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Funding a Mobile App Startup

Posted on 26/10/202011/06/2021 by Tushar

There comes a time in the life of every individual with an entrepreneur-streak when they think of an app idea they truly believe in. But if you are anything like the majority of those dreamers, chances are you are sharing their state as well – lack of funds to convert the mobile app startup idea into a digital product.

A ray of hope, however, for every app entrepreneur with restricted funds is to get investors’ interest. An optimistic misconception among the would-be-entrepreneurs is that investors will automatically invest in a great app idea. If only getting app funding was that simple.

Or is it?

Let us walk you through the four most important things on how to raise money for mobile app startup.

How Much Funding Should I Raise?

How Do I Prepare My App to Become a Fund-Magnet?

How Do I Find Investors For My Mobile App?

What Are The Different Funding Options Available to Me?

FAQs on How to Find Funding For Your Mobile App Startup

How Much Funding Should I Raise?

Before you start making a list of prospective investors or binge-watching Shark Tank, decide the funding you actually need for your app. A miscalculation can be a double-edged sword. If you get less funding, it’d bring you back to the square one position post-funding and if you get more funds than planned, it can still be your loss.

The more funds you raise, the more you give away your company at the initial stage of the business. This can hamper your owner’s share and rights once your app becomes a brand. A good starting point of accurate estimation can be to know the average mobile app development cost.

When planning to raise initial capital for your app, you should ask yourself three questions to determine the funds you’d require:

How much money will I need to build my app?
How much money will I need to get traction?
How much will I need for post-launch services?

These questions will give you an estimate of how much effort you will have to put behind raising money for mobile app startup. Generally, the maximum amount goes into funding for mobile app development and the rest will go into the other two questions.

Even if you are partially funding your app from your savings or getting funded by family and friends, you should have an estimate of the fund needed. This will not only help you keep proper track of funds but also will help plan the app expansion.

Once you have estimated the funding you’d require, the next step is to get on the preparatory stage.

How Do I Prepare My App to Become a Fund-Magnet?

Solidify the app idea

Why would even one of the many mobile app investors fund your app if the idea isn’t validated or have the backing of a community need? This is the most asked question when getting funding for an app. To answer this accurately, even a seemingly profitable idea should work on the following factors:

Finding a problem that the app solves

A majority of the apps in the market don’t solve a real problem. Although it works great for gaming or video creation apps, the chances of them getting overshadowed are massive. Unless and until your app is solving a problem that no one has even thought about, it’s going to be tough to sustain.

Build an MVP.

The next part of solidifying an app idea is to build an MVP. A Minimum Viable Product will ensure that your idea actually works and solves the real problem. It is an app version built with key features with an intent to help you raise money. The added benefit of the MVP is that it can gather you constructive feedback which can be used to make improvements in the final product.

Confirm your app’s value.

The last stage of validating or solidifying your app idea is setting up a charge and checking whether people are willing to pay for it. The willingness count will help you understand whether or not your app’s monetary value.

Perfect your elevator pitch

Knowing how to pitch an app idea can be of great help in your quest to get funding for an app. An elevator pitch is exactly how it sounds. It’s short, informative, and can get the attention of the app startup investors immediately. You should always dive into the pitching process with the assumption that the investors will only give you 30 seconds of their time for listening to the app idea.

Know the market

Knowing the target audience and the competition in the market will always be fruitful for you. It is very important to know the veins of the market your app will be functioning in. A market that is made up of not just your target audience but also your direct and indirect competitors, the supporting stakeholders, and even the government regulations.

How Do I Find Investors For My Mobile App?

An important part of answering where to find app startup investors lies in understanding how the investment rounds are structured.

Now when we say structured, we mean the funding rounds move in a set order. Knowing which funding round you need to poach can help answer a number of questions – where to find investors specific to your stage, whom to seek out for funds down the line, is there and if there, then what is the funding timeline? etc.

Seed Round: It is the earliest money that goes into a company, app, or idea. The seed funding mostly comes from the insiders who provide the initial startup capital for establishing the business.
Angel Round: Angel round is similar to seed round, but is usually more formal. They are often outside investors who buy common stock in the company but with more formal terms than seed investors’.
Series A: This is basically the first stage or round of large-scale venture capital funding for an app business. The Series A rounds generally bring in $2 to $10 million and get entrepreneurs the necessary capital for the business to develop its product fully and grow.
Series B, C, D, etc.: These rounds are held on the basis of the capital requirement of the company.

Now that you have gotten insights into the first part of how to raise money for an app idea, getting a list of investors should be the next thing on your agenda. There are numerous investors to get funding for an app from but not everyone is the right fit. AngelList is a website that has more than 40,000 investors but you should pick only the top 40 or so to get your app funded. Other websites to find investors for app ideas are Funded.com, Angel Investment Network.

Get referrals

There’s no harm in getting some benefit off of your network. Referrals are a great way to see investors so if you know someone who knows an investor, ask them to help you. Connecting with mediators who can refer you to some great app funding companies will be a smart move. A platform like LinkedIn is great for forming connections and asking for referrals. Once you get their attention, send in your pitch email with all the necessary details.

With this, we have seen the second part of ‘How to raise money for mobile app startup funding’, and now let’s move on to the third and final section.

After you have done your part to get mobile app development funding, it’s time to look into the different ways of raising money for startup.

What Are The Different Funding Options Available to Me?

Angel or Seed funding

Angel investors and venture capitalists are the first options that a startup app development company advises to their clients.

Angel investors do not generally ask for much business control in exchange for the money they give and that gives you more freedom. Venture capitalists, on the other hand, ask for more business control in exchange for funds. They however also provide mentorship. In the end, both Angel and Seed funding for app startups are a great way to secure funds.

Self-funding or Bootstrapping

How to raise funds for mobile apps yourself? You can become your own investor. Funding the business yourself in the initial stage will give you great benefits since you will have complete control over the business. And in cases where the apps become a success, you might not even need funding in the future. But you can always go to investment firms for loans in the later stages.

Bank loans

You can always go to banks for personal or business loans. Although you might have to keep collateral, the process of getting funds would be the fastest compared to any other option on the list. These days, governments are also being supportive of the startups’ growth, meaning you can expect more funding-assistance reforms coming in your way.

Crowdfunding platforms

Crowdfunding for mobile apps means raising money from a pool of investors where each one is offering a small sum of money. This kind of funding is usually done on crowdfunding platforms that are present online or on social media. In exchange for the contribution, you can give a reward or share of the business.

ICO & IEO

ICO and IEO funding is great for blockchain-based startups. The money is raised in the form of cryptocurrencies which makes it a little risky since such funds have an uncertain future. But this risk is hardly a concern for blockchain startups for being in the industry, they understand the pros and cons of cryptocurrencies.

