Mobile app developers have their work cut out for them as they try to formulate new app designs to cope with the growing demand for sophisticated mobile services. As more and more users shift to mobile platforms, new technologies in smart design have made the mobile platform a powerful digital tool. 

Here are five technology trends that are changing app development techniques in various fields. 

1. Accelerated mobile pages

Since Google announced Mobile First Indexing, a search algorithm to feature more mobile-friendly web pages on mobile platforms, developers have had to adjust their web apps to keep up with SEO rankings. Google introduced the Accelerated mobile pages project in 2015 as a way to make web pages mobile-friendly(Heat Exchanger). Since then, many collaborators have joined the cause, and it has seen impressive results.

2. Artificial intelligence and machine learning

Mobile apps and indeed software products are becoming more intelligent as developers embed them with AI-powered engines and machine learning capabilities. This has seen a rise in smart applications that are providing businesses and other users with powerful computing tools.

3. Cloud-based services

Mobile users have not been left behind in cloud integration. Research by Cisco shows that cloud apps could account for about 90% of the total mobile traffic by the end of 2019. Several cloud platforms including SaaS vendors offer mobile outlets to interact with their clients through web-based apps. The outcome of cloud integration is the development of high-performance apps with convenient accessibility.

4. Wearable devices

We have already seen some amazing smart wearable gadgets from leading smartphone manufacturers in the past few years. The wearables market is growing as manufacturers successfully miniaturise handheld devices into watch-sized gadgets. This creates an entirely new niche for app developers. However, wearable tech is relatively new, and design standards are currently quite vague. Nevertheless, developers are working hard to build useful apps for wearable devices, or at least scaled-down versions of mobile apps as placeholders. Wearable apps are still in their infancy, but even so, we expect to see some great innovations soon.

5. M-commerce

Mobile payments are the most favoured mode of payment for purchases on mobile apps. E-commerce apps now have to be developed with secure transaction features accommodating all the different digital currencies acceptable as payment, including digital wallets and crypto coins. Commercial apps have to use the phone’s security features, like the fingerprint scanner, to authenticate user’s transactions, instead of requesting bulky credentials with every transaction.