This year brought us the fast development of Artificial intelligence, the speeding fall of VR Metaverse, and the continuing global economic recession. These changes and other news of 2023 have affected the IT industry, namely mobile development. Below are ten trends that will influence software development overall and mobile apps in the years to come.All of the following trends are focused on one or more of the core objectives any mobile app developer has: (1) to reduce costs, (2) to optimize reliability, (3) to increase speed, and (4) to improve user experience. See what market innovations can help you achieve these goals. 
DevSecOps, which used to be an evolutionary approach to software development, is now widely used for mobile app development. DevSecOps is a methodology that deeply embeds security practices into the software development life cycle. When applied to mobile development, DevSecOps ensures that mobile applications are developed with security as a primary focus from inception to deployment.DevSecOps applies a proactive security approach. Instead of being an afterthought, security is addressed from the onset, simplifying the identification and rectification of vulnerabilities early in the development process. Detecting vulnerabilities early can lead to significant cost savings. It’s less expensive to fix security issues during the development phase than post-release.Overall, as developers, security teams, and operations collaborate closely in a DevSecOps model, this approach can lead to a more comprehensive understanding of security challenges and solutions.
Hybrid applications are typically written using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and then wrapped in a native container which can be deployed on various platforms. Examples include frameworks like Cordova or Ionic.Cross-platform applications, on the other hand, are developed using languages and tools that allow them to run on multiple OS platforms but are compiled into native code. Examples include frameworks like React Native and Flutter.More and more mobile app projects start using hybrid or cross-platform development due to the cost-efficiency of these approaches, as developing one app for multiple platforms can be much cheaper than building separate apps for each OS. Moreover, as there’s only one codebase to manage, maintaining and updating an app becomes easier and cheaper. Choosing between hybrid/cross-platform and native app development often comes down to the specific needs and priorities of a project. If speed and cost are paramount, cross-platform might be the way to go. However, if the focus is on performance, leveraging platform-specific features, or achieving a highly tailored UX, native development is preferable.
Incorporating AI into mobile app development can significantly reduce the time-to-market. Here are just some of the development and QA/QC processes that are already actively delegated to AI-based technologies.
Continuous Delivery is an extension of Continuous Integration. It’s a software engineering approach where code changes are automatically prepared for a release to production after passing through various stages of the development lifecycle, including integration, testing, and staging validations. Continuous Delivery and Release Orchestration, when effectively implemented in mobile app development, can significantly enhance the pace of feature delivery while ensuring stability and quality.CI/CD, where code changes are frequently integrated, tested, and deployed to production, is often embraced by cloud-native development.
Cloud-native mobile app development refers to the practice of designing and building mobile applications to run in a cloud environment from the outset, leveraging the cloud’s scalability, resilience, and flexibility. Instead of creating applications that run primarily on the device with occasional cloud interactions, cloud-native apps maximize the cloud’s potential to deliver dynamic, scalable, and always up-to-date experiences. Being a resource-efficient solution, cloud-native mobile app development represents a paradigm shift in how apps are designed, developed, deployed, and scaled, taking full advantage of cloud computing’s benefits.
Touchless UI offers a promising direction for more intuitive and diverse user interactions. In mobile app development, touchless UI can be integrated in various ways. 
Even though Samsung claims that their foldable devices have gained popularity over the last year, at the moment, a lot of weaknesses should be taken into consideration when we evaluate the trending potential of foldables for mobile development. Foldables’ high price, weak inner screen, and small battery life raise doubts about the potential popularity of this type of device. On the one hand, mobile app developers should take new mobiles’ 1:1 format into consideration to make their products more plausible and usable by foldable phone owners. On the other hand, the technology of foldables is not mature yet, and we can’t predict when problems with a crease on the folding screen, a small battery, or dust that can easily enter the phone body, will be resolved. 
Implementing predictive analytics into a mobile app involves harnessing statistical algorithms and machine learning techniques to identify potential future outcomes based on historical data. Predictive analytics can enhance various aspects of mobile apps, from user engagement and personalization to operational efficiencies. In 2023, predictive analytics is a MUST. Netflix, YouTube, and e-commerce shops all have that “You may also like…” feature in their code. And your mobile app should also have that. 
Location and beacon technologies offer myriad opportunities for businesses and developers to create more engaging, personalized, and contextually relevant app experiences. These are several examples of how you can use location and beacon technologies for your new mobile app.
The 5G network is only on its way to global dominance, but the opportunities it will provide already affect mobile app developers. With 5G, data can be transferred at speeds of up to 20 Gbps, which means apps can load content or execute tasks much faster. 5G offers significantly reduced latency, which can lead to real-time responses. This is critical for gaming, AR/VR, and apps requiring immediate data synchronization. 5G’s higher speeds allow for real-time data processing, enabling apps to handle complex tasks within shorter time frames. 5G can support a greater number of connected devices. This will boost IoT applications, where multiple devices communicate simultaneously. For IoT ecosystems, real-time data exchange is crucial. 5G can ensure that IoT devices communicate with minimal delay.Overall, 5G technology is set to revolutionize the mobile app development landscape, opening doors to new possibilities and enhancing current capabilities. That is THE trend that will drastically affect mobile app development. Maybe not this Fall, but surely in the near future.
