What’s New in the Mobile Apps Industry?

Every day we try to find some time for us that we can spend in front of the television or the idiot box. It’s not as idiot as it has been pictured though. We take time out to entertain ourselves listening to music, watching shows and movies, or updating our knowledge through news programs. The television provides us about various types of news that relates to politics, economics, or the trends in fashion and other industries. However, here we are going to talk about only one specific field and that is Mobile Apps.

This field in the past few years have seen tremendous growth with the inception of the cloud era, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning particularly with new and even more mobile app companies coming up in countries like India. How far this trend has reached and where it lands us in the coming future can be gauged by going through some of the latest news about the mobile apps.

1) Largest Developer Population in India: Today, India is known for being the second biggest nation to populate the Asian continent by way of population. As of now, this might have affected its resources negatively. But the next 5 years may put India in a very proud position due to this factor only. Seeing the number of mobile app companies in India, and the apps that are being developed by them, the prospects for India seem to be very bright. In the next 5 years, it is estimated, that India will possess the largest developer base overtaking the US. Talking of India, there are 1.6 million app economy jobs now as opposed to 1.2 million three years back. In the coming years, India is all set to beat the US, European Union, Switzerland, and Norway in this sector. In India, Bengaluru spearheads the industry and is followed by Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. While Bengaluru tops the list with 362,000 app economy jobs, the others follow with 2 Lac 48 Thousand, 1 Lac 37 thousand, and 1 Lac 28 Thousand respectively. Pune is not a distant far with 1 Lac 13 Thousand app economy jobs.

2) Google Launches Android 10: What was known as beta release of the upcoming Android version, Android Q, is finally out as Android 10. Seems this number 10 has driven app developers crazy – Windows 10, Android 10, iPhone (well that’s one step ahead) 11. Google has so far revealed this update only to a few versions of Pixel phones. It is also for the first time that Google has not named its OS after some sweets such as candy, lollypop, gingerbread, nougat etc. Following are some of the features that come with Android 10:

A. Dark Theme: The dark theme introduced in Android 10 will provide better visibility to the users at night. The theme saves a lot of battery life and is flexible too as it can be applied either to the entire system or to select apps only

B. Smart Reply: The Android 10 Smart Reply feature will allow the user to perform some action as a result of some event occurring. If a friend sends you a location, the phone will automatically open it in Google Maps without the user having to copy the URL or co-ordinates and paste them in Google Maps.

C. Live Caption: This is something smart and employs the use of Machine learning> When a video is playing, it is able to provide it a caption because of Machine Learning. The option is also available for podcasts, webinars, and audio as well.

D. Family Link: Parents having an Android 9 or Android 10 version mobile OS have the option to restrict or set a time limit for the kids on specific apps. Also, they will be able to see what the kids are installing and how much of those apps are being used by them.

E. Foldable Device Support: Android 10 has come up with support for foldable devices as more and more of such devices enter the market. So diverse screen dimensions are going to be an acceptable feature in such a case.

3) CryptoCurrency Ban to Hurt 20 Thousand BlockChain Developers: A few years back, there was the word that the Bitcoin-like currencies would become a common sight. However, the scenario does not appear to have remained the same. In India, it was earlier declared that The Reserve Bank of India, the nation’s Parent Bank, was coming out with a Cryptocurrency called Lakshmi. A currency that might have rocked the world economy is nowhere now. The status, startling as it may seem, is this – “Anyone who indulges in the mining of cryptocurrencies, performing transactions with it, is liable to 10-year rigorous imprisonment. Such harsh steps were taken by the Indian Govt. surprised leaders of the G20 even. The US, Japan, and even the EU have taken steps to mitigate risks that could arise from such a currency, but none of them have ever criminalized the use of cryptocurrency, not even the FATF (Financial Action Task Force). As per this declaration, 20 thousand developers and 5 million Indians who had started dealing with Cryptocurrencies are going to be affected. Some of the companies have started to register themselves abroad while they look for an exit door. With cryptocurrency getting banned, the foreign digital currencies and the Rupee itself will find their market intact and unaffected by the Bill.

4) Motorola Partners with Flipkart: Motorola announced its partnership with online store giant Flipkart to launch smart televisions in India. So Motorola is walking in the footsteps of Samsung, Xiaomi, Micromax, and Intex who are already selling both smartphones and TVs. The deal comes into existence starting Sept 29, 2019. Motorola will be offering televisions that are the price in excess of 13,999 Rupees and in sizes of 32 inch to 65 inches. Motorola already had a partnership with Flipkart for its smartphones, the latest being the Moto e6S with a price tag of 7,999 Rs. The smartphone has 4GB RAM, 64 GB internal memory (expandable to 512 GB) and a 6.1-inch display. With an 8MP camera in front, it has a dual camera on its back that can produce a 13MP+12 MP image.

5) Gionee to develop apps in India for connected devices: Gionee, the smartphone company has plans to develop apps in India so that it can offer solutions for Gionee connected devices and their mobile phone accessories. Gionee launched Smart Life on Friday well, equipped with customized apps that could help the watch to function the way the user wanted it to. Besides the plans are on to develop apps for other devices also so that all the devices can stay connected always. This it is doing to ensure the safety of user data which is very sensitive. It plans to store the data in the data centers in India itself. Gionee, which also owns Karbonn Mobiles now, said it was open to any kind of partnerships with other players to offer the best solutions to its users. Currently, it has partnered with Google Fit and Strava for its smartwatch that was launched this Friday.

6) The Reserve Bank of India selects Developer Team for Developing an App for the Visually Abled people: The RBI has specified in its application to the Supreme court that it does not need an Internet connection for developing an app for the visually impaired people to identify the currency notes it issued. As stated by the RBI, the cash transaction process can only be created if one is able to identify the correct currency and its value. Sixteen companies came into the foray for developing the app while only five made it to the selection phase, and Daffodil Software Pvt Ltd was the one to be selected. The app will be able to identify currency notes in the denomination of Rs.1, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 2000. The said app will benefit somewhere 80 lakh people in India.