Top 20+ Mobile App Development Trends for 2024

Mobile apps across most segments are expected to generate $613 billion in revenue by 2025. Global user spending in mobile apps on Apple’s App Store and Google Play will reach 186 billion U.S. dollars by 2027.

The astronomical rise in mobile app usage and increased mobile app launches has urged a demand for innovation to deliver incredible apps. Every year, new app development trends in the mobile app development industry are opening up new horizons for businesses to survive and thrive in the sea of apps. In this blog, we will throw light on the most prominent mobile app development trends that will reshape mobile app development in 2024.

Top Mobile App Development Trends to follow in 2024

Wearable Apps

Wearable apps are going to be one of the best mobile app development trends in 2024. According to GlobeNewswire, the wearable technology market is projected to grow close to USD 380.5 billion by 2028. The growth is likely to witness a wide use in enhanced health and fitness monitoring, improved productivity and convenience, and realistic entertainment and gaming through AR/VR. Wearable technology trends will also support personalization and customization for features, various styles, colors, and settings.

The latest wearable apps are getting more advanced and diverse. Some of the anticipated trends to look forward to are:

• Next-gen interfaces using voices, gestures, eye-tracking, and human-computer interaction to command wearable devices.
• Innovations in biometric wearables to measure body vitals like blood pressure or glucose level, stress levels, and emotional stress.
• Advancements in health and fitness wearables to customize feedback, training, and recommendations.
• Expansion of wearable applications into social networks, education, travel, and fashion.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

AI and ML are the most prominent technologies setting mobile app industry trends in 2024 and beyond. These technologies will further transform the way mobile apps are designed, developed, deployed, and offered to users.

Some of the benefits of using AI and ML in mobile app development are:

• Personalized UX: Mobile app development techniques will use AI and ML to analyze user behavior, choices, preferences, and responses to provide customized content. This way, a mobile application will provide better recommendations and features that are tailored to a specific user. Ultimately, it will enhance user loyalty and engagement by retaining them.
• Voice and chat interfaces: App industry trends shall also see a rise in AI and ML-powered voice and chat interactions with customers or users. This shall use NLP (natural language processing) and speech recognition. As a result, mobile apps will be more accessible, conversational, and convenient.
• Augmented reality: The future of mobile app development is using AI and ML to enhance digital products’ immersive and interactive properties to offer unique experiences for users. For example, computer vision and image processing enable the apps to superimpose digital information in the real world giving realistic flair to map navigation, games, educating content, and entertainment.

Cloud-based apps

Trends in app development could also include cloud-based apps that run on remote servers and are convenient to access from any internet-enabled device. One of the app industry trends that will dominate the cloud-based mobile app development market in 2024 is the blending of contemporary technologies like Artificial Intelligence and IoT. Such blended technologies will make mobile apps smarter, faster, and customized to specific user experiences.

IoT-powered apps on the cloud will connect with several gadgets, machines, sensors, and devices to collect and process real-time data. With these trending technologies, mobile app companies have already started offering remote control and monitoring capabilities on devices. Even further, ML-powered apps will be able to learn more accurately from data to improve their performance and functionality.

Another trend to influence cloud-based mobile app development is the adoption of cloud-native app development and cloud-based infrastructure. The designing and developing apps will be optimized for the cloud environment involving microservices, serverless services, and containers. Cloud-native technologies will also create portable applications with modularity scalability, and resilientness to run on any cloud platform.

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

Experts expect the latest mobile app trends to include PWAs. Known for their cost-effectiveness, quick loading, and seamless functioning across devices and platforms, PWAs will foresee a surge in their adoption as they engage users without the need for any software installation. Progressive web apps will offer even more advantages over native apps which will include reduced development and maintenance costs while performing supersonic with assured security.

In 2024, PWAs will have the benefits of modern features of the latest web browsers like service workers and web app manifests. Innovation in personalized push notifications will extend its service to offline functionality plus home screen icons and easy updates.

GPS-based features

GPS-based mobile app development is one of the most promising fields in mobility. With the emergence of 5G and its next generation internet speed, GPS-enabled features shall improve drastically, especially in the automobile industry, cargo tracking, tours and tourism, and on-demand food and medicine delivery application development. The future shall also see seamless cloud adaptability and VR-based apps rendering data management and user experience par excellence.

Immersive AR

Immersive AR, or augmented reality, is going to be one of the most popular and innovative trends in mobile app development in 2024. Immersive AR apps offer digital content in their real-world environment to enhance the perception and interaction with all surrounding things and entities. This technology shall trend in 2024, especially in industries such as entertainment, gaming, education, mCommerce, travel, and more.

