Nowadays enterprises have to build mobile apps by targeting multiple devices and platforms. So each time a mobile operating system is updated or a new model of smartphone/tablet is launched, businesses have to make many changes to their mobile app development strategy. That is why; it is important for organizations to understand the trends that will affect mobile app development in 2016.

7 Mobile App Development Trends Businesses Must Look Out for in 2016

1) Internet of Things

Many analysts have predicted that Internet of Things would make existing mobile application development techniques obsolete. The developers have to build mobile apps according to a number of Internet of Things trends including new devices, new standards to support multiple sensors, and machine to machine (M2M) interaction between devices. At the same time, the developers have to include advanced security and encryption techniques to make the apps interact with various devices and exchange information over the internet securely.

2) Wearable Devices

In 2015, many companies introduced a wide a variety of wearable devices. These companies will upgrade the devices in 2016 by adding new features and enhancements. Many reports have also highlighted that more and more businesses will launch innovative wearable devices in 2016. The wearable devices will also gradually become popular among enterprise users. So developers have to create new mobile apps by targeting a variety of wearable devices. Also, they need to upgrade the existing mobile apps to make them accessible on various wearable devices.

3) Cloud-based Development

The cloud-based technologies and tools have already transformed mobile app development. Many vendors have revealed their plan to provide faster and more powerful cloud-environment to businesses in 2016. So developers will explore new ways to synchronize and integrate apps in cloud environment. Also, they will take advantage of the cloud technologies to build functionality that can be used by a variety of devices designed with identical features and using the same data. The new cloud-based tools will further help businesses to develop and test cross-platform mobile applications rapidly.

4) New Programming Languages

In 2016, developers will write mobile apps in new programming languages. Many iOS app developers have already switched from Objective-C to Swift. Many programmers are expected migrate to Swift, once Apple makes the programming language open source. At the same time, more and more developers will use tools that enable them to create cross-platform mobile apps by using a single code base and writing code in a single programming language. For instance, many developers will use tools like Xamarin to create apps for iOS, Android and Windows Phone by writing a single code base in C#.

5) Seamless Integration of Ecommerce and Social Features

Many analysts have predicted a boom in enterprise mobile applications in 2016. Likewise, the number of mobile commerce apps will also increase with more and more people buying products or services using their mobile devices. Also, a number of popular social networking platforms have started rolling out ecommerce features. So the developers will soon be required to create mobile apps with robust ecommerce features and seamless social integration. The apps will enable users to indulge in mobile commerce transactions, and make purchases from the social outlets at a time.

6) Shorter Development Cycles

A gradual increase is being noted in the number of organizations adopting agile project management methodology to reduce mobile app development and testing time drastically. Nowadays, many businesses build mobile apps in incremental iterations, and test the applications rigorously in each build. The trend will continue in 2016. More and more businesses will explore ways to reduce development cycles and time to market. Many businesses are expected to adopt innovative methodologies like just-in-time (JIT) and quick-to-market (QTM) to development mobile applications quickly without affecting their quality and user experience.

7) Rigorous Security Testing

A report published by Gartner in 2014 indicted that a large percentage of existing mobile apps would fail basic security tests. The data clearly imply that most mobile apps are vulnerable to emerging security threats. Also, most apps fail to store personal information secure. The apps further compromise the security of crucial business data with more and more organizations adopting bring your own device (BYOD) policy. In 2016, businesses have to focus on security testing to make the app popular in the longer run. The testers will be required to use advanced tools to perform security testing across many devices and various environments.

The business also needs to test the mobile app’s usability and user experience rigorously to accomplish more downloads and returns. But a gradual increase is being noted in the number of organizations testing their mobile devices in real user environment. Thus, many businesses will opt of crowd sourced testing and field to assess all aspects of their applications across various devices, data connections and environments.