This was our take on how to get app startup funding. Contact our team of startup app developers for further queries.

FAQs on How to Get Funding For Your Mobile App Startup

Q. How to raise funds for a startup?

The process of raising funds for a mobile startup is a multi-layered event. You will have to answer all these questions:

How much do I really need to fund my app?

How to get investors for an app?

What are the different ways to get funded?

On the basis of these answers, you will get several steps closer to getting funded on your mobile app idea.

Q. How to find investors for a mobile app?

There are many websites you can head out to for finding investors: AngelList, Funded.com, Angel Investment Network, etc. There are also several meetups that are held across the world for entrepreneurs and investors to meet and converse.

Q. When should I raise funds for my app idea?

According to our app developers for startups, the best stage when you should seek app funding is when you have crossed the app validation process and you have a basic understanding of what app features and technologies you have to focus on.

How Much Does a TikTok-like Mobile App Cost?

Posted on 23/10/202011/06/2021 by Tushar

If there is one thing common between Uber, Facebook, and Snapchat it is the fact that they are losing on their active user count and engagement rate.

And the brand that they are losing out to is one that has become inescapable and a major revolution of the entertainment world – TikTok.

The multi-faceted immersive mobile app that is present on both Android and iOS has not just ruled out its dominance in the world of the millions and billions of users around the globe but also thousands of businesses that are marking their presence in the platform to enjoy the many perks that the app has to offer.

Well.

The intent of this article is to help you join the short-video creation and distribution revolution that has been initiated by TikTok by helping you understand what it takes to develop a TikTok mobile app. We will look into the technical and monetary side of the app and in the end, the cost of video creation app development which is entirely TikTok focused.

Before we go on with the article and look at factors like the top players in the industry, the funding rounds that have been held in the segment, the technical aspect of the app and the costing element the application, let us first give time to looking at how TikTok managed to become the top-grossing application of the world.

The international version of Chinese hit platform, Douyin, TikTok took very less time to enter and rule the mobile entertainment industry. The app which allows users to lip-sync dialogues and re-enact their favorite scenes from different movies and music videos has become a go-to entertainment hub for almost every teen and pre-teen in the world.

The app which has Artificial Intelligence powering its every single move has defeated a number of hot-shot businesses of the world with its engagement and revenue numbers.

Here are some statistics that prove how big the TikTok market is and how the app is ruling the world while setting new standards in the Entertainment app sector and how you can too whether you make TikTok app for iOS or build TikTok for Android

The latest TikTok statistics show a picture that TikTok has placed itself at the top of the market acquisition pyramid. Does it mean that a monopoly picture has been drawn in this specific entertainment sector?

Well, the answer is no.

TikTok, in spite of being the most installed and immersive of all the apps in the category, is not the only one that the users are following, there are a number of other similar apps in the domain that have been keeping the category up and running.

Also, the demand that the segment is seeing is something that has acted as a catalyst for other businesses, like yours, to enter the in-demand market segment. So, all in all, the list of TikTok competitors is not limited to just these names.

Fundings in the Segment

It is not just the market demand and emerging competitors count that has seen a rise ever since the TikTok app, earlier Musical.ly started witnessing a high demand from the world. There has been a sharp rise in the number of investors as well, who have shown their interest in putting their money into apps working around video creation and sharing.

Here are the three major funding rounds that hit the category between 2017 and now.

Bytedance – The parent company of TikTok received funding of around $3 Billion from the SoftBank group in October 2018. The use that they cited for this fund round is international expansion. The company plans on taking the Chinese platform across the globe.
Clip – The multi-lingual app which allows users to develop and edit videos alongside an active chat functionality, raised $6 Million in Series A funding round led by Matrix Partners, where the platform’s present investors Shunwei Capital, and India Quotient were also there.

While these are just two high-level funding rounds that the app category has witnessed, there have been a number of other funding sessions in the segment as well.

One thing and probably the sole thing that has been driving the attention of both investors and end-users towards the interactive video creation and sharing platform is the set of features that it comes with.

Let us look into it next.

While on a high-level the main feature of TikTok like the application is the ability to make videos and share them on the platform for other users to view and react to it. The app gives users the facility to lip-sync either some movie dialogue or some song or even the voice of other users.

But when you deep-dive into it from a business front which is looking to enter the same entertainment space as TikTok app and others in the domain, there are a number of other features that you have to attend to in order to make the whole experience immersive and entertaining for the users.

For the context of this article, since you are just starting up in the industry, what we would recommend is making an MVP first that would contain all the must-have features that have to be present in your app as it hits the store and become the answer to How to Create an App like TikTok. The features that you read here are what would go into answering ‘How much does it cost to make an app like TikTok’

Let us look at what they are –

The Must-Have TikTok Features

When you invest in TikTok app development, you don’t just invest in one application but two – User Side of the App and Admin Panel.

Let us look at the features which should be present in both the versions, individually that come together to answer how TikTok works.

User Application Features

Login

The first and supposedly the most attractive screens of an app – Login screen is the one that you will have to pay the most attention to. At this stage, you should aim for having a small form to make users enter the app also they should be given the facility to log in through their social media account to save those extra, unnecessary steps.

Video Section

Since the whole concept of TikTok like app runs around Videos, this has to be the one section that gets the maximum attention from both development and users front. Here, you will have to give users the option to not just create and share their videos but also save them in the draft to be published on a later time. The users are also given the facility to share their videos on social media.

Notifications

The app should send over real-time notifications to the users with respect to followers’ addition, the likes, and shares activity that they make on your videos, and when people they follow make a new update on their profile.

Settings

Under the Settings section, users will be able to manage their profile, change their password, manage blocked users, work around the app settings, and contact the parent company in case of any dispute.

Admin Panel Features

Admin side of the TikTok application will give the admins the facility of doing the following tasks – user management, content management, notification management, manage the flagged videos, and handle reports.

Now that we have seen one technical aspect – App Features let us attend to the other technical element that would help define the whole development process and ultimately the TikTok app cost – Technology Stack.

The Technology Stack we Base Our TikTok Application Development On

TikTok is one of the most innovative apps out there in the entertainment sector of mobile app development domain. The technology stack, in a scenario like this, has to be prepared to back this level of innovation and scalability.

Let us look at the Technology Stack that you can use to back your TikTok like application.

Now that we have looked at both – the Marketing and Technical side of TikTok like app, it is time to look at the business cum revenue side of the app.

Frontend- Native
Backend- Python
Database-Postgre SQL
Cloud- AWS, Google Cloud Storage, Azure
Media Server Configuration- HTTPS, RTMP & HTTP
Video/Audio Transcoding- FFMPEG, Amazon Elastic Transcoder

It has always been a very commonly searched question on the internet, which a number of users around the globe seek an answer to – ‘How do Brands like TikTok or Dubsmash earn money?’

