The article was updated on February 02, 2022.
Among numerous branches in IT, app development for iOS is one of the most promising and popular ones. No wonder, as experts anticipate that by 2023, the worldwide mobile app revenue will reach over $935 billion.
People’s needs are ever-changing, and businesses try to keep up with those shifts. On top of that, users can choose from over 25,000 new iOS apps that are released monthly. If you want to remain in top industry positions, you should take into account iOS app development trends. Otherwise, you risk not only becoming a second-place player but may even get displaced completely from the market by your competitors.
We have prepared the 10 latest trends in iOS development that are worth your attention and will make your apps competitive and compelling to consumers in 2022.
1. Swift 6
It all starts with choosing a suitable programming language. For iOS app developers, Swift has established itself as a minimalistic tool that is thus easy to learn and utilize. It is used widely across iOS app development teams in large-scale companies like Apple, LinkedIn, Slack, SkyGuide, etc.
So what makes iOS app development with Swift so convenient and productive? Its compatibility, API and module stability, clear syntax, and plenty of other features help iOS developers focus on code logic and quality.
As for Swift 6, experts can’t announce any specific timeline because of possible major changes brought with this release. Developers expect a considerable rise in the capabilities of the language. It is said that Swift 6 will focus more on supporting various platforms, other than iOS.
In addition, developers should also expect improvements in diagnostics, code completion, debugging, and other features that will better the coding experience.
2. Machine learning & Artificial Intelligence
ML and AI are not a novelty in iOS mobile development. We can barely imagine a successful iOS app without face and speech recognition, search recommendations, Siri, text and image classification, and other related aspects.
All these features have become essential for custom iOS app development, and they can drastically improve the quality of your product. That is why ML and AI implementation will remain one of the central iOS future trends for 2022 and beyond.
Siri is well-known among Apple users, an intelligent voice assistant that reacts to voice commands. Since 2016, iOS developers have been integrating their apps with Siri to implement its voice control features. Siri works within certain domains – sets of users’ intents. Developers can utilize lists, visual codes, ride booking, messaging, photo search, payments, VoIP calling, workouts, climate and radio, and restaurant reservation domains. If this scope is not enough, you can also create custom intents to provide your app with exclusive features.
In 2017, Apple introduced another technology for enhanced iOS mobile development called Core ML. It is a framework that allows the integration of ML models (text, image, video, sound, or tabular) into iOS apps to make predictions based on new input data. This technology leverages the potential of machine learning in developing applications in all Apple products.
3. Augmented reality
AR is one of the most successfully implemented latest iOS development trends. In recent years, it turned into a true AR-mania on iOS platforms of virtually any branch of human activity. It is extremely popular in entertainment; take the case of Pokemon Go or animated masks and stickers on Instagram or Snapchat.
However, augmented reality also finds its way into other branches, such as marketing, healthcare, design, etc. Such giants as IKEA or L’Oreal followed this iOS app development trend to let customers see how their products look in the environment that they will be placed, making their decisions more efficient and convenient.
The ARKit 5 framework provides iOS developers and users with more opportunities and experiences. Now, this technology, combined with machine learning, lets you place AR objects at a specific location using a Location Anchor.
Besides that, users can now utilize the front and back cameras of their devices at the same time, or even place AR content behind or in front of people, experiencing green screen effects in a real-life environment. Among other new features that come with ARKit 5 are expanded Face tracking support, depth API, instant AR placement, and motion capture.
4. IoT and HomeKit
The Internet of Things is an excellent example of how important it is to bind iOS apps development to the changes in the daily life of consumers. It is a technology that allows users to connect all their devices into one system and use them effortlessly.
In June 2014, Apple introduced a special home automation platform called HomeKit. It allows not only the integration of devices from multiple vendors into a single IoT ecosystem but the ability to control them from an iPhone or Apple Watch. It is even possible to control these devices with Siri, a voice-controlled personal assistant: lights, garage doors, safes, locks, thermostats, fans, shades, coffee machines, and much more, can now be voice-controlled.
