iOS app development continues to evolve in the face of advancing technology and changing user preferences. Developers in 2024 find themselves with a myriad of possibilities in what they can build but also high user expectations on app quality, interactivity, and data privacy. In the iOS space, the biggest conversations are around what the Swift development language is now capable of, AI integration in apps, improving privacy, and virtual and augmented reality features.

In this post, we highlight what we at NS804 consider the biggest trends in iOS app development in 2024.

New Possibilities Unlocked through Swift 6

Swift is a popular programming language for building iOS apps. It was initially popularized by Apple before becoming an open-source project with a strong community of users. Swift 6 promises a range of improvements for the benefit of programmers. It’s likely to be even more interoperable with other languages such as C and C++. Further, the development team promises better error-handling support, easier debugging, and more efficient memory management.

Through abstraction, code written in Swift 6 is likely to be even more readable. An easy-to-work-with programming language is likely to make it even easier to build more apps.

Building On-Demand Apps

On-demand apps are not just a fad. 75% of people in the USA were using at least 1 on-demand app before 2020 and this statistic certainty rose during COVID. People today want to feel in as much control as possible by being able to request food, drink, taxis, groceries, healthcare, and other essentials from their phones. The on-demand app industry is still quite young and revenues are likely to rise to over $335 billion in 2025.

Some sectors where on-demand apps are exploding include gift deliveries, pet care, home chore services, and craft products.

Apps that leverage 5G

As the 5G network grows across the world and more people acquire 5g G-enabled devices, developers have the opportunity to build more data-heavy applications. For context, 5G could unlock 100x greater download speeds than a 4G network. Gaming applications and conferencing apps will benefit immensely from higher network speeds and reduced latency. Other features that could become more common include augmented reality and smooth HD video streaming in areas where this was not possible before.

Another important development that 5G will unlock is more edge computing. This refers to the processing of requests on devices as opposed to sending requests to a cloud server. Features such as voice command can benefit from faster computing leading to more natural interaction between voice assistants and the end-user.

Greater AR Integration into Apps

In 2024, we will see more apps adding augmented reality features to enhance user experience. Apple’s ARKit is specifically built to allow developers to add AR features to their projects while protecting the privacy of the app’s end users. Augmented reality takes advantage of a device’s camera. Through motion tracking and scene recognition, a variety of useful features can be added to an app.

Businesses in multiple industries have taken advantage of AR with gaming, education, retail, and healthcare being at the forefront. In healthcare, for instance, apps meant to train doctors can create more immersive experiences for trainees through AR to foster better symptom recognition and description. Visualization can also be used for better patient education with proper approvals from authorities, of course.

In education, AR will make lessons more interactive and foster content retention amongst learners. A good example is being able to superimpose what is virtual onto the real world to teach otherwise abstract concepts such as eclipses or anatomy.

Cloud Integration

As more businesses appreciate the advantages of cloud-based apps, more of these apps will likely be built in 2024. The benefits of cloud integration include flexibility be being able to use an application seamlessly across apps. There is also an added layer of security whereby only authorized people can access sensitive information. Information backed to the cloud is also safe in case of a disaster or loss of a hardware device.

Apple has CloudKit, a set of tools for use by developers who choose to build apps on Apple’s cloud server. CloudKit APIs and tools ensure proper data syncing, data encryption, and setting up of automated actions by developers.

IoT Dependent Apps

The Internet of Things will continue to expand rapidly in 2024. This is the network of things that can send information over the internet. This includes sensors on home utility devices, cars, production plants and so much more. The low cost of computing today means that data collected through IoT devices can be used to create value.

iOS developers continue to build applications that rely on such data. A good example is health and wellness apps that rely on information from wearable devices to give insights to users. As smart homes become more of a reality, more apps have come up to allow people to create routines to save energy or simply feel a greater level of control and security by being able to monitor their home devices remotely. Certainly, more opportunities lie in that space for developers to pursue.

Sustainable iOS App Development

There is a growing need for app development teams to consider the ecological footprint of the applications they are building. Sustainable app development is about finding strategies to reduce the environmental impact of the app being built. One of the hallmarks is to build apps that run efficiently thus minimizing energy consumption. Removing redundant code, reducing network requests, and using caching mechanisms can massively reduce an app’s energy consumption.

This coupled with durable hardware reduces electronic waste. While a single app may not have a visible impact, it makes a big difference at a global level considering there are billions of smartphone users today.

