Top 21 Mobile App Development Trends To Watch Out For In 2024

Ever since smartphones entered the technology scene, there was no turning back. Everything that happened afterward was beyond anybody’s wildest imaginations. 

Within a blink, smartphones have become our constant companion. Many technologies made their way into our lives. And the revenue from mobile app development has skyrocketed. 

Due to this phenomena, more mobile app development trends also started emerging and materializing along the way.

Both users and app developers hit the jackpot in this scenario. These trends made our lives simpler in many ways. On the other hand, it also brought more tools into the developer’s arsenal.

The future of mobile apps indeed looks brighter than ever. In 2023, many innovative mobile app development trends will see daylight and simplify our lives.

What Do Mobile App Development Trends Offer?

Trends have a way of making their presence felt. We easily gravitate towards them. At first, it excites our imaginations. The next minute, we are already experiencing them in their entirety.

But when it comes to mobile app development trends, what we experience is always better than our expectations. Functionally they are highly advantageous. But from a business perspective, they are also highly productive. 

Developers bring these trends to users via mobile apps. They invest in these trends to develop mobile app ideas. The trends make the lives of users easier. Inevitably more users will jump on the bandwagon. Thereby businesses strengthen their user base.

That is precisely what these mobile app development trends promise. So shall we get to know them one by one? Here we go then.

Top 21 Mobile App Development Trends

1. Internet of Things (IoT)

Nobody anticipated that the internet would crawl its way into our livelihood to this extent.

Just when we thought the internet couldn’t control our bedroom and kitchen, there comes the Internet of Things!. 

Imagine this, you are in your office. But you forgot to lock your house. So instead of returning home, you can lock the house from your current location. All you need is an IoT powered lock system, an IoT app, and an internet connection.

Not only our home or office, in the future, but we can also control almost everything by using IoT systems.

IoT products like Amazon Dash button, Philips lighting system, August doorbell cam, August smart lock, etc. are already winning users over.

Many business organizations are quickly shifting their gear into IoT app development. So in 2023, IoT devices will be as ubiquitous as smartphones.

Future Trends of IoT

• Smart homes and cities
• Smart and self-driving automobiles
• AI-powered IoT devices
• IoT in healthcare

2. 5G Network

The much-awaited 5G network is finally expected to reach the market by 2024. And according to statistics, 2022 will see 5G connections boom from between 20 million to 100 million.

In their latest release iPhone 12, Apple has made provisions for the adoption of 5G network, and this shows it is one of the most anticipated mobile app development trends!

Compared to its predecessor 4G, 5G is expected to be super-fast, about 100 times faster! Combine this high speed with low latency and more stability, and you can see why everybody is rooting for this technology.

5G will bring revolutionary changes in streaming services as 4k streaming without buffering will finally stop being a dream. With its wider bandwidth, handling VR & AR 3D objects becomes possible. It will also help to enhance IoT services with its improved connectivity.

Future Applications of 5G

• Wireless healthcare services
• Cloud computing
• Driverless vehicle technology

3. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning 

What comes to your mind when you hear artificial intelligence on smartphones?

You’ll say Virtual assistants (Siri, Google Assistants, Replica, etc.) and chatbots. Or more recently AI-based photo filtering apps like Face App, Prisma, etc.

But in 2022, AI will also play a more active role in our lives. Besides the enhancement of existing applications, many other tools like AI-based cameras, voice translations, user predictions, etc will find a new home in smartphones.

Combination AI and ML can be really useful in complex activities like mobile app development. Be it android app development or iOS app development; it can learn the development process from previous data, detect problems, and fix them in real-time.

It can even learn our complete behaviours and actions through our regular usage patterns and implement necessary actions without instructions.

For instance, ML can understand our buying behaviour from previous data. So the next time we shop online, the app itself guides you to your desired products without having to browse them. This is highly effective in ecommerce app development.

When AI and IoT are combined, We won’t even have to tap our fingers to get things done. While we relax, AI will appropriately control our homes, devices, automobiles, etc. on its own.

Future Trends of AI

• AIOps to automate IT operations
• AI with IoT
• Smart camera with subject recognition
• Voice and language translations
• AI-powered Face Unlock
• User behaviour predictions
• High app authentication for cybersecurity
• Adaptive Battery for more battery life

4. Cross-Platform App Development

We have seen mobile app development shift towards cross-platform technology since the last few years. Trusted and big names in the mobile app industry like Facebook, Pinterest, Alibaba, etc. have successfully implemented this technology to improve their efficiency.

