Mobile app

Top Mobile App Development Trends in 2021

By Phuong Anh Nguyen   |   December 15, 2021

Mobile application development is expected to explode by the year 2021 when its market revenue is projected to reach a whopping $693 billion (Statista, 2021). Plus, it is not surprising that people are spending more time on mobile devices which attract them or even change their behavior with its ease of use and convenience. According to Google, 80% of smartphone users are more likely to purchase from companies with applications for mobile devices.

However, in this dynamic and ever-evolving area, those figures do not say it all. Gartner study showed that less than 0,01% of mobile applications can be considered as a hit or generate a financial success statement. Therefore, to at least get customers’ attention, it is very crucial to be aware of mobile application development trends and accordingly incorporate these into generating your app. Some of them are still prominent and irreplaceable while others are the latest updates in 2021. Let’s see!

#1 Cross-platform application development

One of the most popular mobile application technology trends in 2021 is cross-platform app development. While going for native apps nowadays will cost businesses lots of budgets, time and efforts, cross-platform app development has emerged as a feasible solution to partially solve these problems. 

To be more specific, its ability to run in different operating systems (i.e. iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux) with native looks and experience by using just one single codebase has become the unrivaled choice for many businesses. As reported by Statista, nearly a third of developers use cross-platform technologies or frameworks, while the rest call for native apps.

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Various cross-platform app frameworks have been released over the years but Flutter is considered as the perfect framework for developing mobile apps so far. Introduced by Google in 2018, Flutter is an advanced and open-source UI software development kit (SDK). Despite its young age, many IT giants like Alibaba, Facebook, Pinterest have used Flutter for their app development. Only that much is enough to demonstrate the tremendous potential of Flutter and sure it will be continuously developed to be more fascinating.

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#2 Touchless experience

In recent years, the user experience for mobile devices is being changed dramatically and revolutionized by the emergence of innovative gesture control techniques and touchless sensing. Users can control the device without having to directly touch the screen, making mobile usage more intuitive and convenient. 

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This creativity is driven by the need for hands-free interaction, users can “touch without touching” like switching to another song just by swiping hand above the screen. The adoption of these cutting-edge features in mobile application development can potentially create successful pioneers.

#3 Beacon technology

First introduced by Apple in 2013, Beacon Technology serves as a wireless transmitter, using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals to determine the location of other smart devices within a short distance and comes with the ability to provide the user with relevant information or instructions. Beacons now become one of the latest developments in location technology and proximity marketing. 

Data is transmitted using different Beacons protocols. Accordingly, Beacon technology has 3 main protocols including iBeacon, AltBeacon and Eddystone. For Beacon app developers, the choice of protocol will depend on the mobile platform – iOS or Android.

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Beacon is considered as one of the promising mobile application development trends with great potential in a wide range of domains such as retail, mobile payment, tourism, education, financial institutions, etc.

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of Beacons for your mobile application development:

  • Affordable and relatively easy to install or set up
  • Proximity marketing
  • Advanced data gathering
  • Increases app engagement and retention

#4 Hyper-Personalization

The general tendency among today’s users is that they prefer everything to be personalized, making their experience better and more private. They therefore expect businesses to offer products or services in a personal manner. As stated in Accenture study, 91% of customers have a preference for brands that “recognize, remember, and provide relevant offers and recommendations”. 

To deliver personal experiences in mobile applications development, instead of one-fits-all, hyper-personalization will certainly increase user retention and engagement. This can be determined by two broad categories:

  • On-using Personalization: Features like pop-ups, dialogue boxes, recommendations or any special offers that are accompanied by content related to the user’s characteristics and preferences will help them have a more personalized experience while using the application. 
  • Out-of-app Personalization: Push notifications are the way to personalize the user experience with creative and compelling messages to engage users and get them to re-open your app.