So, next let’s look into the ways TikTok makes money and has managed to become one of the highest revenues generating brands of not just the entertainment industry but of the whole world, before we head on to revealing the cost to develop TikTok app.

How Does TikTok Like Apps Make Money?

While there are a number of ways video creation apps like TikTok can form their monetization model like Subscription and Influencer Promotion, etc. The models that TikTok uses to generate their Million worth revenue streams include –

A. In-App purchase

TikTok gives the users the option to buy stickers and emoticons to react to live videos that get streamed on the platform.

The in-app purchases themselves have got the brand around 275 percent in users spending and approximately 3.75x year-over-year revenue, bringing the revenue count to over $3.5 million globally.

B. Advertisement

In-app Advertisement also proves to be a great monetization method for the TikTok app and others in the same category.

In order to place their advertisement on the platform which is visited by millions and millions of users on a daily basis, brands tend to shell out a huge amount of money.

If you too are fretting over your app’s Monetization model, what we would recommend is either going for either of the ones that TikTok follows or start a subscription-based model, wherein you lock a few features in the app in return of some amount or you can charge the influencers for getting a placement in the platform.

With this, we have seen all – the state of TikTok like apps, the demand they are able to garner from the world, the other major players in the industry, the set of features and technology stack that makes TikTok like apps what they are, and lastly the monetization model that they carry.

It is now time to get on to the most crucial part of it – How much would TikTok like App Cost?

Well, here’s the answer to it.

What is the Cost of TikTok Like App Development?

The TikTok app cost lies in the valuation of a number of factors – features, allocation of resources, and the technologies to use.

Assuming that you are going with the exact set of features that we mentioned above, the TikTok app cost when you look at the MVP of the TikTok like the app will come somewhere around $80,000 to $100,000.

While this is the absolute base amount, it will increase as you add more features in the application like Artificial Intelligence, High-End Animations or Blockchain for handling the in-app purchase segment of your application.

With this, you have seen all that is required to get started with the entertainment revolution and what is left now is getting started, which has just one step in between – Getting in touch with our social networking app development experts who will hand-hold through the process.

Our Experience with TikTok Like App Development

Our team recently worked on to create a musical video app like musically that was based on the idea of TikTok, which took around 6 months to finish the whole ideation to the development process and is set to hit the app markets very soon.

While there were some challenges associated with the creation of app like TikTok in line with AI integration that we faced initially, the learning and application curve was fairly low and we were able to overcome them in very little time.

Keeping the technical complexities aside, there were some business model issues that our clients were facing in terms of finding the right demographics, the promotion plan to follow to take the limelight away from TikTok, and the revenue model selection – Solutions to which lied with our Business Analysis Team, who would love to pass them on to you.

Are Micro Apps the Future of Mobile Applications?

Posted on 18/10/202011/06/2021 by Tushar

The purpose of the mobile app, since its advent, has been to offer quick solutions to users, which they won’t have to browse websites for. But, the pressure to remain above the competition of thousands of similar apps, have taken brands away from offering to the point solutions to providing them with a wholesome feature rich mobile app. While, there is no way to judge which approach is better, but over time, we have been observing that offering quick solutions has become the new mantra to app success. And if there is one concept that we have been focusing on for just this, is – Micro Apps Development.

In this article, we will be looking into the concept in detail, focusing on elements that brought in its need and what makes them the future of Mobile Apps.

What are Micro Mobile Apps?

Micro Apps are HTML based, customized applications that are built to solve a specific purpose. They may or may not be a part of a bigger mobile app. For example, while Facebook Messenger app is a part of Facebook, Google Weather app acts as a standalone micro app in form of a card in the device’s Google Page.

Now that you know what Micro Apps mean, you must be wondering, why people are resorting to these apps, when they have the option to work around a bigger, all inclusive application? The question is the exact reason why users are making the shift.

Let’s delve into this a little further.

Why the Sudden Rise in Demand for Micro Applications Development?

1. Mobile Apps have become Irksome

In the race to offer more value than the competitors, brands continue to add in more features in their mobile apps, making them large in size, slow to load, and more storage space consuming. All of this pulls the consumers into a large, complex structure, which more often than not takes them away from the simple task that they intended to do when they launched the app.

2. Lack of an in and out experience

In continuation of Mobile Apps becoming irksome, the other thing that has happened is that the in and out experience is lacking.

One of the main reasons why users install mobile apps in the first place, is to save time browsing ahttps://anteelo.com/ website or working around its functionalities. But, by offering a mobile application as the miniature version of the websites, brands take away the purpose users first came to them.

3. Soaring Mobile App Development Cost

While it is easier for the bigger brands, small and mid-size brands usually end up staying and then opting out at the development phase itself. The lack of budget for developing an app that is at par with the top rating ones in the category, is the number one reason why most app idea never see the morning sun.

These three are the reasons why the world is now seeing a gradual shift from the heavy, all functions inclusive mobile applications towards a new found demand for Micro Apps Development.

But, where does Micro Apps fit in these issues? Let’s find out.

All of the above mentioned issues can be easily solved by the advent of micro-apps. Short in app size and device resource usage, micro-apps allow users to be in control of doing what they intend to, without any distraction.

Micro Mobile Apps come in the picture of struggling mobile app development market, with their USPs specifically focusing on providing –

– Simplest Form of User Experience

Designed to address a specific issue faced by the users, Micro Apps come with a no-nonsense, direct user flow.

– Development with Limited Resources

Being focused on a specific task, Micro Apps Development do not call for complex technological processes. It helps cut down the app development cost to a great extent.

With features such as these, Micro Apps have emerged as the rightful solution to the dwindling user retention issue. By offering to the point features to the users, they serve the purpose of what the Mobile Application industry is based on.

It’s time to add a Micro App as a part and parcel of your high value embedding application. Talk to our Mobile App Experts and know where to start.

How might the Discovery Phase aid the survival of your Mobile App?

Posted on 14/09/202010/06/2021 by Tushar

With numerous mobile apps entering app industry daily, the biggest challenge for app developers is to make their app survive. How can one develop an app that beats 2.8 million mobile applications? How can one make his app stand out of the crowd when user hardly use 30 apps a month? How can one create a mobile app with lifetime success like Pokemon Go, Candy Crush and SnapChat?

One word answer to all of these questions is App Discovery.

App Discovery

App Discovery phase, in simpler terms, is the phase where you put your app idea on paper. You consider your business objectives and user expectations and plan how your mobile app will look and feel. You define all the crucial requirements, estimate the cost of app development and all the major milestones. In a nutshell, you create an effective blueprint for your mobile app project.

