January 3 2023

Top 15 Mobile App Trends for 2023

The mobile app economy will turn 16 in 2023, yet it is already a critical contributor to the global economy, saving companies money and time and helping customers access services more conveniently.

It is amazing how impactful mobile apps have been to the corporate and commercial world. Businesses and organizations now must consider developing apps to gain an edge over the competition and to grow their revenue. However, while there are countless app developers and development companies, only a handful can really deliver robust, well-designed, and functional apps cost-effectively.

Another noteworthy point is that as the mobile app space evolves and new trends emerge, new trends grow in popularity and gain widespread adoption based on how well they redefine monetization or meet user expectations.

We can already anticipate the hottest trends that will redefine the mobile app market in 2023. Here are the top 15 mobile app trends we should expect more of in the new year.

1. AI

Artificial Intelligence plays a central role in app development, often providing a broad scope of use cases in the development space. Forward-looking developers are already using AI to personalize the user experience with relevant recommendations and improve the security and privacy features of the apps they build.

In 2023, AI we can expect AI to play a greater role in improving app analytics and data forecasts. Better algorithms will mean improved optimizations and, ultimately, better decisions for the users.

For the developers, AI will remain a key driver of newer technologies, simplifying automation and helping them bring new app features to the market.

2. Bots

You have probably heard of the ‘ChatGPT effect’ where a chatbot developed by OpenAI took the world by storm by demonstrating superior bot knowledge and capabilities. This was a clear sign that bots have come of age and will now be more common everywhere and implemented anywhere, including on mobile apps. According to Statista, the chatbot sector is expected to generate about $137.6 million in revenue in 2023, up from $106.6 million in 2022. More businesses will invest in chatbots to provide personalized customer support, contextual app and web content, lead generation, and visitor nurturing.

3. 5G

The 5th generation of mobile connectivity standard is already here, but just like its predecessor 4G, it is taking a bit of time for users and developers to catch on. What we already know, though, is that 5G delivers off-the-charts gigabits data speeds with ultra-low latency, is more reliable, and has a massive network capacity. Besides, it is also more available than 4G and provides a more reliable experience to more concurrent users.

For app developers, building apps for 5G networks means greater flexibility to maximize app functionality and include new bandwidth-intensive features such as virtual reality and immersive augmented reality. Companies and businesses may also make app feature requests that would have seemed outrageous in 2022 – such as live streaming and real-time cloud capabilities.

4. Instant Apps and Progressive Web Apps

The line between installable on-device apps and web pages is growing thinner by the day. If you use Android apps, you have probably had the chance to ‘try an app instantly’ without downloading, right on the Playstore app. This is an excellent example of the early implementation of the next generation of mobile apps that are a hybrid of web apps and traditional apps.

As device speeds get faster, bandwidths expand, and device storage becomes bigger and faster, users will expect more web and instant apps. These apps will have almost as much functionality and features as the standard apps, but with the benefit of allowing users to use them on the go without actually downloading the whole app.

5. VR and AR

Facebook, the global leader in social networking, is doubling down on its investment in Metaverse, a virtual reality space it expects to be the future of humanity. They do so because they have so much faith in VR technologies and look forward to them transforming all aspects of our daily lives – from work and gaming to travel and live-streaming mobile apps.

2023 may be the magic year when mobile app VR finally goes mainstream. VR and AR technologies have come a long way, but with the 5G technologies, better AI, and the newest graphics technologies, developers are finally able to create virtual and artificial reality experiences that users can enjoy right from their devices.

6. Edge Computing

Edge computing refers to a technology that aims to process data closer to the user or where the data is generated. For instance, rather than having a device collect data and send it to the cloud for processing and then transmit the results back, the device that collects it can just process it then and there. This technology enables faster data processing and processing of greater volumes of data, which helps produce action-led results in real time.

According to Meticulous Research, mobile edge computing is the next big thing in this space, as devices are now faster and equipped with more and accurate sensors. The research found that the mobile edge computing market will reach a whopping $2.8 billion by 2027 as enterprises invest in the technology to deliver superior quality experiences to their customers.

7. Mobile Apps for Wearables

Two of the key driving factors for wearable technologies are the increased digitization of the economy and the miniaturization of electronic devices. For a couple of years, the popularity of smartwatches, health trackers, and fitness bands has skyrocketed. In 2021, according to precedentresearch.com the wearable devices market value exceeded $121.7 billion and is projected to exceed $392.4 billion by 2030.

The year 2023 will be the most defining for the apps that power wearable devices. More mobile apps will be designed with wearables factored into account. Users expect to have apps on their smartphones and a companion app on their wrists primarily for convenience and flexibility of use.

8. Cross-Platform App Development

As businesses and organizations aim to cast their net as wide as possible, the best approach is to build apps that provide similar experiences and functionality without hiring multiple developers. Companies such as Alibaba, BMW, Instagram, and Walmart have already switched to using cross-platform platforms for their apps.

