Although the pandemic 2020 has had its toll on modern businesses, some industries have greatly benefited from it, and mobile applications are probably the brightest example of digital prosperity. In the epoch of social distancing, mobile usage has reached a whole new level. From conferencing and gaming to shopping and payment: now, more and more consumers are leaving most routine activities up to mobile apps.
As a result, the mobile development industry has rapidly succeeded, with 33 billion new apps downloaded, $28 billion in-app purchases made, and 180 billion hours spent on applications worldwide. According to the latest report from App Annie, the third quarter’s performance has turned out to be phenomenal in terms of year-by-year metrics, increasing consumer spending by 25% and app time usage by 20%.
Considering the game-changing numbers of the Q3, it’s no wonder why marketers are focusing on mobile advertising – the number of mobile applications is growing at lightspeed. For that reason, it’s worth having a deeper look at the way the mobile app market evolves and reaches new heights in the global market during the crisis.
Apart from sharing useful statistics and fresh mobile app trends, we’re going to show you the top 10 new applications that seem to make it in 2020.
How 2020 Has Changed Mobile App Development
This year has dramatically reshaped the world, and the digital world is no exception. As for mobile development, COVID-19 has brought many new standards, trends, and consumer behavior patterns, pushing the industry to change pretty fast. Now, let’s have a look at the major changes.
The Latest Trends In Mobile Applications
To survive in the competitive landscape of mobile applications, businesses and developers can’t do without cutting-edge technologies. Based on the predictions made by international thought-leaders and senior Ukrainian mobile app developers, we’ve highlighted the relevant trends for the 2020 mobile market.
- Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been gaining momentum for several years, becoming a powerful tool for marketing. From the app perspective, these technologies can help improve chatbots, empower real-time translation, and analyze customer behavior;
- Blockchain is expected to be a huge mobile development trend and will be incorporated into modern apps to provide better security;
- Augmented and Virtual reality (AR, VR) already play a crucial role in many existing mobile applications and will go on allowing brands to increase loyalty through product demos, interactive guides, and virtual showrooms. According to TechCrunch, “AR mobile technology could become the primary driver of a $108 billion VR/AR market”;
- Progressive web applications (PWA), or web apps that can be used without downloading, have shown fantastic performance, lowering development expenses and increasing conversions. Alibaba, for example, improved their conversion rate by 76% after launching a web app;
- Cross-platform mobile apps will go hand-in-hand with PWA, ensuring a seamless user experience that will be supported on various operating systems and software platforms. The point is, if a product is universally compatible with various OS, it’s easier to reach new customers;
- Internet of Things (IoT), which involves remote control of devices using a mobile application, is another example of advanced technology that will make consumers’ lives easier and smarter. All the devices are connected and controlled by the phone, who could ask for more?
New Consumer Behavior and Users’ Expectations
Another recent report from App Annie states that the new consumer behavior caused by COVID-19 is centered around deriving value from mobile services. Today, people use mobile applications not just to track their physical activity, play games, and scroll social media; they now download apps for remote education, at-home shopping, and family entertainment. In this way, the increased use and spend on apps have turned mobile into a significant revenue driver. As we mentioned before, the monthly time spent on mobile apps grew 25% compared to the last year’s Q3, which has certainly cultivated new users’ expectations that developers should consider.
- Since consumers want to stay informed these days, especially on the crisis and COVID-19, App Annie suggests businesses capitalize on finance and news apps;
- Education and business apps are expected to be in high demand, so working on flexible apps for remote work and engaging learning will be a safe bet toward Edtech’s success;
- The same report points out that shopping and food delivery apps will lead to the next e-commerce boom — during the pandemic, mobile shopping has beaten holiday shopping levels that would normally take 4-6 years;
- Mobile gaming continues to be popular with users, and now that mobile games are more accessible than ever, it gives marketers a great opportunity to maximize revenue on ad placement in gaming mobile applications.
The App Development Market: Then and Now
The ever-growing market of mobile applications is constantly changing and evolving, but this year’s change to the industry has been remarkable. Let’s walk through some of the previous years’ statistics to have a clear picture of the current switch to the era of mobile dominance.
- In 2012, mobile app revenue accounted for $53B in the global market. By 2016, that number grew to $63.7B;
- In 2017, mobile app developers implemented monetization models in gaming apps and in-app advertising in non-gaming apps. That, in turn, set a new trend designed to boost mobile transactions, according to a 2017’s Statista report;
- Business of Apps reports that in 2018, Google Play revenue reached $24.8B, while App Store surpassed it with $46.6B;
- In 2019, Sensor Tower’s data showed the total mobile applications’ revenue of $39.7B, which is a 15.4% increase since the previous year;
- In 2020, consumers have already spent over $50B in app stores, increasing worldwide downloads by 25%;
- Despite the pandemic, mobile ad placements have grown to 70% in 2020.
App Development in Ukraine
In the business environment, Ukraine is known as a creative center full of skilled and agile specialists. Offering great opportunities for outsourcing and an affordable yet powerful workforce, the country’s potential in app development is growing fast and establishing strong positions in the world arena.
Currently, there are more than 100 mobile app development companies, most of which are EU and US-based with a remote app development team in Ukraine.
The 10 Latest Mobile Applications: A Quick Overview
As told by TechCrunch, modern smartphone owners use 30 mobile applications per month. Moreover, 49% of users check their favorite apps more than 10 times a day, while 21% of Millenials open their apps more than 50 times a day. In other words, people love to discover apps these days, and here’s a list of the top applications that have been recently released and downloaded on App Store and Play Market.
HBO Max
HBO Max is a streaming service app with a great selection of iconic and popular TV shows and movies that users can enjoy and download right on their phones.
Watchworthy
Watchworthy is a free app designed to create customized TV recommendations based on user’s ratings.
Money Safe Win
Money Safe Win is a financial app allowing users to control their finances and calculate their expenses directly from the checks.
Available on Android
Fitness Coach
Fitness Coach is a well-designed fitness app with complete exercising programs that users can choose based on their goals.
Tech With Cat
Tech With Cat is a unique educational application with useful tech tips and tricks for easier use of common programs and tools.
Available on Android
Pokemon Smile
Pokemon Smile is an amazing AR app for kids that turns teeth brushing into a game with pokemon popping out.
How We Feel
How We Feel is one of the most useful mobile applications meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 by letting users keep track of their health state with quick daily health check-ins.
Anonymous Camera
Anonymous Camera is an app made with machine learning technologies to help users anonymize photos and videos to maintain privacy.
Available on IOS
Photoshop Camera
Photoshop Camera is a fresh app released by Adobe to help users quickly edit and enhance their pictures with various tools and filters.
Dolby On
Dolby On is a great application for YouTubers, bloggers, and musicians looking for quality and noise-free recording tools.
What to Expect from the Mobile Application Industry
At the very beginning of the pandemic, App Annie suggested that this year would have a long-lasting effect on the global market, and the same would go for consumer mobile behavior. Taking into consideration the fresh statistics of usage and money spent on mobile applications, as well as the increases in mobile trends, it’s safe to say that’s only the beginning.
As a Ukrainian remote R&D center specializing in hiring IT & development talents, DNA325 has successfully matched US companies with Ukrainian teams to help them produce amazing digital products. While this year has been a catastrophe for many small businesses, it offers loads of possibilities for growth with the rise of the mobile era. And this is where our expert team will come into play for your projects!
