What can we expect from mobile apps going forward?

Smartphones have now become something that the majority of people worldwide have a very big reliance upon. We use mobile devices for everything, from an alarm to wake us up for work, to communicate with friends at the other side of the world, to tell us what the temperature is and whether it will rain and play games. Hence the reason it seems that every industry is making a conscious effort to invest heavily in mobile, especially businesses that require innovation to survive. It now also seems possible to find a mobile application that does anything you could ever wish for! But what are we going to see from mobile apps moving forwards?

Probably the most obvious introduction to mobile applications moving forwards will be the constantly talked about virtual and augmented reality, however it is likely that there are a lot more surprises in store for us when it comes to mobile apps.

The Internet of Things is a network made up of physical objects that are now embedded with software, electronics, sensors, and network connectivity. These elements mean that the collection and exchange of data is possible with no human interaction. Each of these technologies rely upon the Internet of Things in a different way and the possibilities are explosive with this potentially game changing technology. More apps will be developed that can connect everything through a mobile device as a result of the IoT.

It is likely that we will see a greater focus on security in regards to mobile apps in the future, as current research shows that around 75% of apps in the market would not pass a basic security test. Now apps are starting to ask for more personal data and even payments, developers of apps are going to have to be a lot more conscious with the security aspects of the devices and taking measures towards ensuing the data of their users is secure.

Personalisation on some many different fronts is set to become a massive part of the future and the same applies to mobile applications. Apps will monitor preferences of users and pay attention to previous activity and push out content based on this data. Anyone who has used the AirBnB or Netflix apps will know how this works in practice.

Accelerated mobile pages are a definite trend that should be looked out for in the upcoming months and years. AMP will enable faster loading times within web apps and increase the engagement of brands with their customers. It will also allow businesses to increase the click through rate to their apps and increase their visibility. The future will see more businesses using AMP as part of their web app pages to allow use and download of their apps. It will see greater speeds generated which will ensure both businesses and consumers benefit.

Machine learning is able to let developers teach computer programs the ability to recognise complex patterns such as feelings, sounds and objects. This trend is set to take off and really could be the one that affects the future of apps in the biggest way. It will enable apps to be created that can do things like provide users with financial advice and risk assessments on investments and even mean motion detection apps are possible that could be then used for the likes of surveillance systems.