Cross-platform development platforms will grow more popular in 2023 for three main reasons. First, developing cross-platform apps on a single platform is cost-efficient. It also provides a uniform experience for users across multiple devices. Lastly, it saves developers time in building and debugging apps.

9. Low-Code App Development

As the name hints, low-code is an app development approach that requires little to no coding ability to build a functional mobile app. Instead, developers use ready-made templates on a development framework to drag and drop features or use simple APIs to create apps.

The core benefits of low-code app development frameworks are that they set the developers free to focus on creativity and UX design implementation, increase productivity, and ship apps to market faster.

Low-code app development has evolved over the years and may peak in 2023, perhaps before the process is left entirely to AI. Low-code development frameworks save developers time and money and make it possible for people with little to no programming skills to build and deploy apps more easily.

10. Accelerated Mobile Pages

Accelerated Mobile Pages, or AMPs, was a joint project by Google and Twitter in 2016. It aimed to reduce the page load time of web pages and boost search engine rankings of better-optimized pages to enhance user experience. While this project launched with lots of controversy and confusion, it is still in progress and currently plays a key role in elevating the user-first format for web content.

AMPs will be more relevant in 2023 than ever. According to Statista, in 2022, about 59.6% of website traffic came from mobile devices, with 92.1% of internet users using mobile phones to access the internet. This is proof that mobile app development will have to invest more in ensuring that web pages load faster on mobile browsers and mobile apps. Web developers will also have to play their part in optimizing their websites for mobile devices to rank better in search results.

11. Beacon Technology

Apple introduced Beacon technology in 2013 to enable small devices to broadcast low-energy Bluetooth and Ultrasound signals that close-by devices could use. The technology has evolved significantly since it launched. According to the Digital Journal, the market for this technology is expected to reach $627.4 million by 2028 as more companies and developers embrace it.

Beacon technology gets better as devices get smarter and more people walk around with devices equipped with powerful always-on sensors. Presently, brands, advertisers, retailers, and research companies use this technology to optimize their AI and send push notifications to customers.

12. Personalized Smart Hubs

Smartphones and wearable devices will become the new personal smart hubs in 2023. The hardware of these devices is already more than capable of serving as dashboards to the user’s day-to-day life. However, the software has been slow to catch on.

AI is already at the center stage in mobile app development. We can expect developers to implement faster and more reliable APIs that empower smartphones, smart TVs, and wearable devices to become connection points for other IoT and smart devices. This will make them the personal smart hubs for home automation, network controls, smart driving guides, and entertainment hubs, among others.

13. On-Demand Apps

The term ‘on-demand apps’ refers to third-party service platforms that serve as a link to connect customers with agents or companies that provide the service they need. Instacart, Uber, Grubhub, and Netflix are good examples of on-demand service apps.

While there are countless on-demand apps on the market, we can expect to have more of them in 2023, a majority venturing into new and unexplored markets and implementing newer technologies to provide better, faster, and cheaper services. After all, developers are constantly thinking of ways to make users’ lives easier and to cut the costs of service providers.

14. mCommerce

mCommerce, or mobile commerce, is buying and selling goods and services using mobile devices such as smartphones. According to eMarketer, in 2022, about 6.9% of all retail transactions were conducted via a mobile device. In 2023, it is expected that the share of these mCommerce transactions will rise to 8% and exceed 10% by 2025.

mCommerce is building on the momentum of the 2020 pandemic that saw a big bump in the number of transactions processed via shopping apps. The rising number of people using mobile apps and the ever-increasing number and variety of shopping apps and mobile payments will drive the value of the mCommerce marketplace to over $728 billion or about 44.2% of all eCommerce transactions in the United States by 2023, according to research data.

15. Predictive Analytics

Businesses and advertisers commonly use predictive analytics to provide personalized recommendations and services to their customers. In 2022, businesses used predictive analytics to determine customer responses and purchases and to promote cross-selling opportunities with great accuracy.

As predictive and behavior analysis tools evolve, app developers will implement them to provide even more personalized user experiences. In 2023, we can expect more companies to rely on predictive models in their apps to improve operations, grow and retain profitable customers, and determine in advance what products will sell best based on future conditions.

Conclusion

There are currently over 2.87 million apps on the Google Play Store and over 1.6 million on the Apple App Store. If you wish to develop an app in 2023, you need to ensure that yours stands out from the rest. So how should you implement one or more of these trends seamlessly and without breaking the bank and realize positive ROI?

The solution is to hire a full-service app partner instead of an expensive development team or agency, making Bryj the superior option if you are ready to build your app in weeks, not months, in 2023.

Here are the benefits you’ll enjoy by using the Bryj platform.

Full service, low/no code, rapid app development solutions
Ongoing support, maintenance, upgrades and app store publishing
Proven enterprise scale, connectivity, and security