5G, blockchain and IoT: main trends in mobile development 2020

The mobile application industry has been part of the IT market for several years now, demonstrating strong and constant growth, having a significant impact on the business environment as a whole. Thanks to the proliferation of mobile applications, new business models are emerging, and companies that wisely use the capabilities of mobile technologies are thriving and can look to the future with greater optimism. All these words are confirmed by numbers. According to Statista , this year the total global mobile application market will reach $582 billion. While by 2023 this figure will grow to more than $935 billion. What do these figures tell ordinary programmers? That over the next few years, at least, the demand for mobile developers will grow , which means (probably) their salaries will increase. Well, for those who do not speak Java, these numbers should also indicate that it is time to learn this language, because, as we know, it is used everywhere in mobile development. But let’s return to mobile development in general. Like the entire IT sector, mobile development does not stand still and is rapidly evolving under the influence of the market, new technologies and innovations. Even in the last couple of years, mobile development has changed significantly with the introduction of technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). And in 2020, this industry should transform even more thanks to new technologies and the influence of external factors such as the coronavirus epidemic: it has already led to an explosive growth in the popularity of a number of mobile niches such as delivery applications. Therefore, in this article we will talk about the latest trends in the development of mobile applications and what knowledge in which areas should be acquired now in order to remain in demand as a programmer in mobile development in the coming years.

Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things is spreading across the market by leaps and bounds, and experts predict that 2020 will be the beginning of the widespread integration of IoT capabilities into mobile applications. If it seems to someone that IoT is still a conditional trend of the near future, like autonomous cars, for example, this is not so. In 2019, total sales of IoT devices worldwide exceeded $1.7 billion. This year, the total number of such devices is expected to exceed 20 billion. Of course, the capabilities and functionality of the Internet of Things are often directly related to mobile applications, since it is through them that users control various devices, from coffee makers to smart homes, at a distance. And in 2020, we expect not only a rapid growth in the number of applications that support the management of IoT devices, but also an update of existing solutions that will change and improve under the pressure of growing user demand and intense competition. Many large manufacturers of IT devices and household appliances have already relied on IoT technologies in their product lines, which means that the development of mobile IoT applications will inevitably be a trend in the coming years. By the way, we wrote about how Java is used in the development of Internet of Things solutions in a separate article. Java and the Internet of Things. How to become a successful IoT developer? Below are a few emerging, powerful, and promising IoT platforms that you should start exploring if you want to delve deeper into mobile IoT development.

• Ubidots

  Ubidots is an IoT solution development platform that allows programmers and system integrators to create IoT applications that can process sensor data from IoT devices, turning it into useful information.

• Xively

  Xively is an enterprise IoT platform for building and managing solutions that extract valuable information from connected devices. Simply put, this platform offers product companies the ability to create IoT applications with various functionalities.

• Thingworx

  ThingWorx is another fairly powerful set of tools and technologies for the rapid development and implementation of IoT applications and augmented reality solutions.

Blockchain

Blockchain as a technology continues to be a trend that goes beyond cryptocurrencies and is rapidly penetrating various areas of the IT market, including mobile applications. Already, many startups and businesses are using solutions based on blockchain technologies, but this is just the beginning. According to the research company Gartner, by 2025, business income from the use of blockchain technologies will reach approximately $200 million, while in 2027 the volume of this market will exceed $1 billion, and by 2030 will exceed $3 billion. Of course, modern blockchain -development is not complete without the use of Java code. And of course, we already have a separate article about this: Java and blockchain. Will there be a place for Java code in the technology of the future? Let us note several trends in mobile development using blockchain technologies that will be relevant in the near future.

• Blockchain technologies in the Internet of Things

  It is no coincidence that in our material, blockchain comes immediately after the Internet of Things (IoT) - these two are well suited to each other. The use of blockchain in IoT applications can improve their performance by speeding up transaction processing, reducing risk and reducing development costs.

