Imagine your day without using a single mobile app!
Sounds terrifying!
An average smartphone user spends almost 3 hours a day using various mobile apps. The Apple App Store houses 1.96 million apps, whereas the Google Play Store provides 2.87 million apps available for download.
There is an app for everything; it does not matter whether you want to buy groceries, order
food, book a hotel room, buy travel tickets, message someone, or watch movies.
Mobile apps have become an inseparable part of our lives as we check them throughout the day, before going to bed, and when we wake up in the morning. No doubt, mobile apps have simplified our lives!
To find out how they have simplified our lives, read on!
We cannot imagine living without mobile apps at present. In this blog, we will dive deep into different types of mobile apps and their impact on our lives.
Categories of Mobile Apps & their Impact on Our Lives
Social Media
We all know what Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter mean to us. A majority of smartphone users spend a lot of time every day on these social media apps.
We cannot imagine a day without engaging with social media apps, and many are even addicted to them.
These apps have no doubt made us more connected and increased communication with relatives, friends, and colleagues.
Every side has two coins, and social media is no different. It has a positive impact on our lives, but at the same time, it has reduced face-to-face interaction. Social media has reduced the attention span of youngsters and distracted them from other productive activities.
Businesses are also using it as a marketing tool, and it has been proven to be very effective with high ROI.
Gaming
Video games have always been popular with young and old alike. Mobile apps have made them more accessible and economical to consume. There are many popular online games like Roblox, Attack Hole, Royal Match, and Candy Crush Saga.
These games have the most downloads so far in 2023. Gaming apps provide the opportunity to play with thousands of players from across the world simultaneously.
Gaming apps can improve the concentration of users as they have to focus intensely in order to progress ahead in the game, or it is GAME OVER!
The flip side is that youngsters, especially students, spend a lot of time on these gaming apps instead of focusing on their studies. They are becoming more aggressive and violent after playing some of these games.
More Reading: A must-read guide in game development
Ecommerce
You all must have used Amazon to buy something, and this Ecommerce giant needs no introduction.
Ecommerce apps have become much more prominent during and after the Covid pandemic across the world. With frequent lockdowns across the world, Ecommerce apps emerged as the saviors of consumers & businesses alike.
Ecommerce apps allow consumers to buy any product from anywhere in the world. Businesses can also increase their global reach by leveraging the advantages of an Ecommerce app.
With the use of Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality, it has become possible to allow potential buyers to try the product or see how it will look in their house.
Thus, Ecommerce apps have made life easier for both buyers and sellers.
Ed-Tech
Higher education is no longer a luxury for those in towns & cities. This has been made possible by the Internet as well as educational apps.
Students in remote areas of a country can attend live lectures or recorded classes to understand and learn new concepts. They can also have doubt-solving sessions with experienced teachers residing in metro cities.
By making use of 3D modeling, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality technology, institutes can make it easier for students to learn difficult topics.
Cloud Kitchen
Online food ordering has caught up across the world. It is much more convenient to get the food delivered to the doorstep rather than going all the way to a restaurant for a takeaway.
Mobile apps have become the tool to order food online and make digital payments. Cloud Kitchen apps have several restaurants that are operating in nearby areas. Users can search for a restaurant on the app, go through the menu, select food items, make payments, and enter the address for delivery.
These mobile apps make it very convenient both for the restaurants as well as their patrons.
Leisure
You must have watched movies or web series on Netflix or Amazon Prime. These mobile apps have replaced TV channels in most households across the world.
With most of these apps also accessible via Smart TVs on big screens, they are increasingly becoming popular. A single subscription can be accessed from anywhere and on multiple devices at the same time.
These features have made entertainment apps a big hit and are providing good leisure time to their subscribers.
Miscellaneous Mobile Apps
Google Maps has made it simpler for people across the globe to find locations or share their location with friends or family. They have made travel hassle-free and economical, as you don't get lost on your way.
Banking apps provide banking and financial services at your fingertips. They have made the lives of bank officials as well as clients much easier with the use of technology. Such apps enable money transfers with high-level security and minimum charges.
Apps for online booking of trains, flights, and bus tickets have also become very popular. These apps allow users to compare the prices of different service providers and choose the best fit for their needs.
All these apps are a boon for countries with large populations and have reduced the queues seen at Banks, Government as well as private offices providing utility services. These have resulted in faster service, fewer delays, reduction in the requirement of staff and other resources.
How are Businesses Using Mobile Apps?
Building an app from scratch and launching it on Google Play Store or Apple Store is not that costly. It far outweighs the edge you get over competitors who do not have an app or have an app that is technologically inferior to yours.
