This increased accessibility helps businesses to work towards improving their services and therefore gain higher profits. With the boom of the Internet of Things (IoT), the world of mobile app development is gradually changing. IoT has become so much a part of our lives that we do not even realize it often. The technology has benefited numerous sectors including healthcare, agriculture, retail, manufacturing, and many more.
From smart home appliances and smartwatches to drones, all use sensors to communicate with other physical objects. This rise in demand for connected devices has caused mobile apps and mobile app development services to proliferate in this sector. In this article, we will discuss the impact of IoT in shaping the future of mobile app development.
Understanding the term IoT (Internet of Things)
IoT refers to a network of physical things that can communicate with each other in real-time without human intervention. The possibilities with IoT are endless since any object you think of can act as a connected device. Sensors, software, and other supporting technology enable the exchange between devices and systems via the Internet. Today, billions of physical devices are connected all over the world. This number is bound to grow in the coming years. These devices, therefore, become smart with digital intelligence.
Take the example of a smart light bulb. It can be switched on and off simply using your smartphone. This is done via a mobile-based IoT app for communication. Such connected devices send information to your smartphone only after collecting data so that it acts as a data center. You can think of other devices like TV, air conditioner, and other similar appliances and gadgets that can be controlled through your phone. The apps used to consist of sensors, analytics, devices, analytics, and much more which make them highly complex. Any Android or ios application development company will need to have proper standards set in place to achieve success.
Applications of IoT
There are numerous applications of IoT in different sectors. Some of those applications are discussed here.
- Healthcare
The Healthcare sector has gained numerous benefits from the adoption of IoT devices and this is just growing by the day. You can consider X-ray devices, trackers, monitors for patients, wearables. All these systems and devices are connected to the network to provide better care to individuals. Lesser costs and more innovative ideas will help in reducing the administrative and other additional work that needs to be done by the healthcare staff. This way they can focus more on the patients and the patients will reap the benefits of this technology. It is easy to get the history of patients via mobile apps for making the best decisions in emergency cases.
- Retail
IoT in retail means better sales and customer engagement. Mobile apps can be used to interact with customers and send them personalized messages such as promotions, discounts, and other information on shopping. The customers can clear their queries and insights on their shopping patterns gained through IoT can help retailers in sending them better recommendations. The profit is noticeable as a large number of store owners have started using mobile app development services since the last year itself.
- Manufacturing
Manufacturing involves the crucial roles of both hardware and software. IoT has brought about a revolution in this field. It can display the necessary metrics in real-time based on the data it receives from the devices and alert in case of any safety issues. In this sector and other sectors like supply chain monitoring and management, the IoT is known as industrial IoT (IIoT). IIoT is essentially a part of the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0. IoT alone is normally used in terms of customer usage.
- Transportation or mobility
In the transport sector, it is possible to have telematics and fleet management solutions with IoT. These solutions can connect with the operating system that the car or any other such vehicle has. The purposes of vehicle diagnostic or monitoring consist of checking for tire pressure, battery monitoring, driver monitoring, tracking of vehicles, and many more. Connected vehicles make it possible to have better transport and construction equipment uptime for consumers. This means better safety of drivers and decreased chances of road accidents. It also means safer solutions for operators and other people on the road. Not only this, the use of IoT paves way for a sustainable and green future with lower emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
- Banking and Finance
Banking and financial services rely on high security. Hence, adopting technology like IoT is not easy. But banks are now working towards establishing a secure way of working with the latest technologies. Internet of things solutions can reduce the additional burden on employees and they can focus on improving customer relationships and providing high-quality services. With cryptocurrencies like bitcoin coming to the forefront, the implementation will become highly unique. Mobile apps will aid in streamlined workflow and management of tasks.
- Supply chain
The complexity of supply chains is on the rise as goods become more difficult to deliver to consumers. This comes at a time when the coronavirus pandemic put the entire supply chains across the world in chaos and disruption last year. The best way for logistics service providers was to use IoT technology for handling all the tough tasks that would have otherwise taken a lot of time. Probable uses consist of asset tracking, inventory and storage management, condition monitoring of goods, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and so on. This means higher operation efficiency as well. When the collection, analysis, and usage of data is done with IoT, the monitoring of all activities can be done effectively in real-time. Data interpretation allows timely changes in processes and designs that would not only be a waste of time and money but also be a safety hazard for all.