To ensure impactful results, the mobile app developers should consider the following stages/steps of application discovery:

1. Concept Analysis – To determine if your app idea is feasible as per the business and technical aspect.

2. Market Analysis – To find out your target audience and market based on different demographics like Age, Gender, Income, Region, Occupation, etc.

In addition to Concept analysis and Market analysis, it is also profitable to invest your valuable time in Competitive analysis. It will help you understand competition your app will face and how to deal with it.

3. Requirement Gathering – To study and decide what features and functionalities you want to add in your mobile application. While deciding app features, mobile app developers should consider the needs and expectations of their end users. This will help in creating a user-centric application and hence, improve the chances of app survival.

4. Wireframing – Wireframe is yet another phase of mobile application discovery that you can’t miss. It let you design a visual layout of the app project and determine what features/specifications can be achieved by certain layout and UX.

5. UI Prototyping – This phase helps mobile application development companies to visualize the end product via graphic designs that empower target users to experience the in-app flow.

6. Development Tools and Technology – In this phase, you decide the technologies and tools to employ for building a successful mobile application.

Now, as you know the perks and stages of the App Discovery phase, let’s move to tips for effective app discovery. Ones which can be applied in addition to taking advantage of Apple’s App Clip, Google Instant Apps and similar discovery-friendly functionalities.

Tips for Effective Mobile Apps Discovery

1. Consider ASO

Irrespective of endless marketers efforts, App Store is still the leading source of app discovery, which implies mobile app developers should learn and implement the best practices of ASO (App Store Optimization) to enhance app visibility.

2. Turn towards Social Media Marketing

Employ social media networks to engage the target audience. Share the screenshots and short videos of your app to engage them. Allow users to share your posts/tweets on their timeline and get leverage of exciting offers.

3. Invest in Referral Marketing

This mobile app promotion strategy is to attract new users while keeping the existing ones hooked with your mobile app. All you have to do in this case is to allure existing users to share the app with their near and dear ones and enjoy lucrative offers/incentives.

The most overwhelming example of this kind of app discovery practice is Dropbox. The app saw an uplift from 100,000 to 4,000,000 users within 15 months, all thanks to this method.

4. Team up with Bloggers

Finding bloggers with experience in your niche and asking them to write about your app is also an effective strategy. You can pay them for writing about your mobile application on their blogs, or can let them try a free version in return for the same.

5. Go for Third-Party Advertisements

Apart from focusing on a respective app store, you can also submit your app on third-party app stores like Amazon app store and Samsung app store in order to increase your app visibility.

With the uprising competition, the need and searching style of consumers have also changed. As per Google’s recent research, users these days are becoming more particular of how and what they search in mobile apps. So, it is advisable to look into the app search trends before building a mobile application.

App Discovery Trends for 2018

Here are the top four app search trends that the top app development companies would be focussing on, in 2018:

1. App with Productivity and Convenience

Smartphone users are looking for apps that make their daily life easier and effective, like note-taking apps, calendars, office suits, etc. Google disclosed that searches for apps with features like placing an order, discounts, and tracking orders have increased 120% YoY. This implies mobile app development companies can turn to productivity apps for enjoying better outcomes.

2. Apps that teach new skills

Users are more interested in learning new skills or polishing their skills more than ever. As per the reports, searches for learning-based apps like ‘guitar learning app’ or ‘painting learning app’ has experienced a rise by 80% YoY. Besides, the language-related apps have seen an 85% YoY rise in searches. So, if you build an education mobile application or an app that let the users learn something new, your app will have higher chances of success in the market.

3. Health and Fitness Apps

With time, the smartphone consumers are becoming more fitness-freak. They are searching for more fitness practices and products than before. According to Google report, the searches for fitness shoes and activities like weightlifting has been increased by 135% YoY. Besides, users are searching for apps that improve their physical as well as mental health, such as meditation apps.

4. Finance mobile applications

Whether it comes to reservation, purchase or enrolling in a gym, users are looking for discounts and other offers. In other words, users are more conscious about finances and are looking for means to save more. Google revealed that brands with ‘free services’ and coupons facility have grown to 90% YoY. This directly indicates that personalized offers and referral marketing should be taken into consideration for app success.

While there are various other ways to enhance your app visibility and improve its survival chances, the above-mentioned are our favorite.

What are your favorite hacks to reach a wider audience and promote your mobile apps? Share your tips in the comment section below.

Android App Bundles Should Be Chosen By Businesses- Why?

Posted on 18/08/202009/06/2021 by Anteelo Master

Did you know that the Android App Bundle has become the gold standard for publishing on Google Play? Dig into its benefits.

When I first heard about this new upload format known as the App Bundle, I was very excited! Many of the issues that we developers faced like building APKs to target different API versions, device types, and so on- are now passed on Google Play.

From this day on, developers will be able to use Dynamic Delivery for creating optimized APKs that satisfy the requirements of user’s devices and delivers them at the runtime for installation.

All this is being done through the Android app bundle app distribution format. Let us dive into what Android’s new, official publishing format is all about.

What is Android App Bundle?

Android launched a new official publishing format called android app bundles (.aab) and it offers a more efficient way to build and release your app. It also lets you easily deliver a great user experience in a small-sized app, this in turn also improves install success rate and reduces uninstallation rates.

Android App Bundles are Google recommended way for building, publishing, and distributing the application across different device configurations.

Did you know that the android app bundle has become the gold standard for publishing on Google Play? Over 600,000 apps and games currently use the app bundle in production, representing over 40% of all releases on Google Play including Netflix.

Let’s look into the benefits of app bundles now.

Benefits Of Using Google Android App Bundle

1. Size Reduction

App bundles help in reducing a significant amount of application size! On average, developers have witnessed a 20% size savings compared to APK. You can visit the new app size report in the google play console to see how much your app could save.

Did you know that, with the help of app bundle development, Adobe reduced the size of Adobe Acrobat Reader by 20%? Not only this, but some of these size savings by early adopters of app bundles show some jaw-dropping results. These results are what make Android app bundles a great way to build Android Go apps:

2. Increased app installations and decreased uninstallations

Apps increasing size would not matter much if we had unlimited storage in our devices. But, as we know, it’s not the case. As the size of an app increases the number of installations decrease!

As a ripple effect of size savings with the help of xamarin android app bundle will increase the app installations. This also resulted in the increase of update rates, and very fewer uninstallations.

3. Higher efficiency

App bundle development in android allows you to build one artifact that includes all of your app’s collected code, resources, and native libraries. So, you are no longer required to build, sign, upload, and manage version codes for multiple APKs. Hence, the efficiency is increased if you install an android app bundle on your device.

4. Faster downloads

Your app can be efficiently tailored to each device by Google Play which means the process of downloading and installing the app becomes faster.