#5 Biometric authentication

The implementation of mobile biometric authentication system for applications is an extense part of cutting-edge app development technology, especially regarding security and protection of user information, by assessing the physical as well as behavioral characteristics of users to verify their identity. Such characteristics may include facial recognition, fingerprint scanning, iris recognition and voice recognition, ect.

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Biometric security verification for mobile apps is considered faster and more secure than other identity verification methods. It is increasingly being used in domains such as finance, banking, etc.

#6 Smart wearable devices

As stated in Statista, the number of connected wearable devices worldwide reached 722 million in 2019. And this figure is forecast to grow dramatically to more than one billion by 2022. From smart watches or jewelry to body sensors and even smart lenses,… wearable devices are the potential future.

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The tendency of using smart, compact and all-inclusive wearable devices is seemingly becoming essential coupled with the modern user. Hence, this is also a ​great opportunity for companies to create applications that support wearable technology.

#7 Mobile payment wallets

An additional trend in the development of mobile apps in 2021 is mobile e-wallets. Most services and goods can now be easily purchased or ordered on-line, fueling a growing demand for payment services. Mobile wallet apps development can be implemented in different forms such as client application, P2P platform accessible from specific bank applications or retailer application, etc. 

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In other words, this growing e-commerce industry is creating a need in online payment demand, particularly mobile payment wallets because of their convenience, ease of use and high security. At a rapid pace, we can witness the development of some globally mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Amazon Pay, etc. However, this playground is considered unsaturated and still has a lot of development potential in the future, opening up great opportunities for businesses to integrate into their mobile app development project.

#8 Blockchain App Development

As a base for the stable functioning of any cryptocurrency, blockchain technology has been initially popular for a while, but even now it is considered as a database that can be used by virtually numerous mobile applications. This technology has already revolutionized industries such as finance, healthcare, education, retail, supply chain, etc. and will definitely stay in vogue in the coming years when the global spending on blockchain solution is estimated to reach $11.7 billion by 2022.

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Blockchain integration has created DApps – today’s decentralized mobile application with transparent system and enhanced security as no fraudulent transactions can be made while protecting user data absolutely. Furthermore, the blockchain protocols can make the digital transactions more accessible and faster. The future of a multitude of mobile applications that will be integrated with this state-of-the-art technology will only be a matter of time.

#9 Internet of Things

Emerged as a concept a couple of decades ago, Internet of things (IoTs) is now making headlines all over the world. Needless to say that its development and attraction is tremendous. By 2021, IoT approaches are being used across different areas such as world trade, healthcare, finance, production and retail were the most dynamic. 

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According to Juniper Research latest report, the number of IoT devices in 2021 will reach 46 billion, which is a 200% increase in comparison to 2016. IoTs open the network of many communicating and connecting devices without human involvement to do data collection and processing. And the phone will be an intermediary when applying the Internet of Things to applications on mobile devices, helping to connect these intelligence devices together by using the Internet. Therefore, IoT-based applications will become the most modern development trends, contributing to modernizing and automating human’s lives.

#10 5G Technology

The number of 5G connections is increasing worldwide and this evolution of 5G networks will also miraculously impact future application development of how it is being created and used.

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The dramatic speed improvements brought by 5G increase the functionality of the mobile application as it enables the connection of up to 1 million devices per square kilometer. Its maximum speed is up to 1 Tb/s and is 65,000 times faster than 4G. Along with high speeds, features like 5G networking will be a great support to data security, 3D gaming, augmented reality and much more

All mobile app development trends in 2021 mentioned above are all spectacular. Keeping track of all cutting-edge trends and engaging with timely innovations is essential for businesses to create innovative applications and stay ahead of the competition. As a leading mobile app development services company in Vietnam, fram^ always keeps abreast of all the emerging trends in the mobile industry. With the power of our top mobile developers we have, fram^ has helped many businesses in various industries: healthcare, transportation, e-finance, media, etc. to build their apps in a cost-effective & high-quality way.

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