Key Mobile App Development Market Insights For 2023

 

Whether you are a large-scale business or a just-kicked-off startup, engaging your audience is a must to grow. Mobile app development is one of the most critical aspects that help grow an organization and connect with the audience. We can safely say that mobile applications play a major role in the marketing of a particular organization. In the last few years, we have seen some major changes in terms of mobile app development.

And here, we are not only talking about the tech used to develop mobile applications but also how the tech tycoons have worked to make the interface easily usable and how it has helped them in gaining large traction. As of now, most of us have applications for everything like shopping, buying groceries, playing games, enhancing skills, and finding jobs. No one of us would have thought that one day there would be an application to remind us that we have to drink water, and it would have more than 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store (Yes, I am serious).

Things are changing, and new tech is fueling up the enthusiasts, Artificial Intelligence, and other stuff in the play to create something new every now and then. We can expect to see multiple new revolutions in the mobile app development market. As for the stats, there are already more than 6.5 million applications available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Keeping the bigger picture in mind, every organization is needed to update its app according to the current tech trends to maintain the audience.

A major example of the same is the transition of networking from 4G to 5G. While we agree that major changes are on the way, there is still a lot of work to be done on the app development end so that customer retention of the organization doesn’t have to suffer.

Apps that fail to transition don’t survive in the long run, and that’s the reason why there is a large number of applications that become unsuccessful after a given point in time. This problem can be sorted out by going for agencies that offer up-to-date android app development services and iOS app development services as per your preferences. That said, here we will discuss some of the trends that have come a long way and are fueling the app development market.

 

Mobile app development for foldable devices

 

Samsung, one of the most popular smartphone-producing brands, took the market by storm with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold smartphone. Following that, multiple brands like Oppo, Vivo, and others jumped into the foldable devices market.

The invention of foldable devices gave birth to a new niche of mobile app development, one for specifically foldable devices. The main reason behind that was the way foldable smartphones operated. For example, playing a game on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 needs a different kind of screen ratio optimization as compared to OnePlus 10 Pro.

 

Market Research

 

Multiple market research shows that the shipment of foldable devices will cross the number of 75 million by the year 2025, which is a great deal. Businesses and startups who are looking for mobile development services should make sure that the people who work on the project optimize the app according to foldable devices too.

For example, there are multiple applications in the market that work in such a way that they show limited content when the devices are in the folded state, and the content quantity expands as soon as the user unfolds the devices.

Furthermore, apps in the current market are also being optimized to work simultaneously on foldable devices. Now, we agree that the same can be done on a basic Android smartphone, too, like running YouTube and WhatsApp together. But everything boils up to experience, and a regular Android device cannot match the experience delivered by a foldable device in terms of multitasking.

 

Apart from that, the startups or businesses who hire android app developers for video streaming or gaming android app development services are supposed to ensure that the end users can get the most out of the application. Let’s say there is a video streaming application that uses one half of the screen for a proper ratio and can use the other half to display the control required for the same or for providing extra information related to the content.

 

As we can see that multiple foldable devices are on their way to the global market, from Vivo, Oppo, and even OnePlus, it will be safe to develop in a way that they can work smoothly on both foldable and non-foldable devices.

 

The boom of entertainment and gaming apps

 

Smartphone gaming has seen such a rise in the last few years that it has become a part of esports, and we see tournaments of multiple games too. Same is the case with entertainment apps as soon as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video came into play. Gaming apps like Asphalt 9, Call of Duty Mobile, and Marvel Contest of Champions have changed the way gaming worked previously. Having a look at the numbers. It has been reported that, in total, there are around 159 million smartphone gamers, out of which 85 to 90 percent of them are from the United States.

This is the reason why the top mobile app development companies in the USA are all investing their unique resources in the development of gaming and entertainment apps. The result of the same can be seen clearly as we are getting to see more and more games on the Google Play store and the Apple App Store as well. Projections are that the number will reach somewhere around 165 million by the end of 2023.

The sudden surge in the demand for entertainment and gaming has its rigid reasons, one of the most important ones being that the audience is not supposed to head to their TV or laptop for entertainment or gaming. Instead, they get everything in a device that fits in their pocket. Whether it is about watching movies or web series or it is about trying your hands on games with high-end graphics, the recent mobile app development scenario has changed everything.

Another major reason behind the growth of mobile apps based on entertainment and gaming is that users can now move freely and even travel while consuming the best content or playing their favorite games. Reports have to say that the smartphone gaming market is going to skyrocket and is already growing exponentially. The pandemic of 2020 played a major role in the growth of this market as people were literally locked in their houses, and they just wanted sources of entertainment to divert their minds. Moreover, easy access to the internet has also contributed to the growth of entertainment and gaming mobile app development.

 

Integration of AI and ML in mobile app development

 

You love how Spotify suggests you tailored playlists according to your first few choices on the platform, right? Well, Artificial Intelligence or AI is in play, which learns user behavior and makes customized suggestions. We can say that the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) has had a long-lasting impact on how apps work. These things are not going out of the frame as a lot of things are still to be explored in terms of app development and the use of AI in it.