5. Integrated codes

With the help of the android studio app bundle, you can prepare for the 64-bit requirement without increasing the size of your app. As a result, Play will deliver the appropriate native code required for each device.

6. Increased engineering velocity

The entire process of creating an app is accelerated. From building dynamic and independent modules to designing, testing, and releasing it. The engineering velocity gets a major boost with the android app bundle unity.

For example, The Book My Show app declared that their app builds time (for a completely new build, without any caching) went down by 70% — this is because, with app bundles, it just dumps every resource into the bundle, rather than segregating them, like for APKs.

7. Reduced manual effort

During android app development several manual efforts can be completely automated. Once the development is done, its link is uploaded and shared on a specific Slack channel automatically. No manual intervention is required.

8. Dynamic delivery enabled

App bundles have introduced us to a new concept known as dynamic delivery. One can deliver conditional features at the time of installation on the basis of properties like device features (e.g., AR/VR), user’s country, or device’s version. Users are also given the facility to install features on an on-demand mode instead of the install time. They can even uninstall the features they no longer need.

This will help the users personalize their experience as per their requirements. This will also come in handy when you do not want to increase the size of your app in the long term. Further allowing us to make the initial size of our application smaller and then offering extra features only to the users who might actually make use of them.

How To Build and Deploy Android App Bundles?

Unlike APKs, app bundles are a publishing format that entails all of your app’s codes. So, it cannot be deployed directly to a device. With the help of the android studio, creating a project as a signed app bundle is just a few clicks away!

To build app bundles, follow these steps:

Step-1: Start with downloading Android Studio 3.2 or higher. It is the simplest way to build app bundles.

Step-2: Add support for Play Feature Delivery by including a base module, organizing code and resources for configuration APKs, and, optionally, adding feature modules.

Step-3: Now, start building an Android App Bundle using Android Studio. You can even deploy the application onto a connected device from the app bundle through modification of your debug/run configuration and selection of the ‘deploy APK from app bundle’ option.

Step-4: Testing and publishing your app bundle will be the final step.

Test Your App Bundle

Once you create the android app bundle, you should test how Google Play will use it to generate APKs and how those APKs will behave when deployed to a device. You can use the following methods to test the same:

Test your app bundle locally by using the bundle tool. It will generate APKs from your app bundle and deploy them to a connected device.
Share your app with a URL. It is the speediest way of uploading your app bundle and sharing your app as a Google Play Store link with your testers.
Set up an open, closed, or internal test. This is another way of testing custom delivery options, like downloading app features on demand.

Final Words

The future has a lot in store for all of us and it is up to us to keep up with it! Without any doubt, I can tell you that the android app bundles are where the future lies. Being an android app development company, we can help you stay ahead in the game.

Top Development Trends for Android Apps

Posted on 19/07/202008/06/2021 by Anteelo Master

Are you an entrepreneur who is looking forward to making or getting their Android mobile app developed? Let’s dig into some trends & stats.

When it comes to developing mobile apps, no doubt the Android operating system gets all the attention, an attention that is well deserved.

Are you an entrepreneur who is looking forward to making or getting their mobile app developed? If yes, then you surely need all the deep insights to know about the latest android app development trends.

Let’s dig in for some stats and read on further to discover the popularity of Android apps and the sector’s trends.

The fact is that today, Android is one of the most vitally used mobile OS that has captured almost 85% of the market share.
The Google Store has 3.04 + million applications, that range from web browsers, daily tools, social media platforms, complex games, enterprise mobile apps etc.

These figures clearly state that the app developers need to be aware of the hottest trends in mobile app development and incorporate them in their Android apps at the earliest, simply to provide users a unique experience.

Top Android Application Development Trends To Watch Out In 2021

The android apps continue to see implacable changes, that are primarily dominated by the user experience and constant innovations brought in by Google. As an entrepreneur, you would need to exemplify these trends for staying ahead of the competition.

1. Android Instant Apps

Although instant Android apps are not very common, slowly and surely, these app display types are picking up the pace. Android Instant app provides software developers with Android Instant Apps SDK and App Links Assistant that permits them to build mobile solutions from scratch or convert the existing apps into Instant Apps.

A working example of the type can be seen through the following – the Instant app allows users to try different games on the applications without installing that app on the device, exciting right? The advantage of these apps is that they are compatible across all gadgets, require less storage space, and have a pleasant user experience and user interface.

Instant apps are the future and one of the biggest trends in mobile app development that helps the user use the app without actually compromising on space on their smartphones. This is the technology that is designed to drastically help and push the adoption of multiple sectors like eCommerce and games further to secure a place in top android app development trends of 2021.

2. Navigation Component

Navigation refers to the multiple interactions that allow the user to move around in the different sections and app’s content pieces. Android jetpacks come with components of handy navigation that helps the developers to implement the navigations. The implications could range from a simple button, click to an intricate pattern such as a navigation drawer.

The navigation component’s further benefit is that the component allows a predictable and consistent user experience, as the developers who implement them, follow the stated navigation principles.

3. Blockchain Technology

The blockchain technology has been making rounds for many years; however, it has finally come into action. The blockchain technology provides the enhanced solutions of the decentralized app development that eliminates any unauthorized access and pushes transparency.

The blockchain technology market is said to grow at 62.73% CAGR by 2026 making $52.5 billion. Decentralized apps (Dapps) are an open source, smart contract based software applications that run transactions on blockchain. These applications run on decentralize blockchain and the data cannot be changed or erased in it. These apps are the future of mobile app development; they enable faster payment, reliable data records, and are tamper proof.

With the help of blockchain technology, an android app development company can maintain robust security protocols. This inclusion is fast becoming a part of the trends in android development especially in the financial segments such as currency exchanges, banks etc.

4. Google Assistant/Chatbot

In the coming years, we will see that many business owners would be keen on integrating their app services with the Google Assistant. The primary advantage of investing in such an integration is that it provides users with faster ways of accessing the app directly. By using the Google app actions, the users get access to an app’s deep-link which allows them to perform specific activities inside the application from the Google Assistant.

Google, in 2020 announced that they will release a new feature for google assistant at CES. The new feature called “Scheduled Actions” will permit users to communicate with smart devices through google assistant like turn on/off a smart device, make a coffee, etc. The feature will be capable of controlling 20 home devices including lights, coffee machines, AC units, and many more.

5. Multiplatform Development Through Flutter

Google has introduced a new technology naming Flutter, which is being touted as the future of android development. Flutter is a cross-platform framework that helps in developing beautiful apps with a single codebase.

Many developers have been selecting this platform to build mobile apps due to its flexible nature. The primary reasons to choose Flutter are that it is effortless to learn, has a native design, etc.