- Energy
There will be overall growth of smarter energy solutions in the coming years due to the increasing amount of energy being consumed worldwide. IoT has the power to change everything in the traditional process from generation to distribution. It is already doing so to a great extent. This is also changing the way companies deal with their customers and the process is a lot more transparent as well as smoother than earlier. Advanced sensors can be used for monitoring and communicating the gathered information from the grid. The data is transmitted to gateways and stored at data centers. For making better predictions and increasing grid efficiency, artificial intelligence (AI) based models are used.
- Other sectors
IoT is not just limited to the sectors already mentioned in this section. Take the example of agriculture. If pest control has sensors, it will give farmers a better idea of the amount of spray necessary to stop the spread while not damaging the crops. Other possible uses include tracking the condition of livestock, predicting net revenue, analyzing factors that help with better performance, drone-based surveys of agricultural land, robotic farming, and the like. Advantages of such processes include higher crop yield, better quality products, and cost savings.
The increasing number of smart cities is another example where IoT has changed the way we control everything. Singapore, Zurich, Geneva, Auckland, Taipei, Copenhagen are some examples of smart cities.
Impact on Mobile App Development Business
In today's world, people like to access all kinds of services on the go. Mobile phones act as the perfect device to achieve this. With smart gadgets too, dedicated mobile apps with customized services provide access to necessary information based on which actions can be decided by the user. The advantages of IoT are too many and it is one of the primary factors that will drive mobile development in the coming years. To get the maximum benefits from users, companies are investing heavily on the mobile apps. The trends Internet of things solutions will drive shortly are discussed here.
- Unique Design requirements
Mobile apps that are designed for IoT have specific requirements. The basic requirements such as occupying little space on the mobile phone's storage remain the same but are more difficult to achieve. Besides being lightweight, the components must fit on mobile screens of different sizes. IoT has many additional components that need to be taken care of. So, not only hardware but even software needs to be paid careful attention to.
Other new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) may also get integrated with IoT for automation of tasks and learning procedures for different processes in a system. This makes the transition for any IoT App Development company somewhat harder since there will be more constraints on what you can and cannot do.
- Need for better connectivity
This will likely be among the top trends in the future. With so many devices and even more becoming connected, the gadgets will need more bandwidth. Conventional wireless networks such as Wi-Fi, cellular, or Bluetooth with the current frequency bands may no longer be sufficient. This means that mobile app developers offering mobile application development services will need to think about how their products and services will connect to the IoT on their own without any interference. The design should allow devices to be connected via Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth, cellular networks, and more.
New standard connection protocols might also come up. The ultimate goal is to provide reliable services to end-users so that they are not frustrated with poor connectivity issues. The sensors should also be the ones that you actually need to connect to smartphones via apps.
- Advancements in coding
With the growth of IoT, the developers are challenged to incorporate advanced coding techniques into the instructions that they provide. This makes it possible to cater to the unique demands for mobile applications around the world. The users are able to access advanced services instantly from these applications. Businesses can also operate such applications seamlessly without any unwanted issues.
As the IoT demands get more complex and become unique, the need for specialized skills by any IoT App Development company will also be more. The developers working in the industry for a long time will also be looking to upskill themselves. If they do not choose to do something like this, then the IoT components developed by them will likely have flaws. Such a solution will be a waste of time as it will lose to its competitors who have everything in place.
- Data analytics for better customer experiences
The analytics generated from data collection can be used to understand what the customers want and their patterns. This is advantageous in predicting future behavior and marketing to the right audience. Businesses can make timely changes with this real-time information. This will not only reduce the chances of losses in the future but also build long-term relationships with customers. This is true no matter the segment that is using it and it is only possible via the IoT mobile apps.
- Growth of better customization options
The development companies will have to allow customers more options and ensure that they are able to win the trust of their customers as well as safeguard their interests. Those offering mobile application development services will provide more interactive apps that have easy customization options because of the growth of IoT. The app developed will have all features and functionalities necessary for IoT operations. Such futuristic application development will ensure that the developers stay ahead of their competitors. The customization features will make it possible for businesses to have their own unique IoT solutions without the need for high-tech support.
- Support of open source community
App developers are more likely to share their code with the open-source community for the development of bigger and better applications. This will also make the entire process transparent which will increase the trust of customers. Businesses and developers will come together to build highly efficient apps for the modern age. This is true for both Android and iPhone app development services.