In 2024, this ongoing revolution will reach a further high. The numerous benefits of cross-platform app development, like cost-effectiveness, high performance, faster development, etc., will bring more and more apps towards this technology.

According to statistics, Flutter, the new technology from Google will rule the cross-platform industry in 2023. Ease of learning, multiple IDE support, hot reload, etc. makes Flutter the ideal technology for cross-platform development. 

Some of the other mobile app development frameworks used by mobile app developers to build hybrid or cross-platform applications are React Native, Xamarin, Ionic, etc.

5. Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality

AR and VR have already conquered the gaming and video arena. But it’s just a matter of time before these technologies turn their hand to all aspects of our daily lives. 

Apple’s ARkit and Google’s ARcore are just a hint of the inevitable mixed reality revolution. They offer many features like motion tracking, people occlusion, environmental understanding, and light estimation in their packages.

So in 2024, we can expect many AR-based app ideas turning into fully functional mobile apps. It’ll be immensely beneficial for Industries like healthcare, tourism, education, retail, marketing, etc.

Mixed reality will revolutionize our social media experience as well. Facebook had already introduced Facebook spaces to interact with our friends through VR. Instagram now allows us to create our own augmented reality filters. 

There are many mixed reality smart glasses like HoloLens, Oculus Go, Magic Leap, etc. to provide an immersive and interactive user experience.

By using these gadgets and VR/AR apps, doctors from different regions can perform live surgeries, we can virtually swim under the deep sea, teleport to space and other planets and even virtually alter and rebuild our reality.

Future Trends of AR and VR

• AR-based virtual user manual
• VR based virtual training simulations
• VR based exploration activities
• VR based live music festivals and concerts
• AR-based destination navigator
• VR and AR-based visual learning

6. Enterprise Mobile Applications

Enterprise mobile applications are becoming a growing priority among businesses worldwide. Statistics show that companies gain tremendously when employees have access to enterprise mobile apps. 

It enhances the internal communication between organizations, improves employee satisfaction and productivity, and increases ROI. 2023 will see a huge number of companies moving towards the development of enterprise apps. 

Enterprise mobile app is a step towards digital transformation and will help organizations streamline and manage complex business processes effectively. It will make integration and transition of information easy and simplify the overall operations of an organization with added security.

7. Beacon Technology

Imagine this. You google a pair of shoes of a specific brand or model. But you need to try them on physically. 

But while you are on the way to the stores, the app on your phone shows you which shops have your desired products, their price, and other specifications. 

Well, it’s just not an idea. Beacon technology makes it possible.

Beacons use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals. So when the phone enters a beacons zone, the relevant app immediately receives this signal and provide relevant notifications and guidance for the users.

Beacon has immense potential in the marketing landscape. It reduces the path between the users and the companies. 

Many industries like hotels, museums, and healthcare have already installed beacons in their services. 

Ever since Apple introduced iBeacon back in 2013, it’s been prevalent in iOS app development. Then Google introduced Eddystone in 2015. So, now it’s a part of android app development as well.

In 2023, we’ll get to see more and more mobile app development services use beacon-based apps and locations.

Future Applications of Beacon

• Beacon in Healthcare
• Beacon in Travels and Tourism
• Beacon powered mobile payment
• Beacon in physical games (clue games, treasure hunt, etc.)

8. Accelerated Mobile Pages

Most of the web browsing now happens through mobile devices. Fast, responsive, and user-friendly design are critical factors to gain user engagement. 

Accelerated Mobile Pages(AMPs) help with this as they reduce page loading time and improve performance. And not just that, besides improving user engagement, AMPs also help in increasing user traffic. 

AMP is among the fast-rising mobile app development trends that implement a strategy to improve the visibility in searches. AMP websites have a loading time four times faster than normal sites. Thus, Google encourages these websites and drives traffic to those. AMP helps to improve SEO as well as user engagement, making it among the inevitable mobile app development trends in 2023.

9. Blockchain

Blockchain gave us a sneak peek into its offerings in the forms of cryptocurrencies and smart contracts. 

Blockchain offers complete security for all our sensitive information. Be it our transactions or data exchanges or documents; nobody can track that info. It’s by far the best solution for cybersecurity. 

If Bitcoin gave us a taste of cryptocurrency, Ethereum showed us the true potentials of Blockchain. The scope of decentralized apps and how it widened opportunities for app developers is a tremendous example of that.

Decentralized apps or Dapps don’t need a mediator to function or manage our information. It connects users and providers directly. So nobody else can penetrate our data.