It is one of the preferred frameworks for minimum viable product development. This means that instead of spending extravagance on two different apps, you can quickly build an app on native platforms such as iOS or Android.

With the latest update Google took flutter beyond mobile and to the web. Flutter developers are now able to target macOS, Windows and Linux and other embedded devices. The desktop support provided by flutter also includes plugins that support various platforms.

The new Flutter and Dart update have been released with Substantial Performance Improvements from its contemporary releases. Flutter is prepared for creating apps for iOS, Android, Fuchsia, web & desktop with new platform support. Moreover, they are in talks with Ubuntu for Linux apps, Microsoft’s Android Surface Duo, and Windows 10X which will be made accessible soon.

Some prominent progressions made in Flutter in 2021-21 are:

decreased size and latency
less janky animations, and quicker treatment of UTF-8 strings
mouse cursor support
new widgets such as Interactive viewer making pen
zoom and drag-n-drop
range slider and date picker revamped
integrating flutter to the current application made suitable with Pigeon
improved help for Metal on iOS, and new Material gadgets.

6. Internet of Things

The key mobile app development trends 2021 is the implementation of the IoT (Internet of Things). In Android, these trends end up translating into many of the Android things that allow the developers to build the devices on the top of the known hardware platforms such as Raspberry Pi. The best part is that developers do not require any prior knowledge of embedding the system design to start. Instead, the developers can develop the apps using Android Studio and Android SDK.

The introduction of 5G will open the door for more devices, and data traffic. According to some reports the 5th generation wireless network technology is expected to connect 1.5 billion devices globally in the coming years. It is also stated that the global IoT connections will triple to 25 billion by 2025, while IoT revenue globally will quadruple to $1.1 trillion.

With that said, IoT will focus on developing smart parking lots, street lights, and traffic controls apart from advancing the hospitality and industrial sectors.

7. APM & EMM

APM (Application Performance Management) and EMM (Enterprise Mobile Management) are two primary elements of mobile enterprise development. These technologies are primarily used to reduce mobile apps’ slowness. With the overall rise in mobile application development trends, they have become the quality tester for mobile apps.

With the upcoming trends, APM will reflect the application behaviour, measure statistics for devices and Oss that are used, and screen user performance to figure out which application features are exploited. With the application landscape and business infrastructure moving to cloud, APM will also provide powerful tools to monitor resources utilized by apps, associate the retrieved data with user insights, and adjust performance with business processes.

EMM will incorporate mobile device management, app management, application wrapping and containerization, and a few components of enterprise file synchronization and sharing.

From the work from home context, EMM has grown many folds and is looking into automation of processes, workflow optimization, easier and smoother communication flow, and exchange of data

8. Motion Layout

The layout used by the developers to manage the motion and the widget animations in the apps. This tool is a part of the Constraint Layout library and is compatible with Android 4.0. With these libraries, the team can quickly fill up all the gaps between the complex motion handling and layout transitions, as these tools are known to offer high-end and useful features.

Developers will be seen using Motion Layout to create multiple interfaces that use the animations, helping them understand what is going on with the app.

9. Beacon Technology

Businesses have slowly started to immensely use Beacon technology, as it helps businesses target potential clients uniquely. Beacons are the transmitting gadgets that get connected with mobile devices, in that particular range. The technology allows the companies to send various notifications regarding the special offers, nearby hotels etc.

Beacon technology transformation from a push marketing strategy to an opt-in strategy is useful for many industries. The technology can be applied on-cloud and at-area, which is helping it to gain traction and promote its growth in the coming years.

Beacon-based notifications are helping out businesses to connect with their users in a highly contextual manner. The beacon technology trend in 2021 will see the coming of beacon enabled airports and mobile payment using beacon.

Some companies are predicting the rapid development and use of iBeacon and other similar gadgets for marketing.

10. Android Enterprise

Digital transformation is now the need of the hour in 2021 for enterprises. The Google-led initiative – Android enterprise helps the workers to use the Android apps in their workplace. The Android Enterprise program helps the developers with the APIs and various other tools needed to integrate support for Android into the solutions of enterprise mobility management.

Wrapping Up

Each year comes with newer innovations and ideas, and these trends keep on rolling back and forth. Looking at the above latest trends in android app development, we can undoubtedly claim that the Android Operating System is growing at a rapid speed towards providing the users a seamless experience.

Must-Avoid Post-Launch App Mistakes

Posted on 14/07/202008/06/2021 by Anteelo Master

Mitigating the risks of mobile app launch mistakes during the pre-launch opportunities provides the opportunity for an effective and user friendly app.

The dynamics of the mobile app industry revolve around unpredictability due to the changing trend wave and market requirements. It is hard to single-handedly pinpoint a universal reason leading to app demises as each failure offers new learning. Yet, one aspect that analysts of the old and new order mutually agree upon as a cornerstone for app success is post-launch marketing.

Having fought our way through grim times to emerge as a global mobile app developer cohort, Anteelo knows the importance of investing in post-launch mobile app marketing. We’ll dispel some of that wisdom today as we discuss the recurring theme of post-launch mistakes and how to avoid them.

Mobile App Launch Blunders To Avoid

The following stages often prove a damp ground to tread on when it comes to post-launch mobile app marketing.

Problem Statement #1 – Planning or the lack of it

Market leaders visualize and anticipate business scenarios and layout measures to resort to in case things go downhill. Yet there are those who consider publishing their app on the app stores, the end of a project. A cross-industrial study estimated that up to 70 – 80% of new product introductions fail. There is no room for complacency.

Solution – Create a roadmap with probable business cases and perform thought experiments to mitigate 11th-hour developments. Delegate individual responsibilities to mitigate last-moment confusion.

Problem Statement #2 – An unknown neglect towards marketing

Often DevOps leaders and IT practitioners have a partisan view towards developing the perfect product. Whereas that is a debatable stance on its own, they collectively disregard the need to pump cash and raise fanfare after a successful app launch. Being a 600-strong mobile application development company, our in-house experts know better.

Solution – Divide marketing budgets into pre and post-mobile app launch marketing actionable. The former should cover preliminary collaterals such as secondary research, defining budgets and marketing goals to partnering with influencers. Similarly, the post mobile app launch strategy should cover your social media plans, referral & retargeting campaigns as well as up ticking user engagement.

Problem Statement #3 – Setting overly ambitious goals

Only fools set a deadline first and begin operations later. Overestimating the delivery of the final product could be self-inflicting in terms of everlasting reputational damage. There is an art to building hype and while at it you must take into consideration a buffer for delays so that the post launch mobile app strategy could be adjusted accordingly.

Solution – Maintain a balance between disclosing the final product launch date and sustaining user-end hype. Tease the audience with doctored leaks if you can and take early feedback. Smartphone manufacturers are a case in point. You never know their launch date until the actual event is within 2 months of the schedule.

