The Three Emerging Technologies You Need for Mobile App Development

Artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality are the three emerging technologies you need for Mobile App Development

Key takeaways:

• Artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality are driving innovation in business, entertainment, health care, and more.
• They each have challenges, however, from bandwidth to processing power.
• Hundreds of apps use these technologies so leveraging developers who know them is very profitable.

Mobile apps came onto the scene over a quarter of a century ago, and since then, they have evolved significantly into an enormous industry. In 2022, the global mobile app market was valued at $206.85 billion and is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.8% from 2023 to 2030.

Apps today touch all areas of our lives, including health and wellness, social media, retail, music and entertainment, gaming, and countless others.Below are three current technological innovations and their functions in mobile app development:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) – AI uses algorithms to model the decision-making and problem-solving skills of the human brain.
• Augmented reality (AR) – AR for digital, visual, and audio cues provides an enhanced version of the physical world.
• Virtual reality (VR) – VR for computer simulations and modeling allows people to interact with artificial 3-D surroundings, usually through interactive devices such as headsets, goggles, gloves, and even full bodysuits.

Below, we’ll dive deeper into how these technologies are transforming mobile app development in the U.S. and how they can best serve your business.

Artificial Intelligence

AI has dramatically enhanced the possibilities of what a mobile app can do for a business. Along with machine learning, it deepens the customer experience by recognizing purchase and use habits and increasing the amount users engage with an app. Access to 24/7 support is readily available with AI.

Here are a handful of the many features AI brings to mobile apps:

• Chatbots. Modern chatbots use a tool called natural language understanding (NLU) to learn about and react to what a user needs. Every user interaction helps the chatbot deepen its ability to accurately react to questions and responses. Unlike human support staff, a chatbot is available around the clock.
  
• Predictive analytics. Whenever Amazon recommends a similar backpack to one you bought or Netflix suggests you watch yet another true crime drama, that’s predictive analytics at work. AI allows companies to automatically make recommendations based on past user activity.

• Enhanced security. It’s now commonplace for your bank app to notify you when your balance is low or unusual activity is detected. This level of personal security is possible because AI learns from user habits and throws up a flag whenever something unusual occurs. It’s smart to notify your bank when you travel – AI will take that into account.

Hundreds of apps on the market use AI for mobile app development to deliver remarkable customer service. These apps include:

• Sephora. The multinational beauty retailer’s Color IQ feature uses AI to scan a user’s face and serve up instant recommendations for shades of foundation and concealer, all without having to pick up a makeup sponge or brush.
• Ally Financial. The digital financial firm has a chatbot that uses AI to provide a wide range of services, including payments, transfers, transaction summaries, and near-instant loan approvals.

• American Eagle. This clothing and accessories retailer has experimented with AI to create interactive dressing rooms where customers scan an item and the app suggests other products that go with what they’re trying on all the while keeping a running tally of their checkout total.

AI mobile app development poses some challenges, however, which include:

• Processing power. The more complex an app is, the greater the potential for it to slow down the user’s device, which can lead to drained batteries and low memory and storage.
• Compatibility with multiple devices. An AI-powered app needs to be able to work on a variety of platforms and devices, including iOS, Android, and others.

• Updates. The app must be able to receive updates while retaining the customized environment each user has come to expect.

• Mobile developers using AR face similar challenges to those working with AI – device compatibility, user interface, and processing concerns.

Augmented Reality

AR is redefining the industry and becoming more common in entertainment, healthcare, retail, and education.

Here are some of the ways programmers use it:

• Product visualization. AR lets users get closer to the actual product or experience they’re having on their device, be it an ottoman they’re eyeing for their living room or a snappy pair of glasses. If you can’t get to your eye doc, AR lets you virtually try on as many pairs as you like.

• Location-based experiences. If you’re considering a trek to the Serengeti or a dream trip to Paris, you can take a virtual tour to make sure it’s really what you want to do on your vacation.

• Gamification. When programmers use AR to create game-based mechanics like a timer or rewards, they deepen user engagement.

Some prominent apps that feature AR are:

• IKEA Place. The app creates a 3D model of your home and lets you move a couch around to see how it looks before you commit to the purchase.

• Pokémon GO. The uber-popular mobile game allows players to use GPS and the device’s camera, relying heavily on AR to create a dazzling and interactive fantasy wonderland.

• Google Maps. The near-ubiquitous source for maps uses AR to superimpose directional arrows and other markers over real-time footage of anywhere in the world.

Virtual Reality

VR is the most immersive of these three tech tools, enabling users to experience an all-encompassing virtual environment. VR mobile apps typically operate in tandem with accessories like helmets, goggles, and even full body suits to translate user movements into the virtual world. They’re popular for entertainment, business, and education. Some examples include:

• Proactive customer engagement. Rather than wait for a shopper to buy a product, try it out, and give feedback, companies can now proactively engage potential customers on products or services, be it a couch, a car, or a colonoscopy.

• Entertainment. Virtual entertainment experiences got a significant boost during the pandemic, allowing users to visit museums, rock out at concerts, play video games, and watch movies with friends, all in a virtual environment.

• Corporate training. Companies have begun adopting VR into their employee training programs, including giants like Walmart, which has been using Oculus Rift VR headsets in its training since 2017.

Here are some of the more prominent examples of mobile VR in action:

• YouTube. The world’s most popular video sharing platform contains original VR productions ranging from small-time movies shot in a living room to big productions by major brands like the NBA, National Geographic, and Discovery.
• Space Explorers: The ISS Experience. This app brings you footage from the International Space Station. Hang out with the astronauts as they go about the daily work of space exploration.
• NVIDIA Holodeck. This business app lets designers, architects, engineers, and funders meet and build things in a virtual space before a single dollar is spent or shovel breaks ground.

Mobile VR innovation has some obstacles to overcome, including the diversity of gaming systems and wearable tech, managing the high-definition content most VR experiences require, and longer lead times for design and engineering to work through issues.

We’re all in on Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

These emerging technologies are on track to revolutionize mobile app development in the U.S. and across the globe, but they can seem overwhelming. FolderIT has a team ready to assist you in creating a mobile app for the next century. Drop us a note and let’s see what’s possible.