Market research suggested that the value of AI in the app development market will reach the benchmark of around $89 by the year 2025. For the react native app development companies, iOS app development companies, and Android app development companies, integration of AI aids in meeting the users’ expectations. This whole setup also helps make the user engage more with your application and boosts retention. Here are a few benefits of using AI in mobile app development:

Automated replies:

A significant benefit of using AI in app development is that it allows the developers to add auto-reply features. For example, have you ever looked at the auto-generated replies that apps like Gmail, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn suggest based on the message received? You guessed it right; that happens with the help of AI integration.

 

Chatbots:

Another use case of the same is the chatbots that we saw in multiple applications. For example, while solving queries on Zomato or Swiggy, the first few replies are from the chatbots, and if they are unable to solve the problem, then human intervention is required.

Apart from the mentioned one, AI serves multiple purposes, like robust app authentication, understanding behavioural patterns, and much more.

Another major element is Machine learning which has revolutionized mobile app development completely. iOS app development services and Android app development services offering companies integrate deep learning with Machine Learning to extract important data from applications along with getting a gist of real-time analytics.

 

Mobile app security in the play

 

Mobile app security has been important since the initial year of mobile app development. Businesses all over the world have been concerned with the maxed-out usage of smartphones by their employees, as the data stored in their phones can be at risk if the security is not on point. Multiple reports pointed towards the fact that around 46 percent of organizations all over the globe consisted of at least one employee who installed a malicious application on their smartphone.

This emerges as one of the most important reasons why all small-scale and large-scale businesses are investing a serious amount of funds in the cybersecurity domain. Data protection comes as one of the most important duties of any application because users provide a lot of crucial information like bank account details and personal details while registering for these apps. Digital security is going to be a focus of almost all applications in 2023 so that any kind of data breach does not hamper the trust of the users.

Most of the applications are opting for different login processes instead of passwords. The introduction of features like two-factor authentication and fingerprint enabled app locking system is the result of the same. App development companies are also relying on masking sensitive information according to the requirement. This helps in keeping the passwords and data safe even if there is a malicious application in a smartphone that keeps a check on the user’s screen. Expectations are that more and more apps will shift to using face recognition and fingerprint recognition to unlock instead of the old-school enter password method.

 

AR and VR

 

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are two major trends in the mobile app development market that have seen tremendous growth in the past couple of years. Most of us are aware of Pokemon Go, the game that introduced AR to the masses, which was an amalgamation of the real and the virtual world. In this game, the players were supposed to catch Pokemon characters that can be seen through the camera in the real world, but they never really existed. And trust us when we say that it is just a glimpse of what AR and VR can actually do and how they can revolutionize the way people use their smartphones these days.

Talking about Virtual Reality, it provides an immersive experience to the users. For example, if we have a look around us, we can identify multiple applications that use AR and VR to offer an amazing and interactive experience to the users. For example, Lenskart, a popular eyewear brand from India, uses VR and allows users to try glasses before they make a buying decision. Similarly, makeup brand L’Oreal lets users put on makeup virtually so they can get an idea of how they will look donning the latest products.

Not only this, but tech giants like Google have also adopted the technology for the betterment of the user experience. Google unveiled a feature named Live View for Google Maps that lets users see the direction in real-time on the imagery of the real world. Similarly, Apple introduced the LiDAR technology, which allows iPhones to capture high-quality photos even in low light conditions. It concludes with one major thing that we will see more and more applications adopting AR and VR based features for enhanced user experience.

 

Mobile applications based on IoT

 

IoT, or the Internet of Things, has become a crucial part of our lives without us even knowing it. Backing the statement with examples here, all the smart home devices connected to the internet work on IoT. Tech giants like Amazon and Google have made it big in the same segment with the launch of the Echo lineup and the Nest lineup, respectively. In addition, Google also introduced the Google Home Voice Controller to command all the devices connected to its ecosystem.

However, in the current picture, not only Google and Amazon but other brands like Samsung, Bosch, Realme, and Xiaomi are also inventing products based on the Internet of Things (IoT). Multiple research papers mentioned that the smart home market will reach around 94 million active households by the year 2027 in only the US market. The skyrocketing demand for IoT-based products will also give a boost to the demand for IoT-enabled applications.

In simple terms, IoT-enabled applications work in order to provide the remote control of all the smart gadgets connected to the same network to a single smartphone. For example, you can switch on/off the lights and heating/cooling systems of your home with the help of IoT-enabled applications on your device developed for those particular use cases.

The focus of IoT-enabled apps is towards making the life of the users easy and reducing the physical work to accomplish a task. Right now, we have multiple IoT-enabled applications to control smart gadgets and other stuff for both iOS and Android devices. Speculations are that in 2023, the number of IoT-enabled devices will increase due to the high demand and the level of convenience it offers users.

