Internet of Things: The Future of Mobile App Development, Here’s Why

You might have not realized it yet, but the Internet of Things (IoT) has already unobtrusively penetrated the different aspects of our modern living – from everyday communications to home safety, from how we work to how businesses and industries operate, and everything in between. It may not always be obvious, but IoT has been working in the background for several years already. It allows better communication and connection between the end-users like us and the things around us.

IoT has significantly altered how numerous digital devices are interconnected to each other to collect and share relevant data and provide better, more efficient functioning. It is a powerful, innovative technology that comprises a network of sensors working together to collect relevant information or data from people and machines. The collected data is then transmitted to a central repository.

As IoT technology continuously gets more sophisticated and with its increased proliferation and demand, the cost of IoT network development and maintenance is significantly reduced.

People nowadays are looking for applications that they can conveniently access using their mobile phones and other portable smart devices. As the demand for connected devices drastically and spirally grows over the years, IoT has also gradually become widely known. And it has already successfully penetrated the mobile app development arena. Through the years, the industry and the mobile app development companies have witnessed a rising demand and need for building feature-rich, sensor-enabled and user-friendly applications that allow data sharing and better communication.

Drones, health monitors, smart cars, smart home appliances, and smartwatches are among those things that leverage the power of IoT. These connected devices collect and transmit data and send push notifications to a central data repository – usually a smartwatch or a smartphone. The appliances of a smart home, for instance, can be controlled using a smartphone. Even if you are located on the opposite side of the world, you can be able to access and control your devices and appliances at home through your smartphone. This includes all connected devices and appliances including television, lights, air conditioner, HVAC system, and security system.

In order to do this, however, you need to install IoT apps on your device. IoT apps are new suites of specialized mobile applications that are considerably different from typical mobile apps. IoT apps are multidimensional and are designed by mobile app development companies with special features and components including cloud, analytics, and sensors.

Below are some of the primary ways IoT technology solutions have shaped the future of mobile application development.

Open-source development is becoming a trend nowadays. The introduction of IoT has encouraged many mobile app development companies around the world to develop open-source applications and programs and share them openly with other mobile app developers.

The rise of open-source development has greatly helped countless nascent web and mobile app developers to develop their own intuitive, feature-rich, and highly scalable mobile applications without having to build them from scratch. Integrating IoT into the existing open-source mobile app development frameworks provides developers with the functionality of building simplified apps in an open environment.

The added level of transparency in terms of the development procedure also enables both the virtuoso and the budding mobile app development companies to better and seamlessly collaborate and coordinate with each other all throughout the development process. This makes building high-tier mobile apps possible, quicker, and simpler.

Needless to say, the rise of open-source development has helped significantly increase the demand for IoT technology solutions. It also helped boost the growth rate of mobile applications across different platforms and prompt integration between additional smart technologies with mobile applications.

While user experience (UX) is still a critical factor in building mobile apps, the spotlight is no longer just focused on creating mobile applications that offer great UX (e.g better functionality and user-friendly). The focus is now geared towards integrating sensors and connected smart devices into the mobile application.

The scarcity of platforms has encouraged developers to make new ones. And this trend is expected to rise and last for many years to come. The integration of IoT platforms also urges cross-platform applications developers to keep their attention focused more on niche platforms.

Although IoT is still a relatively new, nascent technology in the mobile applications industry, the advantages it offers are already becoming apparent. Among the discernible advantages of IoT technology is allowing developers to build their own platforms that are compatible with IoT apps. This helps solve the platform scarcity and availability problem of IoT compatible apps.

Developing new platforms can help mobile app developers ensure that they can always offer something new and interesting to the end-users. Moreover, building new platforms will also ensure that developers will have a multitude of resources that can help them build new, unique, and lucrative mobile apps.

Enterprises nowadays no longer just operate within their brick-and-mortar organization. As more and more businesses are now transitioning to digital commerce, the need for software and applications that can help streamline their day to day operations is also growing. This increasing demand has encouraged developers to develop a multitude of mobile enterprise apps.

The integration and availability of IoT technology do not only help enterprises control and manage their operation digitally and conveniently but it likewise enables employees to connect with each other seamlessly. In addition, IoT technology solutions help businesses connect all their current enterprise apps and keep them in one place.

With the integration of IoT technology, enterprise apps are getting more sophisticated, and management of all the connected applications within their organization is made quicker and easier. It allows enterprises to maintain and monitor the condition, and functioning of the connected equipment, thus, reducing downtime and minimizing losses due to equipment failure. All these have helped significantly improve productivity and gains.

More and more individuals, businesses, organizations, and industries are now adopting smart technologies that can be conveniently and easily accessed through smartphones, best smartwatches, and other smart devices. This has led to a significant increase in the demand for mobile apps that support connected and IoT devices. And this increasing need has not shown any sign of stopping yet.

Considering the growing demand for IoT compatible applications, it is safe to say that in the future, the mobile apps marketplace may reject those that have IoT adaptability issues. You can also expect IoT to become mandatory for most mobile apps especially those that are used to connect smart devices and IoT networks. You can also expect to see more developers, especially those who are into cross-platform development, focusing more on building IoT compatible mobile apps for homes, and businesses across all industries.