In 2023, What is the Latest Trend in Mobile Application Development

The mobile application development industry is transforming and evolving as it adopts new trends and technologies for better working. In the year 2022, the market for mobile applications was worth $206.85 billion.

The value of the market is expected to increase significantly due to the evolution of trends among other factors. The evolution of mobile applications can be seen in the tech stacks used to develop apps, application designs, app functionality, etc.

Over the years, it has become pretty evident that the different trends in mobile application development offer significant positive impacts to the end users. In the year 2023, there are a couple of new trends and android hacks that have gained global adoption in the application development industry. 

This article highlights some of the latest mobile app development trends in 2023.

• App Optimization for Foldable Phones

Foldable phones have been making a comeback in the mobile market slowly but surely since the year 2019. Since the debut of the first remarkable android foldable, Galaxy Fold, companies have been working on improving the reliability of foldable devices. 

The advent of foldable phones brought about a lot of fear about their practicality and reliability. But, most of the smartphone companies that develop foldable phones have spent significant amounts of money doing research and development on improving the devices.

The clients who purchased the initial versions of various foldable devices encountered many drawbacks. One common complaint among those initial adopters of foldable devices was the fact that applications were not optimized for use on foldable devices. 

After several iterations, foldable phones have finally reached a point whereby the hardware quality is good. The quality is good enough to be widely adopted by people other than tech enthusiasts and early adopters. With the concerns about hardware quality handled, app developers have now seen the increased interest in foldable devices and have now started optimizing apps for foldable screens.

The previous lack of app optimization for foldable phones ruined the experience for users. For most mobile applications, the apps’ UI was just expanded to fill the huge screens. This caused an overall bad aesthetic as the aspect ratios of components were affected. 

In 2023, more app developers have optimized applications for use on foldable devices. An example of optimization is YouTube, which allows the user to place their phone at a 90-degree angle like a laptop. When using it in such a layout, the video plays on the top screen, and the bottom screen shows the video comments. 

• IoT Integration

The 21st century has been characterized by the rampant adoption and incorporation of the internet into numerous devices. This is what has brought up the phenomenon named the Internet of Things. 

Over the years, mobile application developers have made significant strides in trying to incorporate IoT devices. This however was limited by ecosystems and limited interoperability between devices from different manufacturers.

However, the development of the matter protocol has impacted mobile app development in 2023. With matter, mobile applications will allow functionality with various IoT devices. Devices that have embraced IoT to improve their functionality include thermostats, home security systems, doorbells, automated curtain openers, etc. The incorporation of IoT technologies into these devices has enabled the development of smart homes.

People use their smartphones to run smart homes. The matter protocol will help mobile app developers to offer users the ability to link more IoT devices to smart home setups. Larger household appliances are also expected to feature as part of the matter protocol to enable connectivity to mobile phones. 

• Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

AI and machine learning are not new. AI and machine learning have been a hot topic and trend in mobile app development for a couple of years. The technologies help developers improve the functionality of their apps and offer better relevance to the users.

AI and machine learning are also the fundamental building blocks behind common mobile assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, Bixby, etc. While mobile assistants have gotten numerous improvements over the years, the advancements in AI and ML will offer even more improvements. 

In the year 2022, Apple announced the release of Core ML version 3. This is a framework that is meant to help mobile app developers to embed and incorporate AI and machine learning technology into their applications. We are yet to see the peak use cases of AI and machine learning as part of mobile applications.  

• Wearable Technology

Wearable devices have been a thing for quite a while. However, they have not yet been widely embraced by a majority of the population due to slow app development. Mobile app developers have held back from developing applications to work with wearable devices due to the low number of users.

However, the current rise in the popularity of wearable devices has caused developers to take up a trend of developing mobile applications that include support for wearable devices.

Wearable devices offer a lot of convenience to the lives of people. The devices come in handy when navigating the streets, working out in the gym, etc. The capabilities of wearable devices are going to get broadened as app developers now work on offering wearable device support for their apps.

Conclusion

AI and machine learning are bound to be a showstopper in mobile applications in 2023. Their benefits coupled with the integration of IoT devices, and apps that are optimized for foldable phones will greatly improve the user experience in mobile applications. 

The increased focus on wearable technologies will help users get more use of their wearable gadgets while enjoying seamless communication and integration with mobile applications. 

Developers and businesses looking to gain the most benefits from their apps in 2023 ought to embrace these mobile app development trends. Staying up to date with development trends will help the apps gain recognition and wide adoption quickly. 

Due to the rapid evolution in the tech industry, it is vital to stay updated on development trends. New technological innovations and trends can crop up within the year. In such cases, developers have to incorporate these new trends to ensure their apps stay on top of the charts.