With the latest updates, HomeKit Secure Video allows users to get notifications about important activity in their homes, and view the footage (even from the doorbell camera) straight from the Lock Screen. Secure Video requires no additional charges, as it works with the existing iCloud plan. HomeKit cameras can spot people, pets, cars, and also packages.
Taking into account the advance of smart home devices, HomeKit will be among iOS app development trends in 2022. However, IoT implementation goes far beyond routine convenience and adapts to pandemic challenges. The recent examples are health tech companies that develop apps for iOS to track users’ health conditions and communicate with their doctors right from their homes.
5. App Clips
How do you develop an iOS app that consumers could use without downloading it? App Clips is the solution and one of the modern iOS app trends. This technology allows users to utilize one part of an application to estimate it before getting its full version.
App Clips are usually straightforward and serve a single task: to pay the bill, book a room in a hotel, rent a bike, and do other similar actions. These functional miniversions of apps are lightweight (less than 10 MB), so users can install them lightning-fast after scanning a certain QR code, following a link, or getting to a certain location.
AppClips are automatically deleted from the iPhone if not used for 30 days. They are as safe to use as regular apps, as they get reviewed by App Store moderators, so users should not worry about any privacy issues.
Creating app clips is an iOS app development stage that is worth special attention. Its success is a turning point for the triumph of your whole application. Make sure it is eye-catching and extensively informative for your users.
6. CloudKit
Cloud-based iOS apps deserve a separate place in the top iOS app development trends of 2022. They are capable of storing, organizing, and managing enormous amounts of data without harming the user experience.
CloudKit is a tool for saving and transferring data that opens new opportunities for developing an iOS app. Now, there are fewer constraints in fulfilling complex tasks and meeting the expectations of the app’s users.
Here are some good reasons why you should consider using CloudKit for creating cloud-based iOS apps.
- Setup and usage simplicity. No superfluous configuration, additional libraries, or unnecessary registrations. You can import data easily, use convenient APIs provided by the framework, and leave security issues with Apple.
- Clear and convenient organization. CloudKit offers a handy system to manage all your data and development procedures. Once you get used to the environments, containers, and zones, the process of building an iOS app will become even more effortless.
- Trustworthiness. Using CloudKit, iOS developers don’t have access to users’ data, as Apple takes over all privacy and security issues. On one hand, it can cause an inconvenience in debugging and troubleshooting, but on the other hand, users are confident that they entrust their data to Apple, not developers.
- Cost-effectiveness. You can use all the benefits of CloudKit and get a generous amount of storage for free.
All these advantages make CloudKit a competitive framework among other BaaS services and an excellent choice for iOS app developers of all levels.
7. Wearables
Wearable gadgets and accessories such as fitness trackers and smartwatches capture modern markets. Statistics show there will be over 1 billion connected wearables across the world in 2022. Such huge popularity appears due to the accessibility of these devices: user categories vary strongly by age groups, genders, occupations, and countries.
How can all these people benefit from wearables?
- Track overall health conditions. Wearables allow people to pay closer attention to their physical health. Monitoring blood pressure, oxygen rate, sleep quality, glucose level, and related functions can help prevent health issues or detect early signs of them.
- Reach fitness goals. We can assume that the popularity of fitness trackers contributed to the overall interest in a healthier lifestyle. With a band app, you can track the daily number of steps or burnt calories, and get the motivation to add more fitness activities to your life.
- Communicate faster and easier. Increasingly more messengers, including Telegram or Slack, allow wearable apps to receive and send messages instantly, even if you don’t have a phone or other gadgets around.
- Stay productive. Wearable apps mostly have tiny features like notifications or alarms that help you focus on important things. You can set timers and notifications to be sure that you never forget about what you have planned, as wearables will remind you about them, wherever you are at a given moment.