There are already many Dapps in finance, trading, healthcare, media, and games. In 2023 Dapps will enter all other arenas as well. In short, the revolution of blockchain application development is right around the corner and will be among the latest trends in mobile apps.

Future Applications of Blockchain

• Blockchain in Anti-piracy
• Secure public elections
• Transparent betting
• Swarm Robotics
• Asset Tokenization
• Blockchain as service (BaaS)

10. Folding Display

A mobile app development trend that will revolutionize the smartphone industry in 2021 is folding display. The first models have already arrived in the market- Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X. And the trend is expected to reign in smartphones in 2023 and 2024. 

This will bring several challenges to mobile app developers. Folding display means we will be looking at an instantaneous change in screen sizes depending on user actions. 

From the perspective of app development, every app will have to be altered accordingly to be compatible with this trend. As foldable display phones become prominent, we will see an increased demand for apps that support this feature. 

Sure, it will bring more complexity in mobile app development. But it will also open many opportunities for mobile app developers. 

11. Cloud Integration

Cloud technology never ceases to amaze us with its endless benefits and possibilities. What once started as a hosting service has grown beyond its initial applications. 

It’s the most reliable platform to securely store and access our data in a seamless and faster way. 

But cloud technology hasn’t stepped into mobile app development to that extent. But in 2024, there will be many cloud-integrated mobile apps.

Cloud integrated mobile apps run directly on the cloud. That way, it takes the pressure off our smartphone’s internal memory. So we don’t have to worry about our phone crashing while running these apps.

Cloud integration benefits both the users and app developers equally. It makes it easy for developers to create a mobile app by making the development easier and faster, along with cost savings. And the users get to access the apps seamlessly without having to install it.

Future applications of Cloud technology

• Cloud quantum computing
• Multi-cloud platforms
• Hybrid Cloud solutions

12. Geolocation Based Apps

Geolocation based app development is a trend that is already prominent today and will grow exponentially in the coming years. It is one crucial element that enables mobile apps to provide personalized services to its customers. 

Applications use location tracking to collect information about users demographics, provide location-based services, better target marketing campaigns, etc.

Mobile app development companies are also utilizing the location data to analyze user patterns and get an insight into the correlation between user behaviour and location. 

It helps customers by giving them relevant information and customized solutions. This personalized solution approach improves the overall user experience and enhances user satisfaction.

Future Trends in Geolocation Based Apps

• Augmented reality application in geography, astronomy
• Gaming apps
• Recommendation apps

13. Mobile Wallets

Mobile wallets are quickly garnering the hearts of users. We no longer need to pay in cash or type in our account details whenever we need to manage our transaction

We just need to link our account details to a mobile wallet app. Then we can easily transfer money to anyone with the mobile wallet app.

By integrating payment gateways with mobile wallets, the payment process can become smoother and quicker.

Many mobile wallet applications like Amazon Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, etc. are already gaining immense popularity. So it’s about time for mobile app developers and business organizations to introduce mobile wallets into their apps.

Future Trends of Mobile Wallets

• More Audio-based mobile wallets(e.g., Tez Google Pay)
• NFC based (near field communication) payments
• RFID based (Radio-frequency identification payments
• More secure payments

14. M-Commerce

According to Statista, in 2021, m-commerce would make up for 72.9% of global e-commerce sales and generate $3.5 trillion in revenue. 

The unexpected situation created by pandemic and people’s trials to adapt to the situation resulted in them embracing e-commerce solutions like never before. We saw a significant fall in the retail sector and witnessed many retail owners preparing to venture into mobile apps.

The affinity towards m-commerce shopping is expected to stay in the coming years as well. The e-commerce industry needs to be mindful of such mobile app development trends in order to stay on top of performance in the future.

Future Trends in M-Commerce

• One click ordering
• Voice shopping
• Omnichannel shopping

15. Wearables 

Wearables are already making huge waves among users. Many people already use them in forms of smartwatch, smart jewelry, display devices (Google Glass), body sensors, and so on.

The cool thing is that we can control and communicate these devices through various mobile apps. But with the integration of IoT, we can control these devices even from remote locations using the internet.

Wearables can track and analyze body movements, heartbeats, walking steps, body temperature, blood oxygen levels, etc. So imaginably, they are already hugely profitable in healthcare, fitness, and sports industries.

But the possibilities of wearables are limitless. In the future, what we wear will give us more than they already can. We’ll get to see them in many forms in 2023.

