Mobile App Development Trends You Should Pay Attention to in 2023

We’re all living in the mobile era now. According to Statista, there are currently 7.26 billion mobile device users in 2023, and this number is expected to reach 7.49 billion by 2025. The TechJury report contains some shocking information about how Americans use their smartphones. Let’s take a look at some of them. 

• Most Americans check their phones up to 63 times daily and have an average screen time of 5.4 hours.

• 47% of US smartphone users say they couldn't live without their devices.

These numbers vary a great deal among user generations. For example, 13% of millennials spend over 12 hours (48 minutes of it on texting) on their phones daily, while baby boomers (who are now between 57 and 75 years old) average just 5 hours using their phones. 

The pandemic also played a huge role in contributing to our deep dive into online life. At the height of COVID-19, we all needed to use the Internet to stay connected with our loved ones, study online, buy groceries from brick-and-mortar stores, get medicine, pay bills, support family members, and much more. Here’s a more specific example: Microsoft Teams software experienced a 1,000% increase in users in March 2020, hitting 2.7 billion minutes of meetings in a single day. Actually, the 7-month period from March 2020 to September 2021 marked a new era of mobile development as people started using apps 40% more than before. Of course, this fact wasn’t ignored by mobile developers. As a result, there are now 3.48 million apps available for Android users and 1.96 million apps available for download in the App Store.  

In this blog post, we’ll be talking about the hottest mobile development trends in 2023. Let’s get started. 

Current trends in mobile app development shaping our future

• Mobile payments: Sending money online and paying for transactions cashless is fast and convenient. Insider Intelligence reports that 52.5% of the US population will be using a money transfer system at least once a month by the end of this year. The total value of transactions from mobile wallets is also expected to reach nearly $14 billion by 2023. You’ve probably paid for something with PayPal or Apple Pay before, and you’ve probably heard of services like Wise, Revolut, and Western Union as well. We even wrote a whole blog post about money transfer websites. Check it out!

• Wearables: These apps can be synchronized with your smartwatches, smart jewelry, display devices, and body sensors to provide a smooth experience. They are currently mostly used to track users’ fitness activities and health statistics on applications, and the number of connected wearable devices is predicted to reach more than 1 billion by the end of 2023, according to Statista.

• Chatbots: The history of chatbots is quite interesting. The first one developed in 1966 was named Eliza. She was created by a researcher named Joseph Weizenbaum who worked at the famous Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Nowadays, the most popular chatbot is Alexa. In January 2016, Alexa had only 130 skills, but this number has now surpassed 100,000. 

This technology is widely used by mobile developers in many app categories ranging from e-commerce to banks. It is able to answer FAQs and collect information from users, which saves staff time for handling more urgent cases. Last year, we published an article on 10 best chatbot examples that can improve customer service in 2021. However, given that chatbots are the fastest-growing brand communication channel and that 67% of global consumers had an interaction with a chatbot within the last 12 months (source: Invesp), this information is still relevant in 2023. 

• Super Apps: Can you imagine being able to chat with your friends, pay bills, watch videos, talk to your family, and make purchases all in one place? That’s already the reality for the Asian market, where WeChat, which was originally a messaging app, now has 4.3 “small apps” in it. In the Western world, the first move towards Super App was taken by Snapchat, where users can now send pics, communicate in various formats, and also buy movie tickets. Facebook and Instagram now have some features of super apps since Facebook has integrated payment options, and Instagram also offers various options for buyers and sellers. 

What trends will affect mobile development in 2023 

Knowing the trends will help you win the hearts of users and get closer to them. Here are some important ones.

• Security: A KPMG report found that 87 percent of Americans consider data privacy a basic human right. This means that they expect companies to take serious measures to store and process their data safely and securely. This not only applies to the fintech and healthcare industries but also illustrates people’s state of mind when it comes to data privacy and protection. Various legal acts (such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the healthcare industry and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for all companies which process personal data as part of the activities of one or more of their branches established in the EU) were adopted to help companies understand what exactly they should do, and to ensure that people’s data is protected. 

• Hyper-personalization: 80% of customers are more likely to stay with a company that provides a personalized experience. No one does better than Netflix with their personalized recommendations based on rating systems. 

Duolingo offers a personalized learning experience based on achieved results. 

Amazon users enjoy a fully personalized shopping experience through “smart recommendations” given by the e-commerce giant.

Pinterest filters millions of pins to deliver just what a specific user is looking for.  

• Facial recognition: This technology is fast, secure, and convenient. Facial recognition keeps personal data on mobile devices safe, and also saves time on user identification such as when processing online payments. 

• Digital wellbeing. With thousands of apps of various kinds, the time we spend on our devices just keeps increasing. While there’s no causal link between digital media usage and serious physical and mental health problems, buzzwords like “digital detox” have already appeared. Apple has introduced features such as Screen Time Dashboard, App Limits, and Downtime to support this concept. Users can also find out how frequently they unlock their phones and open apps, get statistics for the number of notifications they receive, and turn on or schedule different display modes like Wind Down or Focus Mode.

Instagram users can set a daily time limit for using the app on their devices. 

Based on this trend, it seems the best strategy to adopt now is to help users spend their time wisely rather than try to occupy as much of it as possible.

