5 iOS Development Trends That Will Dominate In 2021

Mobile application development is one of the most demanded services in IT today. With custom mobile apps, businesses can better reach their clients, provide outstanding customer experience, and widely advertise their products. All these benefits are especially valuable in the Covid pandemic times since competition for buyers has doubled and continues to grow.

When planning business app development, companies have to consider every aspect of their target audience and choose the right mobile platform for their apps. iOS is the second most popular operating system with 26.91% of users around the world, mostly located in Japan, the US, the UK, Germany, and China.
In this article, we’ll look into the iOS development trends that will be in demand in 2021 and explain why you need to use them in your mobile application development.

Internet Of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) has become a part of daily routine in many households and businesses. Web-connected devices, such as cloud sensors, united under one network help to automate daily tasks, perform them much faster and with better quality. IoT is used in:

● manufacturing to control the workflow and equipment maintenance;
● connected cars to monitor vehicle condition and improved road behavior;
● Smart homes and Smart offices to create convenient living and working environments;
● logistics and transportation for tracking goods from the place of origin to the shop shelves;
● farming to create favorable conditions and improved food production, and other industries.

iOS developers use various frameworks to build IoT solutions. Typically, these are also available in the form of an app for end-users. They can connect and manage various devices through Apple gadgets, including iPads, watchOS, and tvOS.

More and more businesses incorporate IoT into their digital solutions. It’s expected that the development of 5G technology will spur the spreading of IoT. Research predicts that there will be 21.5 billion IoT units worldwide by 2025 and that the IoT market value will grow to around $1.6 trillion by 2025.

Machine Learning & AI

Machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) are the two iOS technologies frequently used for building mobile apps. However, most casual users associate ML and AI with virtual voice assistants like Siri, the technologies extend beyond that.
Mobile developers widely use ML and AI to create the following functionality:

● text and image recognition and classification;
● face detection and recognition;
● speech processing and sentiment analysis;
● data collection and processing.

All these features lie at the heart of various processes in mobile apps. For example, face detection improves gadget security, preventing unauthorized access, sentiment analysis adds emotions to Siri and makes its responses more humane, and much more.

For embedding ML and AI solutions into their apps, iOS developers use many core ML frameworks. It allows them to create machine learning and deep learning models and add into iOS apps the latest features such as FaceID, Animoji, Augmented reality elements, and others.

ML and AI help to make iOS apps smarter and enhance their performance in many ways. They improve iOS apps’ backend and frontend processes, providing an outstanding mobile experience to their users. ML and AI technologies will become an integral part of iOS app development and empower every iOS app in 2021.

Wearable Apps

Apple has always paid much attention to the development of wearable accessories. They effectively complement the iPhone experience, making it more seamless and enjoyable. The accessory line includes a wide range of gadgets from watchOS and AirPods. Wearable technology hasn’t reached their potential yet. According to studies, wearable devices doubled in number from 325 million in 2016 to 722 million in 2019 and are expected to reach more than 1 billion items by 2022.

Wearable devices as a trend will continue to change the idea of how mobile apps are developed. In 2019 at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple presented the watchOS6 which could download apps from the Apple App Store. The possibility of accessing the App Store via watchOS6 has changed the idea of how mobile apps are developed. Now, mobile developers can build stand-alone apps specifically for wearable devices. This provides new avenues for businesses and content makers.

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)

Augmented Reality (AR) and virtual Reality (VR) will become even more popular trends in 2021. More and more commerce businesses will incorporate AR/VR solutions in their mobile apps to provide outstanding experiences to their customers. For example, some hair styling apps help their users to pick up the ideal look by matching various hairstyles and colors to the real-life image. Furniture placement apps can assist their users in choosing furniture. By using 3D models of various pieces of furniture users can check how they could fit in their homes and offices. In addition real estate virtual reality apps can help online shoppers as well.

AR/VR provides plenty of creative ways for businesses from various niches on how to improve their customers’ experience. Studies predicts that the VR/AR market will grow by $160 billion by 2023 due to the increasing availability of the technology to a wider audience.

Mobile Wallets

One of the most demanded iOS app development services among E-commerce businesses is including digital wallets into their mobile apps. These wallets are the most convenient way for businesses to manage their payments at significantly reduced costs. Moreover, digital wallets help to improve customer service as they are quick and simple to use.

For iOS users, Apple has developed a special Apple Wallet platform. It allows making contactless and secure purchases in stores, apps, and on the web. Also, it allows users to keep their store cards, coupons, boarding passes, movie tickets, student IDs, and other cards in one place.

Digital wallets are the future of the payment ecosystem in 2021. Every business that handles payments should integrate digital wallets in their apps. The Global Market Insights predicts that the mobile wallet market will gain a 15% CAGR between 2020 and 2026, estimating more than $350 billion in 2026.

Building custom mobile apps that finely adjust to the business and customer requirements is the most demanded service today. However, companies should know their target audience well and use the latest development trends to build successful apps. Apple provides iOS mobile developers with the cutting-edge tools and technologies to build the most prominent and effective mobile applications. Therefore, those businesses that choose to develop their apps for the iOS platform can rest assured of the high-quality and efficiency of their apps.