The rapid integration of IoT technology with mobile apps is seemingly the most evident among all frontier technologies. Today, if you go out in a park, you’ll see tons of people wearing fitness tracking bands on their hands that track their steps and other vitals and send the data to the mobile app on their phones.
The Internet of Things is the next big thing in mobile app development. Or, as explained with the fitness band example above, it is already here. According to data on Statista, there will be 25.44 billion IoT-connected devices by 2030. It is more than double the current number in 2022, which is 13.1 billion.
If you’re interested in how the IoT will change the future of your mobile app development, keep reading. But first, let’s learn what the Internet of Things is.
What is the Internet of Things. or IoT?
The Internet of Things, or IoT, is a network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances, and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and connectivity tools to enable these objects to collect and exchange data.
The IoT allows people and organizations to connect and interact with these devices and systems to manage them and optimize their workflows and processes. In other words, the IoT is a way to connect the physical world with the digital world.
The Future of Mobile App Development with the Internet of Things
The future of mobile app development is closely linked with the future of the Internet of Things. As more and more devices become interconnected, the potential for innovative new mobile apps is huge.
The IoT provides a wealth of data that can be used to create apps that are more personalized, efficient and effective. The question that arises in everyone’s mind is how much influence will IoT have on the future of mobile app development?
Internet of Things technology is penetrating almost all new applications, like connected automobiles, smart homes, smart cities, smart factories, wearables, etc.
In the future, we can expect to see mobile apps that can utilize IoT data to provide a more seamless and personalized user experience. For example, a shopping app could use data from a connected smart fridge to suggest recipes based on the available ingredients. Or a fitness app could use data from a wearable device to provide real-time feedback and encouragement to help people reach their fitness goals.
The following are some business verticals that are incorporating IoT in their mobile phone apps:
1. IoT in Healthcare & Medicine – Installing IoT devices in medical equipment makes it easier for doctors to monitor patients’ health and get a timely alert in case of an emergency. Hospitals can ask development teams to create apps for their staff to get real-time health statistics, enhancing the efficiency of operations, and streamlining efforts and costs for the treatment.
As per the Fortune Business Insights statistics, the IoT market in the healthcare sector will rise from USD 89.07 billion in 2021 to USD 446.52 billion in 2028. The demand for connected medical devices, telemedicine, and real-time health diagnostics (done remotely, overcoming distance barriers) will drive this growth.
2. IoT in Personal Health & Fitness – The use of smart devices like fitness tracking smart bands, are already in widespread use. Wearables are one sector where the Internet of things has already spread its wings with connected mobile apps that show details insights from the data collected by the wearable tracking devices. In the coming years, we’ll see further integration of IoT in homes, pet care, and personal health monitoring.
According to a report published in the “Markets and Markets”, the global wearable technology market size can reach up to USD 265.4 billion in 2026 (from USD 116.2 billion in 2021). The major contributor to the growing demand for IoT mobile applications with wearables is healthcare.
3. IoT in Agriculture – By 2050, 9 billion people are expected to live on the planet. It is necessary to enhance agriculture to meet the steadily rising demand for food. IoT-based smart cultivating equipment uses sensors to monitor vitals like sunlight (or artificial sunlight), humidity, temperature, soil wetness, etc. which promote crop growth and health. These sensors enable farmers to remotely use their mobile devices to keep an eye on the condition of their farms.
Precision farming, livestock monitoring, smart greenhouses, agricultural drones, and other IoT applications are also used in the real world.
4. IoT in Smart Factories – A new revolution in the IoT for the smart factory is about to begin. It will make processes leaner and more efficient, reduce wastage, enhance worker safety, and track assets in real-time. It is the new age of the industrial revolution called Industry 4.0.
Read about the problems and solutions in the implementation of Industry 4.0 here.
In other words, the internet of things technology, combined with cutting-edge enterprise mobile apps, will boost asset visibility, streamline day-to-day operations in factories, optimize productivity, and boost return on investment for the businesses.
Top 4 Ways IoT Is Influencing Mobile App Development Process
There’s no doubt that the Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing the way we live and work. And, as IoT devices become increasingly commonplace, they’re also changing the way mobile apps are developed. Here are four key ways IoT is transforming mobile app development:
1. Increased focus on data security. As more and more sensitive data is collected and stored by IoT devices, security concerns are becoming more prominent. Mobile app developers must now design with data security in mind, ensuring that personal and confidential information is properly protected.
2. Greater need for real-time data processing. IoT devices generate a huge volume of data, which must be processed in real-time to be useful. This requires mobile app developers to design apps that can handle large amounts of data quickly and efficiently.
3. Improved user experience through personalization. By collecting data about users’ preferences and behaviors, IoT devices can provide a more personalized user experience. This is something that mobile app developers must take into account when designing apps for IoT devices.
4. New monetization opportunities. The data collected by IoT devices can be used to generate new revenue streams. For example, mobile app developers could develop apps that sell users’ data to third parties (ethically and abiding by the data privacy policy).
IoT is having a significant impact on mobile app development. As IoT devices become more prevalent, mobile app developers must adapt their strategies to account for the new challenges and opportunities presented by this technology.
Internet of Things – The Future of Mobile App Development
To conclude this article, we can say that IoT is transforming the mobile app development landscape. Frontier technology offers a wide range of novice opportunities for businesses to create innovative and interactive apps. With IoT, businesses can develop apps that can control and monitor devices and appliances remotely, collect data from a variety of sensors, and provide users with real-time information and feedback.
IoT-enabled apps can provide a wealth of new features and functionality, such as the ability to monitor energy usage, track fitness and activity levels, control home automation systems, and much more. With the vast amount of data that IoT devices can generate, businesses can also use mobile apps to gain valuable insights into customer behavior and trends.
The possibilities are endless with IoT, and we can safely say that the Internet of Things is the future of mobile app development.