• Virtual assistants: Have you ever talked to Siri or Alexa? If you answered yes, then you have used a virtual assistant that can perform a variety of functions such as finding information on the Internet, reminding you about tasks to do, and booking a table at a local restaurant.

According to ComScore, an estimated 75% of all US households own at least one smart speaker. 71% of consumers prefer to conduct queries by voice instead of typing. More than 50% of consumers talk to virtual assistants daily.  

Statista reports that by 2023 the number of virtual assistants will reach 8 billion units. InsightSLICE reports that the global AI-based and voice recognition market will be worth $27.3 billion by 2030.

Trending mobile app development technologies worth a look in 2023

This section covers five technologies that will influence the mobile app development industry in 2023 and beyond. 

1. Flutter: The youngest and most popular cross-platform app development framework available today, launched by Google in May 2017. It has quickly gained the love of developers because Flutter delivers high performance and excellent quality. It also offers the following benefits.

• Makes the development process more cost-effective and is widely used in Minimum Viable Product (MVP) development.

• Allows developers to modify the app back end without any need to save the file. In addition, these modifications are visible in real-time.

• Dart provides an excellent tool for writing structured programming code.

• Since May 2019, Flutter is more than just a mobile solution. Google has extended its support with Flutter for desktop, mobile, embedded, and web apps all used the same codebase.

2. React Native: Another cross-platform app framework popular in the developer community. It combines the best features of JavaScript and React.JS, which allows developers to do many things. The following are some examples.

• Sharing codebase across platforms 

• Creating highly-responsive UI interfaces

• Creating modules using Java, Swift, and Objective-C languages

3. Cloud Computing: While cloud computing itself is not a new technology, it will likely continue its explosive growth in mobile app development. This technology keeps users’ and enterprises' data safely and securely stored, which not only streamlines business processes but also promotes trust. 

4. AR/VR: According to Statista, the combined market share of AR and VR will reach $160 billion by 2023. Do you remember Pokémon Go? Well, it was one of the first major AR-powered games. This technology is now used in more practical apps as well, such as the Ikea app or L’Oréal Paris’ Style My Hair app. And face filters on Instagram, of course! Maybe all of us have used some of these before. 

5. Artificial Intelligence: AI is a hot topic in the media now because this technology can be used to perform various functions such as face detection, image and speech recognition, and text and image classification. AI helps developers build more personalized experiences in their apps.

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iOS vs Android development future

Android devices are holding around 75% of the global market share in 2023, which makes the future of Android app development extremely promising. However, iOS has a higher market share (over 50 percent) in countries with more developed economies, such as the UK and USA. To help you make an informed choice, let’s take a look at the major differences between iOS and Android app development. 

The table above shows some of the major differences. As you may have noticed, many things depend on the developer's individual habits and preferences. What you can be absolutely sure of is that both platforms will not lose popularity within the next few years. So why not launch your app in both iOS and Android markets? If you’re interested in doing this, creating a cross-platform app instead of two native products may be a good option for you. This is just what it sounds like: cross-platform mobile apps are compatible with multiple operating systems. For this reason, they can run on any smartphone, tablet, PC, smartwatch, or connected TV. The main advantage of cross-platform apps is that cross-platform frameworks allow a developer to code just once and create an app that runs in both OSes.

Apps that will change the world

“Everyone has a million-dollar idea”, says Sarah Blakley, self-made billionaire and CEO of Spanx. Also, there is always a chance to create a product that makes a splash even in a crowded niche. We hope this section, will give you some inspiration for your own startup. Maybe it could even be the next big success story, or even this generation’s PayPal or Headspace.

1. Mobile Fitness Apps: These apps help users stay healthy, monitor their fitness activities, and stay consistent. You can add additional features such as tips from certified diet nutritionists, pathologists, and health coaches. 

2. P2P Payment App: These apps allow people to send and receive money from anywhere the Internet is available. Even with popular solutions like PayPal and Wise already on the market, there is a chance to find your own niche in the remittance industry and target specific needs. 

3. Virtual Health App: The way we take care of our own health has significantly changed. 10 years ago, could you imagine video calling a doctor to talk about a health problem? Definitely not. But now in 2023, 90% of physicians already use smartphones at work and there are over 350,000 health apps available in app stores. Although there are strict health industry regulations to overcome, developing a health app is definitely worth doing.  

4. Hire an Artist App: Creative collaboration has never been easier. Since 2020, it is absolutely normal to have project team members spread all over the world. You can have your company registered in the USA while working in Canada and coordinating with UX/UI designers in Mexico, and everything works just fine thanks to modern technology. Hire an artist apps collect creative talents from all over the world and connect them to people in need of their skills to complete projects. 

5. Shopping Assistant App: Too many people struggle with finding perfect clothes and accessories online. They don’t want to waste too much time on browsing either. This is where a shopping assistant app can help. These apps are typically AI-powered and can function as a replacement for human consultants and professional buyers, helping people decide what to buy. 

Those are just five ideas out of the endless possibilities app development offers.

Conclusion  

The mobile app development industry is thriving and booming in 2023, and it is expected to grow even further. The whole point of this article was to help you understand technologies that will make your next project stand out. 

Finding a reliable partner can require a great deal of time and effort. At Yellow, we specialize in helping startups and mature businesses develop digital solutions that facilitate processes and solve specific problems.