The Importance of Privacy in iOS App Development

Security has always been an important element in iOS development. However, as more privacy laws come into effect across various jurisdictions in the world, the importance of privacy has only increased. App users are now more cognisant of the risk that comes with using unsafe apps.

Now, there are some best practices that developers must implement whenever they are building apps today. First, all user data has to be encrypted at rest and while in transit. Further, there has to be two-factor authentication for logging in before granting access to other sensitive information stored in the app. Some developers are also building a feature that forces users to change passwords regularly as an added layer of security.

The average cost of a data breach in the US is over $5 million. Firms cannot afford the legal risk and reputational damage that comes with it. At NS804, we understand the importance of building proper security features and regular security updates for the apps we develop.

App Clips

Apple developed App Clips as a way to allow developers to showcase a small part of their app to users as a demo. Through App Clips, users can experience one full feature of an app before installing the full app. For instance, a user can make a food delivery request from an app without downloading the entire app. They can sign in with Apple and pay using Apple Pay.

App Clips offers developers a method to increase visibility and grow their conversion rates. When a user completes an action, they are offered the option to install the whole version of an app. There is no doubt that 2024 will see more apps take advantage of this feature from Apple.

Mobile Wallets

Mobile wallets are applications that allow people to store their cards in one place. This includes credit cards, debit cards, and even loyalty cards. While this trend was first popular in China, it’s becoming ubiquitous in the developed world too. Now, more apps are being built to accept payments using Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, and PayPal too. The advantage is that users do not need to enter their card details on every app they are using. It also feels safer to pay using these wallets.

From a user experience perspective, these wallets facilitate a smoother checkout process when making purchases, which has a net positive effect on sales volume.

Super Apps

China and India have been the premier markets for massive super-apps with WeChat, Alipay, and Paytm. These super apps bring together a range of services including messaging, e-commerce, and money transfer. Successful super apps become a central part of people’s lives in those markets.

Super apps promote efficiency and security by bringing multiple apps into one.

The race for super apps in other markets is on. We will likely see attempts by major companies try and build more services into their existing apps. Platforms that already have billions of users may be well primed to introduce their users to new revenue-generating services such as payment processing solutions. A good example would be sending payments within a social media network.

Swift UI

Besides Swift 6, Apple have also availed Swift UI as a framework to help developers build user interfaces for iOS and Mac-OS. The framework has been around for over three years and its intention is to reduce the amount of code developers have to write by having preset layouts for content presentation. The syntax is also easier for developers to get right and build apps that feel native across all Apple platforms. In 2024, it is expected that even a greater number of UIs will be built using this framework.

Gamification

iOS app developers are finding ways to incorporate elements of gamification in apps that people would not traditionally expect. The goal of gamification is to increase user engagement which translates to retention. Many fitness apps have achieved success by introducing new challenges for users and including redeemable rewards. Other apps have leaderboards to make users feel like they are part of a community of people with whom they share common interests. A lot of learning and self-development apps have streaks showing the number of consecutive days a user has logged on and put in meaningful work. These corporations make users feel good about themselves. It’s also a way to nudge users towards premium subscriptions or in-app purchases to unlock more features or renew streaks.

Siri Shortcuts in more Apps

Developers are taking more advantage of Siri shortcuts to increase the amount of interaction users have with their apps. With hands-free commands, users can interact with apps even when going about other duties. The power of voice assistants lies in natural language processing and behaviour learning to correctly tell a user’s intent. For example, users today can make food delivery requests with voice assistants through Siri shortcuts. This requires well thought out implementation on the part of the food delivery development team including accepting payments through a mobile wallet such as Apple Pay. A user making such a request would expect feedback from the app on the expected delivery time of the order or an alternative response when what they ordered is unavailable.

Work with Us

There are numerous trends in iOS app development in 2024. The launch of iOS 17 will only increase the amount of features developers can incorporate in projects. Still, there are broad themes that will dominate conversations in the app development space as pointed out in this article.

First, app data security will remain a key interest area. Artificial intelligence and machine learning-dependent features should deliver more powerful and useful features for developers to incorporate within their apps. Easier payment processing, 5G download speeds, and more cloud-based apps will be quite popular going forward. The race for super apps is also likely to take shape in western countries.

At NS804, we remain focused on making use of current developments to deliver cutting-edge iOS app projects for our clients. If you are thinking about building an iOS or cross-platform app for your business, reach out to us through our website. A member of our team will be in touch for an extended discussion.

iOS App Development Trends in 2024