- Dependence on cloud
Infrastructure changes will be a part of the Industry 4.0 revolution which IoT is a part of. An increase in usage of apps results in rising in data consumption too. In such a case, not just Wi-Fi or cellular access but also cloud performance will play a vital role. IoT platforms will keep on adding new functionalities. Mobile carriers will work on improving their infrastructure to keep up with the sudden surge. Cloud service vendors will also have to make sure that the services they provide are scalable in order to fulfill the high demands of the customers.
- Boost to Hybrid App Development
For IoT, the apps cannot be made platform-dependent. They need to have reusable code that is written once and has the ability to run anywhere. This has given way to hybrid applications which can run across various devices and platforms available in the market. The native mobile applications that are commonly used now can only work on specific platforms. The onus lies with developers working towards building resilient applications suited to provide enhanced user experiences on different platforms.
- Rise of Innovative Startups
The IoT sector has seen some of the highest startups in recent years. IoT gives an opportunity to be innovative and devise novel solutions for current problems that are faced globally. Mobile applications, whether built by an Android or ios application development company, are essential for such businesses to thrive and gain benefits. Developing mobile applications helps to address the issues faced by the customers and attract more customers. The data gathered via the use of IoT allows organizations to get deeper insights when it comes to their target audience. The organizations are able to know what the users exactly want to gain from their products. The businesses can therefore design improved solutions for better customer retention.
- Better assurance of security
Multiple systems communicating with each other and sharing data means higher chances of a security breach. In addition, the large amount of data gathered is stored in the cloud. This means more concerns and skepticism among people regarding stealing sensitive data that they do not wish to share with anyone. The data should not reach hackers with malicious intent through cyber attacks. The companies offering both Android and iPhone app development services must therefore make sure that the apps are highly secure in terms of how they validate and store data. There needs to be a proper set of security protocols that need to be followed to ensure that the collected data stays safe. Hardware encryption resolves any unnecessary conflicts. The extreme protection measures make it possible for developers to mitigate the doubts in the minds of potential customers regarding these mobile apps.
- Remote accessibility
IoT apps should be independent of the location. You must be able to use them anytime and anywhere you want. Basically, you should not need a location-based infrastructure along with the app to control the complete system. The mobile app industry will reap the benefits of this requirement by building customized solutions for various businesses across different verticals.
- Time savings
No human intervention means that efforts on the end of human beings are lesser. As IoT allows the gadgets to interact amongst each other on their own, all the efforts are spent achieving that. There are lesser development efforts required for the apps during the process. But the features that can be added in less time as compared to the traditional process are numerous. This saves developers a great amount of inconvenience. For the users, it becomes possible to have more interactive and user-friendly mobile apps and automate various repetitive tasks.
- Becoming Cost-effective
Any brand looking to have IoT as a part of its offerings will get greater recognition given the demand. The expense of building mobile apps which work with connected devices will also go down. The idea is to optimize the resources and elements available so as to have some savings.
- Enterprise Apps to flourish
The maximum demand for IoT-based apps will be from enterprises who have realized the power of IoT to expand their business. Even on-premises, companies can use connected apps to control their devices and ease the tasks of employees. This means better employee productivity and therefore higher gains. Issues like downtime will also be lesser since the machines would be regularly maintained and alerts in case of malfunctioning would be sent immediately. There are chances that many companies will adopt wearables for the workers in their offices in the future for simplifying routine tasks and easy monitoring. This means that there will be more customized solutions offered by mobile development companies to suit businesses in different domains and having different sizes.
- Staying in competition
You should be able to adapt in order to not become obsolete as new changes come. Mobile development has not fully adapted to the IoT world fully yet. There is no doubt that IoT is going to grow in the coming years and hence mobile apps will choose to adopt the latest technologies. This means shifting the prime focus and changing the ways in which apps are developed. Earlier it was more about ensuring a great simple and user-friendly UI/UX but now efficient integration of the app with sensors, systems, and devices is important. With a vast range of gadgets available in the market, there would be higher specialization levels for connecting to different types of devices. IoT mobile app developers will be working with product teams even more. Otherwise, your solutions will get rejected.
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To sum it up
There should be no doubt that IoT will bring numerous changes in the field of mobile development, especially some unexpected ones. The limit is just how far one can go with innovative ideas. Mobile apps that help with IoT can help boost the chances of completion of tasks in time for businesses. You will be able to control everything with the palm of your hand.