The popular mobile app trends would acquire immersive AR apps to ensure a high potential of realism and performance. Mobile app developers shall use the latest technologies and tools like computer vision, 3D modeling, deep learning, spatial audio, haptic feedback, and advanced cloud computing. The immersive AR app trends will possess a high level of user interface design and usability testing to warrant that users can navigate and interact with apps with ease.

Predictive analysis (PA)

The future of mobile app development shall witness predictive analytics emerging in improving data processes, algorithms, and machine learning to trace and gain patterns and trends. Such usage will help enterprises make business predictions about future outcomes.

Prediction analysis shall also enhance user experiences by optimizing app performance and analyzing user behavior and preferences. Using feedback and context, predictive analytics will help deliver customized content, notifications, and suggestions to every individual separately. The future mobile app development trends shall witness predictive analysis implementation in advanced apps through tools and frameworks like Google Analytics, Firebase Predictions, Amazon Personalize, and TensorFlow. It will also leverage contemporary technologies like AI, NLP, CV, and AR, to create more immersive and collaborative app experiences for users.

Mobile Wallet and Mobile Payments

Fintech experts opine that mobile wallets and mobile payments are going to be two prominent trends in mobile app development to look forward to. According to Juniper Research, contactless mobile payments are likely to surpass the mark of 1 billion by 2024.

On the other hand, the research giant Statista reports that paying with NFC (swiping a credit/debit card or a smartphone on a card reader) is anticipated to grow three times in Europe between 2020 and 2024. The future trends of paying digitally will offer more convenience while maintaining security and flexibility to both customers and merchants.

Connected to this mobile app development trend in 2024 is the rise of eCommerce, banking/finance, and social commerce through buy now pay later schemes. The new technology trends in mobile apps shall also introduce biometric payments, crypto payments, and open banking.

Relevant Read: Top Features to add in your eWallet App

Chatbot mobile apps

Reaching a whopping milestone, chatbot market revenues will touch the mark of US $1.25 billion by 2025 according to Statista. The figures give a hint that chatbot mobile apps will be one of the most popular mobile app development trends in the coming years. Businesses shall depend on the tools that provide quick solutions to users’ or customers’ concerns. Chatbot app development using Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning techniques shall prevail in great growth in the market in 2024 and beyond; as a result, most enterprises worldwide will opt for virtual assistants in the future.

Mobile Commerce

Mobile commerce or mCommerce will emerge as another mobile app industry trend in 2024 due to the widespread adoption of advanced devices such as wearables, smartphones, and tablets. According to Statista, the share of mCommerce has been on a steady climb showcasing promising growth of 62% in 2027.

Here are some key drivers of mCommerce growth:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to learn user behavior, shopping patterns, and responses to deliver customized content. For example, Netflix AI suggests movies and shows as per the user’s choice.
• Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to craft engaging and interactive user experiences. For example, IKEA Place uses Augmented Reality to let customers virtually place pieces of furniture in their rooms before purchasing them.

On-Demand Apps

Quick delivery and quick response to any queries and concerns will be the top priority of any organization, company, or enterprise. That said, on-demand apps will be one of the mobile app development trends of the future. With changing shopping habits and an increase in busy schedules, urban dwellers will opt for on-demand applications that will make young entrepreneurs opt for mobile app businesses related to on-demand applications of all kinds.

The niche segments of on-demand apps shall continue for groceries and food delivery. The rise of 10-minute delivery apps will also top the list of trends in 2024 and beyond. The apps shall also attract other businesses and industry verticals such as healthcare, laboratory testing, furniture, home loans, banking, movie tickets, and other sales and services to be ordered through handheld devices.

On-demand app development – A complete guide

Touchless UI

UI/UX designing has been the backbone of any mobile application, touchless UI shall develop as one of the top app industry trends. The touchless UI shall focus on enhanced security and convenience for users while maintaining the ability to interact with users without any touch. The trend will witness mobile app interactions using gestures, voice commands, or eye tracking for what reducing the requirement for biometric authentication. Touchless UI will also help enterprises keep phishing and spoofing at bay. Touchless UI will also improve UX, especially for the disabled or in cases where not touching the screen is preferred to keep hygiene.

Some examples of touchless UI in mobile apps that may improve further are:

• Snapchat: facial recognition and camera-centric technology for creating lenses and filters responding to users’ expressions and movements.
• Google Assistant: users can control their phones and access ample services through voice commands.
• EyeSight: a software development kit using which developers deploy eye tracking and gesture recognition to customize apps.