Mobile apps have catapulted businesses to new heights by increasing their reach and improving customer service. Apps have enabled a large number of business processes to be done using smartphones and with great efficiency.
Businesses rely on apps not just for the convenience of their customers but also for their benefit. Apps provide businesses with more brand awareness and make it easier for them to reach their target audience.
Let's have a look at the benefits of using an app for business.
Building Loyalty
Apps are a great way of effectively engaging customers with the business. Businesses can connect with customers personally via apps. With the use of AI, AR/VR, and Metaverse, a business can reach the right person at the right time.
Customers feel that they are being given prompt attention and special treatment.
2. Marketing
Apps are a highly efficient marketing tool for businesses as they provide very high ROI for marketing purposes. Mobile apps have chatbots that make it easier for businesses to answer the queries of thousands of customers simultaneously.
Businesses can inform customers about the arrival of new products through images and videos.
3. Cost Cutting
Businesses can save a lot of money by utilizing mobile apps instead of sending SMSs or hiring executives for Customer Service. This is very convenient for small businesses or start-ups that have limited budgets.
4. Stay Competitive
With competition increasing by the day, it has become tough for businesses to stand out from their competitors. This can be done in several ways, but having a quality mobile app is one of the easiest ways to do it.
Mobile apps can help businesses reach a wider audience and can solve the issue of slow-loading websites. With the number of smartphones increasing by the day, a mobile app with the latest tech like AI, AR/VR, and Metaverse can make a business a top contender in its niche.
5. Scalability
Mobile apps can help in scaling your business as they can help businesses reach a wider audience with lesser effort. By leveraging mobile apps, a business can automate tasks, streamline several processes and expand globally.
A mobile app can be a powerful tool for businesses to have a good strategy to compete and efficient execution of that strategy.
How Will Mobile Apps Impact Our Lives in the Future?
Wearables
Wearables are all over the place, ranging from fitness trackers to earbuds. Most of these wearables are connected to smartphones through apps. They can help you navigate an unknown place or enable you to make or receive calls.
Mobile Wallets
You must have used Google Pay or Apple Pay to buy groceries or pay utility bills. Mobile wallets have made life easier both for consumers and businesses alike.
Mobile wallets are becoming more user-friendly and secure by the day. Contactless payments, which were most sought after during the Covid pandemic, are increasingly becoming popular all over the world.
IoT
The Internet of Things(IoT) is a network of connected devices that can communicate with each other via the Internet. Lights in your rooms, ACs, or ovens can be controlled using Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant.
The future of IoT includes smart homes and self-driving cars.
More Reading: How are IoT & mobile apps bringing smart home concept to life?
AR/VR
Augmented Reality(AR) and Virtual Reality(VR) are increasingly being adopted in mobile apps. They are widely used in gaming and Metaverse. AR/VR technology makes using mobile apps a more immersive experience.
The technology will also be utilized in educational apps to make students understand concepts more easily. It can also be used for vocational training purposes. It is also being used for marketing purposes and in eCommerce apps.
Blockchain
Blockchain technology is not all about Bitcoins and cryptocurrency. Blockchain can be used for tracking digital assets and securing digital identity. Smart contracts using blockchain provide a lot of possibilities.
Beacon Technology
Beacon technology uses Bluetooth of a smartphone to identify how close you are to a brick & mortar store, a museum, or a hotel. The beacons at that particular location send alerts to users' smartphones to open a particular app.
This app can enable users to shop from the store or order something at a restaurant or inform about the various artifacts at the museum.
Artificial Intelligence(AI) & Machine Learning(ML)
Artificial Intelligence is being used by chatbots on mobile apps to answer routine queries or register service requests. Mobile apps will increasingly have features like facial recognition or motion detection.
Making use of AI & ML technologies, mobile apps will be able to do speech recognition or financial predictions.
5G Technology
As 5G technology gets launched across the world, we will see faster and smarter apps. It will enable better features and more responsive apps. The 5G technology will allow mobile apps to incorporate AR, VR, AI & ML capabilities.
On a Closing Note…
We can clearly see that mobile apps have penetrated all spheres of life. It is difficult to imagine life without smartphones and apps. They have made our lives easier, hassle-free and saved a lot of our valuable time.
As technology advances, better apps will be launched, which will address issues related to current apps. There are more smartphones than laptops and desktops, and that is why mobile apps will be used by businesses to reach a larger consumer base. Apps are the present and future of the business world until something new comes up which is more effective and efficient.
For your mobile app development requirements look no further than Goodtal.
Victor Ortiz
Content MarketerVictor Ortiz is a Content Marketer with Goodtal. He likes to read & write on technology-related topics and is passionate about traveling, exploring new places, and watching movies.