Trends that will impact the mobile app development in the year of 2017

Technology has always impacted the lives of humans and has affected various aspects of our daily life, 2017 promises to be a big year for the mobile app industry technology boom. Last year Augmented reality technology got a huge boost with the launch of the hit game Pokemon Go which was available for android and iOS platforms. The presence of virtual reality excited the audience and commercially this game was a huge success. Companies like samsung, apple and a number of Asian mobile companies have started producing wearable gear for the growing market.

However this year a lot of new developments are expected to shake the world of Mobile app industry. Artificial intelligence, chatbots and messaging apps are expected get a major revamp. Artificial intelligence has always captured the imagination of human mind and this year it is expected to be upgraded. Companies are capturing consumer’s behavior and patterns in order to provide personalized recommendations. This is exactly the point where artificial intelligence and mobile apps can join hand and provide a unique end user experience.

Previously smart assistants such as siri, iris, alexa helped users in doing easy tasks. But AI has taken a next step in the form of chatbots which linger inside and outside of messaging apps. There is a new wave of Artificial intelligence which is the internet of things where different products and different users come together and behave in accordance with the owner’s desires.

Some of the latest developments expected to take place in 2017 are listed below

Location Based technology will be upgraded

One of the areas Artificial intelligence haven’t tweaked it in terms of technology is the location based service apps. Over the past few years advancement of location based services has given rise to a number of apps similar to ola and Uber which are maximising their profits through their location based model. This year it shows no signs of slowing down especially in the healthcare and retail business.

Integration of smartphone technology

Mobile apps are nowadays developed to be cross disciplinary. The presence of smart  Tvs, fridge and even washing machines have given rise to the smart home technology. Two companies which have revolutionized the smart home technology are Nest and ecobee. They developed apps that cater to IoT (Internet of things) and helped the users seamlessly integrate mobile platforms and other devices and backend infrastructure that can communicate and share data for an overall unified experience.

Web based progressive apps are slowly making an impact         

 
Progressive Web apps are gaining momentum in the market thanks to an increase in mobile  browser audience. Apps similar to offline map based services are perfect examples of Progressive Web based apps. These apps will let the consumers to use it without downloading it completely. In developing countries and third world countries where the users are still dependent on slow internet connections these progressive apps can be extremely useful. It makes use of the mobile app’s core characteristics which results in increased user retention without the hassles of maintaining a mobile app. Custom web development practices also has played its part in providing a better stance for developers in building mobile  apps.

Cloud based mobile apps will be on the rise

From businessmen, to IT professionals and students everyone are utilizing the cloud based apps in today’s world. Even simple game apps are allowing the users to save their checkpoints on cloud. This year users can expect apps which will take minimum space in the smartphone internal memory and can fetch data from the cloud storage. Google drive, dropbox and onedrive are just few examples. Cisco research has stated that by 2019 cloud apps will drive 90% of the total mobile traffic. Good times ahead.

Google introduces Android Basics Nanodegree

A career in Android apps development always remain as the most astonishing one for every aspiring Android app developer for it is the most happening and so extensive a domain. Individuals who wish to learn programming on Android  and those who know a little about android development will obviously find a great opportunity in the Google’s new offering, “The Android Basics Nanodegree”.

The course offers a good chance for beginners to learn the basics about android programming direct from the horse’s mouth. The program has been launched by Udacity experts in accompaniment with Google.

Along with this program, the first 50 students who finish this course will receive a chance to win a complete scholarship to register in Udacity’s career tracking on the Android Developer Nanodegree program. The scholarship will enable students to get the complete support of experts from the time of enrollment to graduation.

This Udacity-Google tie-up will bring valuable help for the new developers to earn the most crucial knowledge on Android programming. The course includes vital points on Java programming language, interacting with web API’s and the essentials enable the programmers to utilize the SQL database.

The course will transform a student into a technical perfect android developer having a strong fundamental knowledge. At the time of completion of the course, students will have to successfully complete 10 projects including 8 functional application creation in it.

The cost of this Nanodegree offered by Google comes around $199 per month. Students can learn the typical course directly from Google experts. Users will be trained to build real-time applications and professional portfolios. Within two hours of posting the project, expert reviews will be delivered on the project. The user can make use of Udacity Connect to get a chance of face-to face learning.

Nanodegree by Google is structured to be an excellent course for freshers who want to know more on Android application development. The cost per month for learning this program is on the higher side, but the program will provide android app developers with some practical ideas for building some advanced applications.

The New features of Android N

The new update of the Android, the N version shows us a preview of what the Android version 7.0 will look like, when it arrives later this year. We have listed out the major features of the Android N, that we are  expecting, will be available in the official version.

Multitasking

The split-screen, multitasking feature has been added to the new version, which was lacking in other previous versions of the Android. It can be accessed by holding down the task-switching button. This doesn’t necessarily affect the android apps development as most of the apps works perfectly fine. Double tapping the task-switching button, switches directly to the recently used app, making it the “Alt-Tab” for the Android.

Notifications

The notifications in the new version of Android, N are visually crisp, with a complete design and smaller icons. They are more function too, i.e., you can now expand them twice successively to see more information and take action accordingly. The Android N also has little buttons to expand each notification. The most interesting feature is the ability to long-press on each notification to control how you’ll receive alerts from the respective app in the future. You also have an option to choose to display the notification silently or block them completely for apps and games, you have not used or played recently.

Settings

The very first change you'll notice in the settings of the new Android N is at the top, where suggestions are present for operations you may not have done with your phone yet, like setting up email accounts or voice commands. Each and every option on the list comes with relevant information so that you don’t have to enter each menu to find out what does it do. Being on the menu, you can now check various information like storage capacity, WiFi networks, data usage and many more. Another change is the reflection of the persistent settings in the list itself when activated.

Keyboard Themes

Not the biggest update, but still it's, an update with regards to Android N. You can now choose from numerous themes exclusively available for the stock Google keyboards.  You, now, have the option to choose colors, add or remove borders between the keys, and can even set a photo of your choice as the background.

Performance

The performance of the operating system has always been enhanced by Google in every version of the Android it releases and Android N is no exception either. N is adopting a new graphics API called the Vulkan, that will help in delivering a better visual performance for the phones and tablets. Google claims that the new JIT compiler will improve the battery life.

New Set of Emoji

All the quirky blobs are getting a more uniform appearance in this new version of the Android.  The other major proposal made by Google to the Unicode Consortium is to adopt 13 new emoji for a better representation of professional women.

Final Words

Apart from these and further value-added features, the main talking point when the official version arrives, will be its compatibility with virtual reality. Daydream, the new android-powered platform is meant to succeed Google's cardboard initiative. All these mean that, we're in for some exciting times in the near future.