Problem Statement #4 – Lack of user data

Instead of leading mobile app development solutions from the front, you’d be sucked into a black hole of failures if you do not know your audience inside out. How can you fabricate the product without knowing audience demographics, their behavioral patterns, engagement enablers, and spending habits? If not, take a page out of the following self-help advice.

Solution – If such in-depth data isn’t available readily, then partner with data vendors or social media platforms to acquire the same. Such structured data would help you extrapolate insights that eventually lead to lasting success of the app.

Problem Statement #5 – App store optimization (What’s that?)

App Store Optimization is the practice of refining the app as per guidelines laid out by app publishing platforms. ASO helps an app directly feature in user searches and increases the likelihood of downloads. With an excess of 2 million apps each on the Google Play Store and Apple Store respectively, ASO is unavoidable and the ones who avoid it live to regret their decisions more often than not.

Solution – Focus on optimizing the details such as the app name, title, keywords used in the description, preheaders, and monitoring customer feedback to maintain a healthy rating. This would lead to frequent features in query searches and as a result, more downloads.

Problem Statement #6 – Confusing product messaging

If your brand label does not help consumers identify you with your line of business then you have a problem up your sleeves. As a mobile app development company, we’ve come so far that we appreciate the significance of concise messaging. Mincing your words could cost millions in turnover, literally.

Solution – We strongly recommend conducting surveys and periodic questionnaires to determine user expectations. Not only will this help you choose the right style guide for design but also the content-triggers that encourage a purchase order.

Problem Statement #7 – Absence of feedback capture mechanisms

A rather depressing statistic suggests that about 80-90% of the applications in the app store are shunned after a single-use. Functionality could share a large portion of the blame, but so does the fact that the app developers refuse to listen to their customers and capture feedback.

Solution – App store comments are full of heartfelt feelings (and expletives in case the app sucks) coming straight from the users. As you scale the product the need to engender applicable, expected, and on-demand functionalities grow. Developers should readily capture feedback be it through ratings, comments, or other supported media.

Problem Statement #8 – Relying on outdated software

Technologies keep upgrading and therefore warrant an updated architecture for smartphone applications. Android and iOS release yearly updates for smartphones, but it gets complicated when a particular smartphone manufacturer alters the stock version of the OS to offer something afresh. All these intricacies make the process of keeping apps updated in terms of software specifications.

Solution – A custom mobile app development company like ours recommends sharing newer versions of the app periodically than sporadically. The frequency should allow users to acquaint themselves with a particular set of features and only then look forward to changing.

Problem Statement #9 – Not leveraging discovery platforms

The proportion of zombie apps has grown with the industry size. This informal category is a place you don’t want to be because these are the apps whose total traffic is tantamount to nothing or something embarrassingly insignificant. Provided you’ve done ASO well, and the app is strong technically, one reason why you could be still lagging is not channeling traffic through app Discovery Platforms.

Solution – Such platforms help drive meaningful traffic to your app through targeted marketing to their user base. Platforms such as PreApps and AppGratis would be a couple of examples. The investment is feasible as the chances of lead generation and conversion skyrocket by a multifold.

Problem Statement #10 – Not factoring in MVP

Minimum Viable Products give app entrepreneurs an outlet to test their thesis on product acceptance. Following the success of apps like Uber, Airbnb, & Snapchat, MVPs became a cross-industrial rage for even offline products. Yet, there is a cohort that often glosses over this pre-market testing and validation phase. Mobile app development services like ours, know for a fact that collecting such pre-launch feedback could be paramount to future success.

Solution – Whether developing an app in-house or partnering with mobile app development services in the USA, it is recommended you establish and maintain a close-knit network of beta users to try out the product and provide feedback as and when needed. This should be disparate from internal employees for the feedback to be considered non-partisan.

Problem Statement #11 – Ill-priced monetization models

Making money from your app is an art not everybody excels at. If you have a minute, do check out this guide on how to monetize your app. Adopting a model that makes no sense in a desperate bid to out-compete your peers could be fatal. On the flip side, no gospel reprimands you for testing out newer approaches and payment schemes.

Solution – For the time being, you can choose from a bevy of pricing models such as freemium, premium, data sourcing, advertisements, and sponsorships. But who is to say if you turn out to be the ingenuine wizard who comes up with a never-before-seen subscription model that takes the industry by storm.

Recommended Mobile App Launch Checklists

Alright, so we’ve been through the common ideological traps that app developers tend to fall into and take misfire aim towards glory. But what is the course-correction roadmap that one should have in mind when it comes to creating a mobile app launch checklist? Well, there are different guidelines to be followed for Android and iOS. Inculcating the following steps into your app launch plan would ease the transition from pre-market to post-launch.

Android app launch checklist

Keep in mind the following steps while publishing apps on the Android Play Store:

Take note of developer program policies
Create your developer account
Prioritize localization
Release and promote your app on multiple platforms at once
Carry out quality analysis for cross-compatibility across devices
Stay within the technological distance of recent API releases
Engineer your Android App Bundle
Strategize around Play Store Listings
Promote your app with pre-registration
Upload and test the Android App Bundle on Open/closed test tracks
Analyze pre-launch test reports
Define your app’s pricing and geographies of distribution
Pick applicable distribution options
Establish in-app products and subscriptions
Set your app’s content rating for relevant age groups
Run the leftover checks and publish the app
Begin promotions
Never leave incoming feedback such as play store ratings/comments unattended
Stabilize the app with further uptime quality checks
Your android app has been launched. Good job!

iOS app launch checklist

We’ve briefly summarized the iOS launch checklist for mobile apps so you could publish your app on the iOS app store:

Create app distribution certificate and profile
Then create your app store connect account
Archive your application
Upload the app with Xcode
Configure app-metadata with the App Store Connect record you just created
Submit the application so it can be reviewed by content moderators
After some time, check for the status of your app
If everything is fine, your app will be approved and published successfully

Final Thoughts

In the better part of the last decade, Anteelo has forthrightly staked its claim as a full circle mobile app development company. Some of our most impressive work has emerged from partnerships representing iconic brands such as Domino’s Pizza. But with all humility, we say this, the best is yet to come. You can count on us for pretty much anything mobile apps and not just post-app launch correctional measures.

Learn Android Development: 10 amazing apps

Posted on 22/03/202015/06/2021 by Tushar

Becoming a Developer is easy. Staying a developer, on the other hand, is an altogether different ball game. The industry that is on an ever-growing spiral, keeps offering something new every second to not just keep tabs on, but also learn an advanced level. Apart from memorizing and haunting every article and discussion on StackOverflow, there seems to be no other way to get an understanding of the exact development process. Or is there? Is there a magic formula, which we can also call shortcut to learn the functioning of some of the most intriguing Android apps? That too right under our noses?

