smartphones. The Internet of Things will surely offer more opportunities in the development of mobile apps to accelerate operations and improve cybersecurity.

It is estimated that 10 billion IoT devices will be reached by 2020, a figure that will continue to increase until reaching 22 million in 2025. It is also possible that 2020 will be the year in which the IoT framework is consolidated, which has not yet been standardized due to the novelty of this technology.

AR and VR on more and more devices

In recent years, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have revolutionized the mobile application development industry and will continue to do so. Furthermore, it is expected that by 2023 more than 2.5 million people will use products with these type of technologies.

What is the future of apps with augmented reality or virtual reality? In retail, they will be used to modify, for example, the color of garments or even through virtual fitting rooms. They will also be used to improve navigation systems, such as Google Maps. These are just a few examples!

Expansion of 5G

5G has entered our lives in 2020! Thus, the increase in speed will have consequences on mobile use and application development. For example, it will allow greater and easier use of 3D games, apps with augmented reality, and many more innovative applications.

Beacon technology in applications

It is well known that the hotel industry, the health sector, or retail already use this technology. Beacons are so-called wireless transmitters that use the mobile’s Bluetooth to send signals. Thus, that is exactly why they are very useful in proximity actions. For example, a business can send information through its app to customers who are nearby and have it installed.

(Still) More On-Demand Apps

In today’s market, there are undoubtedly endless ideas for on-demand applications that allow you to launch a new product or service easily and efficiently. The main point is that we want to be taken care of faster than ever in our daily lives, which leads us to all kinds of Uber-style app services, such as cleaning, shopping, handling parking fees, ordering a taxi, and of course entertainment purposes. A good example is the online casino industry which has increased in popularity and demand. In 2020, the on-demand business model reached new verticals and will deepen those where it is already present.

Rise of Voice User Interfaces (VUI)

50% of the searches conducted in 2020 on a mobile device will be made by voice, according to a study of Mobile App Design.  Very well known applications such as Google Home, Alexa, or Siri have made it increasingly common to use audio on the smartphone. That is why one of the development trends will be to include this functionality in applications to improve the experience.

The rise of Android Instant Apps

The snapshots apps were introduced by Google in 2016 but using these native applications, which can be used without installation, nonetheless have continued to grow in 2020. New possibilities will appear for the development of instant applications. Thus, the latest version of Android Studio already allows developers to divide their apps into modules to be able to show the user only a fragment of it.

Are wearables independent of apps?

The demand for wearable devices could almost double in 2022. More so, with these figures, it is normal for mobile developers to create apps thinking about their integration with these devices. Until now, the relationship between the wearable and the smartphone has been close. For example, the Apple Watch uses watchOS. However, wearable applications will be less and less dependent on the smartphone.