What makes apps “stick around” while others fade away? A good way to answer this question is to start by studying the best mobile app development currently on the market.
That’s why we, The App Bros, have created a list of some of the top apps in 2021, highlighting a few of the features that make them stand out from the rest. This list will inspire you whether you’re a business leader looking to step up your mobile game or an entrepreneur with a cool app idea. It will also give you an insight into what works for some of the world’s biggest tech companies and help you emulate success.
The Most Important Takeaway? Solving a problem.
Whether you’re a business trying to find more efficient ways to serve your customers or an entrepreneur with a new idea, all of the best apps on our list have one thing in common: they use mobile technology to solve a problem.
With a fast-paced and ever-growing market, evolving consumer demand and advances in technology allows mobile applications to help businesses stay competitive and relevant. Online magazine eMarketer found that the average US adult increased the amount of time spent on mobile devices by 31 minutes in 2021, with 88% of that time spent inside apps.
In other words, mobile technology is only getting stronger. The world loves apps and demand is exponential, but there is a reason why several apps fail. To ensure high mobile engagement, an app needs to solve a problem and deliver a fantastic User Experience. The following 5 apps do just that.
Uber
Uber offers a top-notch user experience -- something anyone can argue after they’ve tried using local competitors. Uber continues to dominate the U.S. market, with 71% of that market share.
Here are a few things Uber is doing right:
Phenomenal GPS integration with Google Maps, which allows users to drop pins in precise locations.
Price calculation so riders automatically know what they are paying upfront. This may sound subpar now, but this was an innovative feature when it first came out.
Flawless payment processing, with even an option to pay cash in parts around the world where credit card usage is not as common.
Price: Pay per ride.
Availability: iOS, Android
Instagram
With 1.4 billion monthly users, Instagram is one of the world’s largest social media platforms. After launching in 2010, the app was quickly purchased by Facebook in 2012 and has become extremely popular among Millennials and Gen-Zers. It offers a simple way to connect through images and videos, making it an extremely powerful channel.
What Instagram does right:
In-app photo and video editing for on-the-spot posts.
In-app shopping that allows users to connect with brands and browse new products for sale.
The “stories” feature showed up on Instagram before it did on Facebook, allowing users to capture photos and videos that would stay posted for only 24-hours.
Price: Free
Availability: iOS, Android
TikTok
Built by the Beijing-based firm ByteDance, TikTok is a popular app for creating and sharing short videos. The most popular theme on the platform is dancing and lip-syncing, but many use it for creative short film making. Once the favorite among the under-18 crowd, TikTok has gone mainstream with over 2 billion downloads globally by April of last year.
How TikTok stays on top:
Highly-effective algorithm organizes what users want to see. Every social media platform does this, but TikTok is considered extremely “sticky,” with the average user spending 52 minutes per day on the app and a total of 90% of users accessing it daily.
The duets feature allows users to collaborate on different devices to create group videos. Users can add on to existing viral videos using this feature.
Automatic filters make people look better on camera. While this may not be the best approach for body-positivity, it drives user engagement.
Price: Free
Availability: iOS, Android
Amazon
As one of the world’s largest multinational tech giants, the Amazon ecosystem offers digital streaming, e-commerce, cloud computing, and more. Consistently at the front of UX innovation, Amazon’s app makes it a simple task to buy, return, and review products all over the world.
What Amazon is doing:
Utilizing a high-tech, seamless returns process that allows users to pick the products they wish to return and process them directly through the app.
The barcode scanner feature allows users to scan a barcode for an in-store item and compare it to the price on Amazon.
The Buy Now button lets shoppers make a purchase with one simple click.
Price: Free
Availability: iOS, Android
YouTube
YouTube is the world’s most popular video platform. The app offers a plethora of entertainment and original content, helping millions of creators film and share their work throughout the world.
What YouTube is doing right:
Video chapters allow creators to organize videos into sections, that way viewers can jump to whichever “chapter” they want to watch and skip past any segments they aren’t interested in.
Subscribe button allows users to subscribe to any favorite creator’s channel in one simple click. Any time the creator posts a new video, users will receive a notification, thereby boosting growth and engagement within the platform.
Easy access caption buttons so users can see captions on any selected video.
Price: Free with the option to purchase ad-free subscription
Availability: iOS, Android
Why One Should Invest in Mobile App Development
With mobile users steadily increasing, making a mobile presence is imperative for businesses. Digital transformation is shaping the future of every operating business, and building a feature-rich application with the help of a skilled team of developers and designers can take your idea to new heights.
Visit https://www.theappbros.com/ to help turn your iOS and Android app dreams into reality.