Dark mode and gradients

Offering unique and customized experiences to users has been the center of any digital product. Dark mode and gradients are two popular design trends for mobile apps. Most of the renowned applications such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and X have adopted a dark mode feature that allows users to change the app’s background color from light to dark. Most UI design practices for mobile app development in the future shall have these two modes to reduce eye strain and increase battery life.

On the other hand, trends of mobile app development in 2024 shall also see a rise in using gradients, the smooth transitions between two or more shades to create a dynamic and vibrant look for the UI. Mobile application development trends in 2024 may also see the combination of these two to create a stunning and elegant app. This brings a more subdued and minimalist style that appeals to all users. For example, an app with dark mode blended with gradients can highlight essential UI components like buttons, icons, and texts.

Camera-focused mobile apps

A camera-focused mobile app is a trend that may not draw attention today but will get significant traction in the next year. Such applications will be in demand due to their capability to capture, edit, and share high-quality graphic content with several features and filters. Camera-focused apps trend will facilitate several features not only for entertainment and social media, but also for educational, corporate affairs, and healthcare. These apps use cameras to measure objects, scan documents, translate texts, or diagnose health ailments. Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok are some of the popular camera-focused apps.

Audio-focused social media platforms

In 2024, one of the latest trends in mobile app development will be the emergence of new audio-focused social media platforms. Users can use these platforms to generate and share short audio clips and podcasts such as live conversations and music. Unlike traditional text-based or video-based social media, audio-focused platforms will be more in demand because of its intimate, authentic, and engaging communication. Users will be able to express themselves, personalities, and emotions through voices and speeches. In the future, this technology is more likely to advance in features and facilities such as –

• Advanced technology for people with visual or literacy challenges. Also, for those who prefer to access content while multitasking.
• Audio-focused interactive and collaborative apps that allow users to join live audio rooms by participating in debates/discussions and asking questions or giving feedback.
• Advanced features to explore various genres and formats through audio content. Also, to create their own original music.

Fully-functional smartwatch apps

Wearable devices such as smartwatches have gained immense popularity in the past few years. The future of mobile app development shall see significant adoption of fully functional smartwatch apps. These apps will have more capabilities to provide users with a seamless and convenient experience on their wrists. The trend shall see more health and fitness apps to monitor heart rate, calorie intake, jogging steps, sleeping hours, and more syncing with smart gadgets for detailed analysis and feedback.

P2P Mobile App

Accelerating mobile app usage and eCommerce services are fueling up the P2P market growth as higher accessibility and convenience has become the top preference of users. That’s P2P mobile app has become a mobile app trend that allows the user to make payments from a bank account to another person’s bank account or outside the bank.

It led to unmatched growth in the P2P Payments Market Size that is projected to reach $8.07 Trillion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 17.53%.

The use cases of mobile P2P payment are spreading across various industries such as social media platforms with payment features, mobile wallets like- Apple Pay or Google Pay (GPay), cryptocurrency wallets, and more. The quick, easy, and secure payment makes the apps popular.

5G Technology Apps

5G technology is going to prove to be a game changer in the coming days. 5G owes its popularity not only to the fact that 5G is 100 times faster than 4G but also that 5G technology provides increased bandwidth, enhanced capacity and low latency.

According to an estimate, by 2025 around 4 out of 10 internet connections in Europe will be 5G connections. 5G provides the infrastructure to take the next technological leap for humanity.

The emergence of 5G substantially expands the possibilities of AR, VR, and IoT integration as it enables fast processing of large amounts of data. The 5G technology will also revolutionize video streaming as it supports real-time, high-resolution video streaming.

The global 5G technology market is expected to reach $668 billion by 2026. The huge opportunity in 5G technology is going to create an even bigger opportunity for 5G mobile app developers.

Looking at the phenomenal growth prospects of the 5G technology, we can surely say that 5G is going to be one of the hot trends in mobile app development in 2024.

Super-apps

It’s estimated that smartphone users all over the world will download around 200+ billion apps by the end of 2024. One major contributor to so many app downloads is the fact that smartphone users will have to download a separate app to avail of a particular service or function. The more services the users want to use, the more apps they would need to install. The more apps the users install, the slower their phone becomes, prompting them to uninstall certain apps. A super app solves this issue, as a super app is an integrated ecosystem made of dedicated services called mini apps. Benefits like convenience, a uniform user experience and phone memory storage savings tilt the users towards super apps. Mentioned below are some of the most successful super apps in the mobile applications market today.