- Carry out daily tasks more efficiently. An app for wearable devices can simplify plenty of daily routines with a bunch of helpful features, such as car unlock, panic button, or even contactless payments.
These are only basic applications of wearables, not to mention their functions in professional lives and leisure. No doubt, this niche carries great potential for iOS app development and forms one of the main present iOS trends. Wearable apps can exist autonomously or become a part of a larger iOS app.
Read also: Apps for Fitness Integrated with Wearables
8. iBeacon
Businesses, especially in the retail industry, can now benefit from an emerging BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) technology called iBeacon to enhance any shopping experience. It is much more accurate than GPS and can work inside buildings.
iBeacon can send highly targeted marketing messages to potential customers when they walk nearby such as special offers, coupons, advertisements, reminders, etc. This technology will drastically change the way businesses communicate with customers.
iBeacon technology is not limited only to retail but can also be used in hotels, airports, museums, restaurants, stadiums, theme parks, hospitals, schools, and many other locations. Beacons are quickly becoming popular as a new tool in marketing and developing apps that are powered by this technology will be in high demand.
9. Chatbots
AI-driven chatbots are a real buzzword in iOS mobile development. These programs can replace a team of employees in a company, and a growing number of enterprises have decided to implement this technology in their apps and websites, which makes it one of the present-day iOS app development trends.
But how exactly can businesses and customers benefit from chatbots?
- Customer service and other routine tasks get automated, which allows businesses to cut costs on employment and increase their revenue.
- Clients can get 24/7 support, so companies can work day and night without additional effort.
- Chatbots are fast, and their instant reply can enhance customer satisfaction.
- Employees can focus on the bigger picture and improve service and products globally, rather than spend time on communication with clients.
- Chatbots are always friendly, supportive, and helpful, as they are not affected by human nature, tiredness, and negative emotions.
Taking into account these effects, chatbots can drastically improve business performance. That is a great scope for action in custom iOS app development, as this technology can and should be improved.
Read also: Chatbot Apps: The Future of Customer Service
10. Security
Although privacy aspects are always listed last among the current iOS trends, it is a crucial point to consider when developing an iOS app. A modern smartphone stores passwords to websites, including banking, and social networks, app data, chat history, search queries, you name it. Taking into account the greater number of hackers, users’ sensitive data must be protected.
Cybersecurity issues cause severe harm to businesses. In 2021, the average costs of data breaches reached $4.24 million. Moreover, high levels of protection help attract more consumers to get the app, as they are confident about data safety.
Apple is renowned for multiple features that ensure a brilliant security system. For instance, if you build an iOS app, it will have an App Transport Security (ATS) feature by default. Introduced in iOS 9, it provides a higher privacy level for all newly published iOS apps and strengthens secure connections. Other features that protect data transmission are TLS pinning and end-to-end encryption.
Data storing is another vulnerable aspect that requires closer attention from app developers. Apple uses sandboxing, key chain, and data protection API to make sure apps store users’ data safely.
Hopefully, in the coming years, the commitment to impenetrable protection will become not just one of the iOS app development trends but standard routine practice for developers across platforms.
Final thoughts
Present-day tools and solutions open up new opportunities for app development for iOS. They simplify the development process, improve the technical quality of the applications, and better the user experience.
Building an iOS app may seem like a time- and energy-consuming endeavor. After all, it is hard to track all the current trends, not to mention the organic embodiment of those ideas. With that said, hiring an iOS app development company might be the most efficient option for you.
At Eastern Peak, we always keep up with the latest in iOS development and have an experienced iOS development team to support you at any stage of your project. Contact us to get your product done flawlessly, wrapped up in present-day solutions.
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About the author:
Oleg Roberman, Chief of Delivery at Eastern Peak
With strong technical background and outstanding project leadership skills, Oleg helps Eastern Peak customers introduce competitive advantages and instill productive changes in every process by resolving complex business issues and managing multicultural teams through innovation and creative thinking.
