App Trends 2021

I was thinking about the year ahead and what trends I saw for our industry, I thought I'd share them...

Hardware

The physical technology trends were very gimmicky during 2020 and early 2021, with the introduction of folding and rollable devices. Whilst these form factors may become a part of the ecosystem they are still very niche and unlikely to become mass market and therefore little concern for developers.

Self-help

The impact of COVID and international lockdowns has seen a boom in self-help apps from wellbeing through to food delivery services. We expect this trend to continue as more verticals embrace mobile and the convenience it provides customers.

Gig-economy

Peoples outlook on traditional employment and a 9-5 job is changing. Individuals want more flexibility in their life and variety in their roles, therefore 2021 is expected to see a huge boom in gig-economy opportunities. These are most likely to be supported through mobile technology to facilitate the formalities and processes of the engagement. 

Cross-platform Tech

The maturity of cross-platform technology, specifically React Native and Flutter has established a benchmark for multi-platform software and the swell towards these frameworks will continue to gain market share over their native equivalents. Whilst purists will continue to develop natively the majority of use cases can be perfectly supported using the ever-improving cross-platform solutions.

Social Media

The larger social platforms have had a significant hit over the last few years and users tend to be flocking towards more niche networks where the have more control over their privacy and will feel less alienated with irrelevant advertising. A more focus community will provide a much more engaged user base for all involved.