 

Super-apps taking over the game

 

The top mobile app development companies in the USA and all over the world have focused on the principle of ‘one application for one purpose’. Nonetheless, with changing times, the approach has to be changed, and it is changing at a rapid pace. This change is the main reason behind the development of super apps. Basically, super apps provide a one-stop solution for solving multiple purposes. These kinds of applications are getting a lot of traction in the Asian region.

Let’s understand the concept of super apps with an example; suppose a few shoppers visit a mall, and there they have the option to buy anything and everything, be it beverages, groceries, clothes, gadgets, and whatnot. In a similar way. Super apps allow the end user to purchase or get results related to multiple queries from different niches.

A super app that has already gained a lot of popularity is the Natural AI developed for the US market. The application is currently limited to Apple App Store only. On this app, the user can do anything and everything, like book tickets for traveling, purchase stuff, book cabs for local travel, and a lot more. The app is currently in beta testing mode, and it is expected to get a stable version pretty soon.

Not only this, but apps like Amazon and Facebook are also tightening their belt for transitioning into super apps. Amazon, apart from online shopping, has already provided a feature to make payments and even buy and store digital gold on the platform. Likewise, Facebook is not only serving as a social media app but also expanding as a marketplace where people can buy and sell their products. From a developer’s point of view, a single app should be developed to solve multiple purposes so that it can gain higher engagement.

 

Conclusion

 

These are the key insight into the mobile app development market and how it is possibly going to be in 2023. The mobile app development services providing companies will have to keep an eye on the trends that are going to rule 2023 in order to make sure that their apps are future-ready. Aspects like the development of super apps, entertainment, and gaming apps should be taken into serious consideration as these markets are going to see multifold growth.

Apart from those factors, the developers should also keep their focus on providing features like attractive UI/UX design. A survey conducted by Forrester Report suggested that a decent UI design can help in increasing the conversion rate of an application by 200% while the UX design can increase it by 400%.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

What kind of applications will be in demand in 2023?

 

The mobile app development market is going to see multiple changes in 2023 in terms of demands by users for the type of applications. Some of the most prominent ones that will be relevant in 2023 are Internet of Things (IoT) enabled applications, Mobile Commerce, Gaming apps, Entertainment apps, applications based on Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), apps based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), apps designed for foldable devices and a lot more to mention.

The way mobile apps cover all the parts of the daily life of the end users, it clearly denotes that the demand for the same is going to increase in the coming future. This will also give birth to trends that we are unknown of as of now. One thing which will never go out of trend is keeping a user-focused mindset while developing applications to provide a seamless experience to the audience.

 

What are the iOS app development trends that we can get to see in 2023?

 

The applications developed for iOS are a little different from what we get to see in terms of Android app development. While most of the iOS app development trends are going to be the same as Android app development trends, expectations are that there will be a few variants. For example, iOs app developers will possibly dedicate themselves to building applications based on Core Machine Learning, the Internet of Things (iOS), and Artificial Intelligence.

Keeping the main ones aside, we may also get to see applications revolving around cloud integration, iBeacon, security, and even chatbots. All these trends will help in making the life of the end user better and more comfortable to an extent. Moreover, the main focus behind the development and deployment of these applications will be to make the users stay on the app for a longer time due to its unique features. If you are a startup or a business that is on the way to hire iPhone app developer, make sure that the individual or the organization believes in creating a simple user interface for powerful applications.

 

What will replace the applications in the future?

 

Though it is not something that is going to happen in a day. However, there is a high chance that progressive web applications (PWAs) will replace traditional mobile apps in the future. The reason behind the rapid growth of progressive web applications (PWAs) will be the modification of web technologies along with the expansion of capabilities.

Talking about PWAs on an Android smartphone, they can give tough competition to the native Android application in terms of performance. Android as an operating system is better in terms of supporting PWAs as compared to iOs devices and desktop laptops running on the Windows operating system. If the evolution of PWAs happens at the same pace, we can expect it to reduce the gap between native apps and PWAs on a large scale.

On the other hand, Microsoft is eagerly supporting the PWAs because the firm knows already that there are very few developers that will create native apps for the Microsoft store. Nonetheless, iOS devices can cause disappointment when it comes to supporting PWAs. Most of the progressive web apps are unable to work smoothly on iOS devices as the hardware of the phone messes with them. Furthermore, push notifications are also not supported on iPhones.

 

What are the two important things one should consider when developing a mobile application?

 

First and foremost is to figure out if the business seriously requires an application. For a business which is already gaining decent traction,  the development will help the organization connect with users and create a revenue model. In that case, one should go for mobile app development for their business. However, if that’s not the case, one should refrain from making an investment in developing a mobile app.

Secondly, choosing the right platform for the application, Android or iOS, is pretty necessary. It is based on your target audience and what phones they are primarily using. For example, if a large number of your target audience are Android users, then you should go for Android app development services. However, if a large amount of your target audience is iPhone users, then you should hire iPhone app developer.