Future Trends of Wearables

• Mind reading glasses
• Virtual assistant in contact lenses
• Virtual keyboards via nail polish and smart lenses
• Smart shirts, buttons, pants, and shoes

16. Predictive Analysis

For an app to be valued, it must value its customers. The collection of data and the insights that it provides helps apps to deliver services that are of value to its customers.

Thus the predictive analysis is a trend that will gain a lot of prominence in 2023 along with machine learning and data mining. This trend utilizes statistics, AI and ML, and data mining to predict future events. And these predictions help to improve user experience.

Using predictive algorithms, app developers can optimize their applications, leading to an increase in its quality and improvement in performance. It helps to improve customer retention and increase ROI.

Future Applications in Predictive Analysis

• In banking to address customer needs
• In healthcare to provide better diagnosis

17. On-demand Apps

Yesterday’s luxury is today’s demand. 

Smartphones have become a necessity. They get all our demands fulfilled rapidly via mobile apps. 

But when we had more specific and location-based demands, we didn’t have apps that fulfill such needs. But now On-demand apps have come to the rescue. 

All it takes is to place a request in the relevant app, and the service will be at your desired locations.

On-demand apps come in many forms like grocery delivery apps, taxi apps, food delivery apps, and so on.

On-demand apps are handy for users more than any other apps. Almost every mobile app development company has shifted its focus to on-demand apps. 2023 will be an incredible year for on-demand apps.

Future Trends of On-demand Apps

• On-demand babysitting apps
• On-demand salon apps
• On-demand laundry service
• On-demand domestic helper apps

18. Biometric Authentication

Biometric authentication is becoming an unavoidable part of smartphones. While earlier it was being used to unlock phones, today it is used to login to bank accounts and download mobile apps. 

A significant factor that influences this mobile app development trend is its ease of operation. There is no need to type, no need to draw any patterns, just a touch or a look, and done! But as this trend grows, it is essential to take into account the security considerations as well.

All mobile apps being developed in 2023 should be prepared to integrate Touch ID or Face ID to its working. Besides face recognition and fingerprint scanning, biometric authentication could also include iris recognition, voice recognition, hand geometry, or behavioural characteristics. 

What makes it a suitable security authentication method is that it is unique, non-replicable, remains constant over time, and there is no risk of forgetting.

Future Applications of Biometric Authentication

• Immigration services
• Cloud based biometric solutions
• Online banking and mobile payments

19. Instant Apps

I mean, we all love it when we get to access apps without having to download and install it, right?

Instant apps are the ultimate answer to that. Not only the fact it needs no installing, but they are also smaller in size. So they are faster than regular apps regardless of hardware and storage capabilities. 

Since instant app development is comparatively simpler, it will benefit the mobile app developers in a big way. The cost to develop a mobile app will also be less as compared to other apps. In , there will be an extensive focus on instant app development.

20. Virtual Events Streaming

Probably among the latest trends in mobile app development, virtual events streaming was invented as Covid-19 put a halt to real events. It has become so successful that even post the Covid scenario, this trend is expected to prosper. 

One excellent example of a virtual event venue is Hopin. Hopin is an online events platform where you can create virtual events connecting people across the world. What makes it stand out from other virtual interactive platforms are, in Hopin users can change rooms, listen to different speakers, visit various booths, and communicate with participants in a group chat or as one on one sessions.

In 2023 we can see more of such platforms coming into action. Virtual platforms like this make events grow beyond boundaries and increase accessibility along with convenience.

21. Security

Not a recent mobile app development trend, but a trend that will always be important and will need constant work. Security should always be at the forefront of mobile app development.

With the integration of features such as AI, AR, and VR, data is at risk of large scale exposure. Security should be among the most prioritized considerations while developing apps in 2023. The increase in cyber threats, leaking of confidential information, and malicious attacks in the past year is due to security negligence.

So mobile app developers should focus on choosing the best algorithm, implementing encryption standards, and developing antivirus softwares. The end-users should also train themselves to identify and manage security threats. 

In 2023, outsource app development will see an increase. Security should be an essential consideration while choosing the developers for outsourcing.

Wrapping up

What the future has in store for in mobile app development is very exciting. Creating an app is easier than ever. With the arrival of 5G technology and innovative mobile app development trends, everything is going to be a hundred times better, faster, and simpler in 2024.

Integrating these trends into our phones is a big leap. You need a trusted mobile app development company for that. In that regard, ‘Mindster’ is a perfect choice. Some of our app development solutions include taxi dispatch software, grocery app development, etc. on both Android and iOS platforms.