  In particular, the implementation of the so-called Ricardian digital contract is most often associated with the implementation of blockchain in IoT development. This is the concept of a legal contract, which was introduced in 1995 by programmer Ian Grigg, and today it is part of blockchain technology. The Ricardian contract allows for the implementation of a unique legal agreement, cryptographically signed and approved by all parties, that will be readable by both people and computer programs or devices (for example, Internet of Things devices).

• Blockchain as a service (BaaS)

  Another trend emerging right now for the use of blockchain in the mobile sector is BaaS or blockchain as a service. Essentially, BaaS allows mobile app developers to connect their developments to a remote, blockchain-based cloud backend.

• Cryptocurrency trading

  Cryptocurrency trading is another niche application of blockchain, which is now actively developing on mobile devices. Existing and new platforms strive to provide mobile users with the most convenient and fastest solutions, and therefore do not spare money on mobile development.

5G technology

5G, the new next-generation wireless standard, is by far one of the most important trends in mobile development in 2020. It is expected that by 2025 there will be more than 1.4 billion mobile devices in the world operating on 5G networks (about 15% of the total). And the introduction of 5G networks will bring more than $12 trillion into the global economy by 2035. 5G networks offer huge opportunities for mobile applications, providing speeds up to 100 times faster than 4G, improved data security and support for new technologies such as 3D games and augmented reality. All this will allow application developers to expand the functionality of their products in different ways. Here are just a few areas of mobile development that will evolve rapidly as 5G rolls out and that will therefore require skilled developers.

• IoT, virtual and augmented reality

  Integrating IoT devices into applications, as well as virtual reality and augmented reality, opens up countless new possibilities. Analysts also predict that their proper implementation will increase application revenue and the average time that users spend on the application.

• The next generation of personalized chatbots

  Chatbots as a technology are constantly progressing, but it is expected that with the advent of 5G they will be able to reach a new level. All thanks to the active use of AI technologies, big data and the Internet of things in chatbots. This will allow users to receive logical and adequate responses from chatbots with useful information in real time.

• Different versions of mobile applications

  Another relevant specialization as 5G is introduced should be the creation of different versions of mobile applications that will be adapted both for 5G-compatible devices and for older smartphone models operating on 4G networks and previous generations.

Instant Apps

Instant mobile applications are gaining popularity very quickly. A number of companies in different industries are already using them, reporting positive results. Therefore, it is expected that in 2020, many businesses will focus on creating instant mobile applications. Instant are mobile applications that do not need to be installed on your mobile device to use them. Otherwise, they are no different from standard mobile applications. Instant applications give users quick access to limited (compared to the full version) functionality, and thanks to this they solve several important problems at once: they significantly improve the likelihood of the user performing a target action (be it a purchase, subscription, or leaving a request for communication) and at the same time require minimal resources for launching (can work quickly even on low-power and outdated devices). Many companies have already reported good results when using instant applications. Thus, Hollar and NYTimes noted that this technology allowed them to increase the conversion of mobile users into targeted actions by 20% and 27%, respectively. Mobile game developers such as King and Hothead Games are also pleased with the launch of instant apps. This technology is also used by the portals Skyscanner, Buzzfeed and Onefootball.

Wearable devices

Wearable devices are becoming more common around the world. Now these are mainly fitness trackers and fitness bracelets, smart watches and smart rings, but in the near future the variety of such devices will only grow. According to Statista, the total wearables market has already exceeded $33 billion last year. Naturally, mobile apps and other wearable technologies are also evolving rapidly. Wearable device support is being added to more and more applications on the market. Those who want to get into mobile development for wearable devices can start by studying the main platforms. So, Android uses the WearOS system , while Apple, with its Apple Watch smart watch, uses the WatchOS platform . But, at the same time, the trend in the wearable devices segment will be to reduce the dependence of such devices on integration with a smartphone and increase their autonomy. In addition, analysts expect that the popularity of fitness trackers and various devices designed to measure health indicators will grow.

We do not say goodbye

This is not all the mobile development trends that are relevant in 2020. In the second part of this material, we will talk about the use of artificial intelligence technologies, APM and EMM, virtual and augmented reality, and other interesting technologies in the mobile sphere, the study of which makes sense for a programmer who wants to realize himself in the mobile development segment.