Mobile apps are becoming essential and popular tools for carrying out our routine activities. These are getting largely used while social networking, internet browsing, downloading different stuffs, watching movies, purchasing online, transacting digitally, securing device from malware, gaming, and more. The new emerging technologies like IoT, VR, AI, etc. are also demanding different sophisticated apps for their functionality.
What are the Mobile Applications?
As everybody is aware of mobile apps that are the software application developed to run on mobile devices like mobile phones, and tablets. Mobile apps are developed separately for each operating system such as; iOS, Android, and Windows. These specially developed apps may get pre-installed into the device or available at the special ‘app store’ of that respective OS, from that app it can be downloaded and installed on the device.
Mobile apps are available on the basis of the use, type of device, and operating system. Most mobile devices are sold with several apps as pre-installed software like; web browser, email, video player, calendar, maps, antivirus, and many more.
Some major popular Apps are;
Internet Browsing Apps
These apps are mainly developed for the mobile that helps smooth browsing with weak hardware. These apps also provide; faster page loading, ad blocking, secure browsing, font/image adjustments for comfortable viewing and reading, shortcuts and bookmarks for instant loading, etc. Some browsers also provide inbuilt apps or shortcuts for apps, for all-in-browsing. These apps also run on weak hardware and software with compressed version making them more popular in this segment.
Social Networking Apps
Social media apps are purely made for a specific social networking service, like Facebook, whatsapp, twitter, and instagram are having their own apps. Social networking service is mainly driven by mobiles and smartphones. Mobile phones are always with the user; facilitating them to maintain continuous contact with their social group, unlike PCs. These apps provide flexibility to the user to upload their images, view, download images and more in addition to chatting, voice/video calling directly from their mobile. Social networking apps are on the top for getting installed from the respective app store.
Gaming apps
Gaming apps requires specific hardware in mobile to run smoothly depending on various elements like their complexity, resolution, connectivity, and number of levels. After social networking apps, gaming apps are more popular as they provide a total gaming platform on-the-go. Multi-player gaming apps have the facility to connect with number of devices, having the same app through wifi or internet connection. By using this feature multiple players can play the game in real time from their respective devices. Location-based gaming apps are not only played on mobile phones, but they also integrate the player’s position into the game concept. The player’s movement and coordination are main elements in this mobile game. Presently, Pokemon Go is very popular in this segment. Depending on the functionality and specialty, variety of gaming apps are available on the app store.
Mobile TV, Music and Video Player Apps
Watching live TV or video streaming on the mobile is possible by using TV apps, user can select the channel and watch the TV live without requirement of TV or setup-boxes. Music app has a huge song list of all types. From that list, users can select songs and play without the need of downloading. Video player apps help user to play video of any format with options like screen size, screen resolution, video brightness, volume adjustment, subtitle on/off, and more.
E-Commerce Apps
E-commerce-mobile apps are developed only for special E-commerce platform (like Amazon has its own mobile app for shopping). These apps help buyer to compare and choose an item and add the selected item in the cart and order when needed. The buyer doesn’t need to log-in every time, and can check order status, order history directly from a mobile phone. The E-Commerence site also offers discounts, sometimes for orders through mobile app. For payments, these apps provide the option of wallet for every account or redirect to internet banking or also provide an option for cash on delivery depending on the customer’s requirements.
Maps and Navigation Apps
These apps help user while travelling to new places by navigating them on maps. These maps also provide voice assistant for bikers. These apps are mainly developed by giant like Google and Uber. Uber uses this platform in their taxicab business for booking and payment.
Health Apps
Health apps are generally pre-installed in the smart-wearables as it shows heartbeats, temperature, and other functions of user’s body which helps them during workouts. These apps can also be downloaded to mobiles as well; because it also gives diet advice to users for their daily intake.
Mobile Security Apps
Security apps mainly installed in the device for securing from malware. These apps act as antivirus as well as device cleaners. It cleans junk file and stops unused apps for better performance of the device and battery. These apps provide continuous updates to the users that safeguard their devices from new malware.
Mobile Wallet Apps
The mobile wallet is gaining more popularity as it eliminates physical handling of currency for transactions. By using a mobile wallet, users can pay bills, recharge their mobile/DTH packs directly from mobile, and transfer funds to any of their bank accounts. Big automobile companies have also introduced mobile wallet into their cars to pay bills for parking, fuel, tolls, etc.
These are some useful apps made for the everyday application. But with the improvement in technology, utilization of apps is also advancing. Innovative new technology changes the conventional way of usage of apps.
Some of the advanced apps are;
IoT Apps
IoT apps are developed on the basis of requirement, use, and the type of device. IoT makes use of different sensors, processors, actuators, network connection, and software. As IoT is gaining more space due to automation, it demands a special mobile app. IoT apps are mainly used in autonomous vehicles, drones, smart-homes, etc.
VR Apps
Virtual Reality (VR) apps are used to generate the realistic images, sounds and other sensations that replicate a real environment. VR is becoming more and more popular with the continuous introduction of new VR related products in the market, they are creating a space for different VR mobile apps.
Voice-controlled Apps
Voice-activated Assistant Apps like Amazon’s Alexa is made for voice interaction, music playback, setting alarms, making to-do lists, playing audio-books, streaming podcasts, and providing weather, traffic, and other real-time information. It can also control many smart devices as a home automation hub. Some automobile companies also implementing voice assistant apps for their vehicles for controlling different functions.
Nearly, all the needs of the user can be completed with the apps like purchasing, taxi-train-plane-bus seat booking, food ordering, selling of old-new products, and more. There is the continuous addition of new apps in the mobile market that takes place with their uniqueness and usefulness.
New technologies and new requirements are making the apps industry to innovate beyond limits that can fulfill the emerging requirements of a human being.
