The Latest Tech Trends in App Development for 2023

Mobile apps are still unstoppable, even more than a decade after entering the mainstream. In fact, app downloads continue to grow by 11% yearly.

It does not just download that is growing, either. In-app spending continues to grow, as well, despite turbulent economies. In some circumstances, economic instability leads to increased spending.

There is still a healthy market for app development. This is especially true if you’re up on the latest app trends and tech trends. After all, there are estimated to be around 7.25 billion mobile devices currently on Earth!

That doesn’t mean you can simply launch some random app with little to no preparation and expect it to be successful. With that in mind, here are some top trends in app development for 2023.

In the final moments of 2022, many tech publications started featuring headlines like something from a science fiction novel or an existentialist text.

One headline from the Wall Street Journal reads, “Can You Tell If This Headline Was Written By a Robot?” It’s about one of the most exciting technological innovations in decades.

ChatGPT is a Natural Language Processing (NLP) AI that’s sophisticated enough to fool professors. It’s already being used to generate everything from doctoral theses to marketing copy based solely on a short conversational prompt.

ChatGPT is a game-changer in every conceivable way. It’s almost impossible to predict what impact it will have on every sector, but it will be massive.

5G has been looming for several years. It seems that 5G’s time will finally arrive in 2023. This is going to influence app development in all manner of ways.

5G will turbo-charge mobile networks, lowering latency times and vastly increasing data transfer speed. This will enable all manner of new, data-intensive mobile apps and technology.

It’s also going to intensify customers’ needs and expectations vastly. You’ll need to ensure your app development is quick, clean, fast, and efficient. Your customers will be demanding it!

The need for mobile app development continues to grow in the manufacturing, healthcare, and retail sectors. There’s still a need for business tech that integrates physical spaces and resources with mobile apps and smart devices.

The continued expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) is one reason for this demand. The onset of 5G and the increasing affordability of cloud-based storage will play a part in the continued rise of IoT apps in 2023.

IoT mobile apps can come in many different forms and fulfil many functions. There will be a need for remote sensors for manufacturing IoT apps, for instance.

IoT apps could even allow remote control of equipment and machinery.

Inventory management apps will also continue to play an essential role in retail-based mobile apps. IoT infrastructure could even be integrated into physical retail experiences.

You might place physical markers and sensors throughout the store, for example, blending the virtual and physical.

Like 5G, Augmented Reality apps have been around for several years. With the onset of 5G making faster mobile networks a reality, augmented reality is about to reach a new level.

Augmented Reality (AR) app trends can range from the practical to the whimsical.

Some of the first practical applications of AR allowed users to audition bulky physical goods in a space. For example, AR lets users see if a sofa or loveseat will fit in a one-bedroom apartment without having to haul it up any staircases.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when eCommerce was the only option available for most of the world, developers figured out new and clever ways to integrate AR into virtual shopping. The last two years have seen innovative ad creative applications of AR in fields like fashion, letting users try on outfits virtually before making a purchase.

Even as we transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition into eCommerce is likely to hold. Even as the world rediscovers physical retail, there will still be a need for virtual app interfaces for material goods.

Other AR app trends lean towards entertainment instead. Some powerful AR apps are already making AR-powered face swapping, letting users switch faces between different subjects.

It seems a safe bet to say that AR-powered apps for social media will only continue to grow and spread.

People will always look for ways to make money out of something, especially if they enjoy it. One of the reasons for the meteoric ascent of social media in the 2010s is the rise of social media influencers, especially on trendy networks like Instagram and TikTok.

As long as there are networked apps, there will be business tech opportunities for monetization.

In August 2022, Meta- rolled out support for premium content, blending the business model of a regular social media network and premium content providers like Patreon.

Other social media apps allow a blend of social media networks and traditional marketplaces like eBay. Facebook Marketplace is the most obvious example of this hybrid business model.

Immersive gaming will allow for even more monetization opportunities,s, which means there will be even more tech trends to serve those demands.

Expect to see a rise in demand for exclusive digital assets in 2023. For example, we see exclusive virtual fashion from boutique designers and fashion houses in video games, tapping the same need for exclusivity as NFTs.

The days of having to guess what users want are long gone. So are the days of spending ages in the development process, getting your mobile app to market, and then hoping for the best.

Integrating user-generated feedback into the development process is becoming increasingly common in the CI/CD process. User experience (UX) can alert developers to emerging tech trends in all sorts of ways.

Many UX insights are available through common means long known to traditional marketing and advertising. You might launch your app as a Beta version, for example, and then ask your users about their experience.

Other UX insights can come from newer and more novel methods, though. Developers and analysts might examine which features are used most commonly, for example.

They might even analyze which features are used most commonly together. This could yield ideas for future features or design decisions like User Interface (UI).

The 2021 Mobile Wallet report indicates that mobile wallets will expand by 74% between 2021 and 2025. These projections suggest that there will be 4.8 billion digital wallet users in the next two years.

These numbers could grow faster as users become more comfortable with digital wallets, giving them further legitimacy. Scepticism in official financial institutions could further accelerate digital wallet adoption.

Tightening economies could even be leveraged for mobile wallet app development. Financial app developers might consider ways to integrate savings or loyalty programs to increase digital wallet usage.

Machine learning is becoming integrated into app development in new, surprising, and novel ways. Machine learning can “supercharge your apps,” as Android puts it, adding all sorts of image and language-processing features.

Of course, machine learning is a vast discipline. This means machine learning is becoming integrated into app development at every level in various ways.

As previously discussed, machine learning can be leveraged to analyze user behaviour. Even better, your machine learning modelling can become predictive once you’ve got enough data.

Machine learning has become so commonplace that there are already readymade machine learning solutions available. We’re going to see an exponential adoption of machine learning into app development in the next few years as a result.

Some machine learning happens beneath the hood, as well. Natural language processing (NLP) is becoming increasingly commonplace, for example.

Mobile app developers need t pay attention to these tech trends. Your competition will be offering these features. Your apps will need to, as well, stay competitive.

Wearable technology continues to sell quite well. Emerging tech trends like 5G will continue to change how mobile apps and wearable technology interact.

The mass data produced by wearable technology offers many opportunities for new app designs. Biometric data might be integrated with productivity apps, for example.

These data-driven insights could even become robust models for predictive analytics.

The world will only continue to become increasingly virtual, even as we resume certain physical activities in the wake of the pandemic. Vast swathes of daily life are conducted using digital technology. That trend has been going strong for the entire 21st Century and doesn’t show any sign of slowing.

Mobile apps continue to evolve in new and surprising ways, even ten years after widespread adoption. There is no shortage of ways that clever and innovative thinkers can take advantage of these emerging trends.

Many of today’s digital trends would’ve been considered science fiction even five years ago. Trends like machine learning and augmented reality alone will create new industries in the next few years.

Following emerging tech trends can let you stay ahead of the curve and take advantage of emerging trends.

Do you have an idea for a great mobile app? Maybe you’ve got an idea for a popular new social media network. Perhaps you just want to create an app to spread the word about your business.

Either way, you don’t need to know app development when you have a talented team of developers.

If you’re ready to find out why we’ve been one of Sydney’s leading app development agencies for almost 20 years, contact us today!