• Paytm
• Careem
• Line
• Gojek
• WeChat

According to estimates, the size of the super app market will be around $23 billion by 2025. This multibillion-dollar market will provide a plethora of opportunities to app developers and super apps are going to be one of the hot mobile app trends in 2024.

Instant apps

With users’ mobile memory usage already occupied with essential apps, it deters them from downloading large-sized apps. Besides, updating the app appears hassle to the users. The solution to this problem brought to the table by Google in the latest I/O developer conference is the Android instant app.

Instant apps are developed and render experiences similar to mobile apps but they facilitate users to download only a portion of the application, which is required and the rest of the content is accessed through a URL. It helps in saving a lot of space on mobile devices. To date, around 50 instant apps are built and launched on the Google play store. Also, the developers can transform the existing native applications into instant apps. This is rewarding for businesses that struggle to make users download the app due to its heavy size, they should consider this application development trend.

Neumorphism

Neumorphism happens to be a top design trend in the current scenario. Neumorphic elements add a 3D feel for real buttons, which the users can reach out and press. All of that is achieved by a visual representation with icons. Neumorphism not only enhances the beauty of the app, but it also improves the interaction between the users and the app.

One of the biggest advantages of a neumorphic design is that the design is highly suitable for interfaces with small buttons. The exciting potential of neumorphism as a design concept tempts us to think that neumorphism will be one of the most trending technologies to build a successful mobile app in 2024.

AR and VR

Pokemon Go was the game that brought AR(Augmented Reality) and VR(Virtual Reality) into the limelight. When people first became aware of AR and VR, they thought that these latest technologies in mobile application development would be limited only to gaming and the tourism sector, which happen to be more visual-centric sectors.

AR and VR have proven this wrong and have evolved into a technology that is used in a wide range of industries like Automobile, Medical imaging, Aeroplane training and education to name a few. According to Golman Sachs, the market for Augmented Reality will touch the $80 billion mark by 2025.

The advancements in mobile processor and sensor technology will give a boost to AR and VR. One can expect AR and VR mobile app development to be one of the major app development trends in 2024.

Blockchain-enabled apps

Blockchain app development happens to be one of the latest app trends in the tech world. This technology is behind the popular cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Blockchain technology is one of the most fool-proof ways to secure data, whether it is a transaction record or a document. Blockchain technology removes the issues of trust in transactions as it is practically impossible to alter the records of transactions in a blockchain.

The application of blockchain is not limited to cryptocurrency and many industries like agriculture, logistics, banking, real estate and medicine are exploring the opportunities in blockchain technology.

The market opportunity for blockchain technology will reach around $67 billion by 2026 and blockchain app development will emerge as one of the hottest application development trends in 2024.

Internet of Things

The IoT(Internet of Things) is a technology that describes a network of devices connected to the Internet. This network of devices provides automated control and convenience to consumers. The rising mobile penetration across a broad set of sectors has created a bunch of opportunities for the Internet of Things (IoT) technology.

At present, engineers use the IoT technology to design smart home systems. With the help of IoT, users can use mobile apps to operate various devices like music systems, air conditioners, and thermostats.

The IoT market is expected to become a $1.4 trillion market by 2027. Looking at the potential of IoT, we can safely say that IoT app development is going to be a robust mobile app development trend in 2024.

Apps for foldable devices

Foldable smartphones are selling like hotcakes and many smartphone manufacturers like Huawei, Samsung, Xiaomi, and Motorola provide foldable smartphones to consumers. With the rising popularity of foldable devices, app development for foldable devices is going to be a high-growth area in the near future. The app developers will need to consider the following factors when they build the apps for foldable devices

• Resizability
• Multi-window ability
• Multiple screen support
• Continuity and aspect ratio

The foldable devices market is expected to grow at a pace of 48% CAGR in the period of 2020-2025. Foldable smartphones will take the smartphone experience to a whole new level and foldable app development will be one of the major technology trends in 2024.

Which mobile app development trends you should follow?

Presently, getting the right app built with the right mix of ingredients, technology, and people enables businesses to boost brand awareness, generate high sales, and earn optimal ROI. It’s feasible only when businesses get built a mobile app while staying on top of the mobile trends.

Taking a step ahead, in 2024 we will witness a renewed push from businesses to provide more personalized experiences with the combination of trending technologies. When you come up with a novel idea, perform the necessary research and then proceed to establish your business authority by building an app, that’s packed with the latest trends.

Now, based on your initial research if you are unsure of which way to proceed, let us help you connect with the top mobile app developers based on your business requirements. These mobile app technology experts are not only well-versed with consulting and development skills but also know which latest trends in mobile app development can bring maximum advantage to your business in 2024.