Yes. There is. One of the least used secret weapon to understand how Android apps work.

Let’s find out what it is.

The secret weapon that is a treasure of information that you need to improve your Android development learning skills is – Open Source Android Apps.

And with this article, the treasure is now yours. We have created a list of open source apps, divided among popular categories that sees maximum users attention, for you to peruse through and apply to become a top-rated android app developer.

How To Use This List of Open-Source Android Apps To Get the Development Skills that Would Make You Better Android Developers.

I have divided the list of some of the most used open source Android apps in categories below along with the links to their Play Store Page and their GitHub.

First look at the apps in the Play Store/ F-Droid or the APK and get an idea of its look and feel, flow and then visit their GitHub Page for the code. Now, use the code to either develop a similar app or just to gain insight on how the transition happens within the app, code wise.

Let’s Begin.

A. Education

Education is one of the most viewed categories of Play Store and the one that has been catching the attention of Android Developers for quite some time now. While, there are a number of ways you can transform the industry with your app in the near future, here are two Education Apps that will help you start.

1) HW-Manager

Available on Play store, HW-Manager focuses on managing homework. Every task that the students add in the app have title, due date, subject, and an additional information section to put in notes. While all the common subjects are already fed in the app, the students have the option to add the subject name manually in the app setting.

While there are a number of note making apps already present in the Android App Store, this HW-Manager is the one open source app that can teach you how to implement reminders and notifications in the app.

2) Slide

Another most used open source android app in the Education domain is Slide. The app allows students to create minimalistic design slides for presentation. The app makes a presentation with just plain text.

The app, which is available on the Android store, allows you to export the slides into PDF to make it easy to access by devices can read PDFs.

Using this app, you can learn how to export parts of an app to other platforms. Also, it will give you an idea of the transformation of how the words appear.

B. Time and Calendar

While already present in the smartphone devices in default mode, Android users continue to install them to track a whole range of different things such as events, birthdays, meetings, health checkup, etc.

Same is the case with Time based apps, there are a number of apps that help keep track of the time users spent in meditating, running, and even sleeping.

If you are looking to develop your next Android app in this category, here are two open source Android apps to help you out.

1) Simple Calendar

The app works exactly like its name suggests. It is a no-nonsense calendar app, which has been developed on Android’s official programming language, Kotlin.

While this app is not for learning the in-depth technicalities, but if you wish to brush up your Kotlin knowledge, Simple Calendar app is ideal for the purpose.

2) Standup Timer

The Android App has become a part of a number of meetings in the current time. The open source app is used as a stopwatch to inform when the time is up, while giving all the participants an equal opportunity to make their point.

Using the app, you can learn how to blend a simple functionality with other features.

C. File Manager

With smartphones now becoming a sea of data and information, every user is on a constant lookout for a File Manager app that can manage their data in separate files, wherever needed.

Here are the two apps to help you join the club of hundreds of brands offering file management services to Android users.

1) AnExplorer

The open source app works around management of data and files on Android Users’ smartphones and tablets.

You can learn a lot like loaders, custom views, file handling, and root management etc by studying source code of AnExplorer app.

2) Amaze File Manager

With a simple, easy on the eyes UI, Amaze File Manager is also one of the most used open source Android Apps presently in the store.

Using the app source code, you can get yourself an idea of how to implement features like root browsing and samba support.

D. Device Monitoring

With the number of apps now finding their place in the Android devices now growing, the need for apps that would keep a check on issues like device speed, battery usage, leaving heavy caches are continuously increasing.

If you too would like to develop an app that would help your users monitor the state of their devices, here are two apps that can help you out.

1) AnotherMonitor

The open source app helps its users in tracking the state of their devices in terms of usage. If you want to learn about how monitoring of Android processes happens, how to track memory and CPU usage and other things related to tracking and monitoring, then AnotherMonitor is the perfect Android app to begin with.

2) Call Meter 3G

The Android App is used by hundreds for monitoring their calls, texts, and data usage.

Using this, you can learn how to implement safety features in the app, while learning to track your users’ devices correctly and in real time.

E. Social

One of the most popular categories of Android Play Store, Social has the biggest scope of experimentation and innovativeness. Bringing with itself, a series of difficulties as well.

The fact that users would like to share their stories and moments with the world in real time makes it important to have the back of features that would help with just that.

To get around the functioning of the deemed difficult app category, here are two open source apps to get you on board.

1) Signal

The app allows users to have encrypted conversations within the platform. It gives the users the freedom to use encryption in both instant messaging and voice calls that happen over the app.

Signal is your app if you need to learn how to enable the end-to-end encryption feature in an application.

2) ElloShare

Still new in the Android Market, ElloShare is a photo sharing app, which integrates with the users’ phone gallery that makes it easy to upload images straight from your phone into the Ello app.

If you are looking to learn about the functioning of image upload and sharing on a platform over the internet, in real time, this open source app can be your guide.

So here was the list of the open source apps that can teach you how to develop Android apps that rank on top of the Play Store, in no time.

Let us know how your life changes at the back of this article.

Predictions for 2018: Surefire Mobile App

Posted on 11/03/202015/06/2021 by Tushar

For a sector that has been on a roller coaster ride of innovation and growth ever since the launch of both Android and iOS platforms, 2017 was its year of activity. Last year came with a lot of new technologies and trends that were designed to make the app industry user friendly and innovative. If 2017 was about introductions, 2018 is about application and growth.

As the industry steps into 2018, there are a number of stats and facts that have followed it from 2017, which has set a platform that is open for exploration and innovativeness. With the foundation set on most of the new technology entrants, there is a lot to look forward to this year when the industry will reach maturity level.

Let us look at the 2018 Mobile App Predictions, as set by the Top Mobile App Development Trends of 2017 –

1. Gross Consumer Spending in App Store will cross $110 Billion mark in 2018

With mobile apps extending their reach to a greater number of industries, app monetization is on a rise. It is expected that the global consumer spending will cross $110 Billion, after growing at a rate of 30% every year. The trend is a hint towards how app economy has now reached its maturity level, where it is offering real value for which users are ready to pay.

2. Phablet will dominate the device category list on which mobile apps will be used

Just like 2016, Phablets won the most active device race again in 2017, with 55% users opting for the device for working on their mobile applications. Seeing the increase from 41% in 2016, it is safe to assume that the device type will also rule 2018.

Second to the device type that is a blend of tablets and medium configuration phones, standing at 35% middle level phones were the ones most used.

3. Mobile Journey: What Apps Users will Move Towards and From Where

Irrespective of what Operating System the users were functioning in, almost half (46%) of the sessions started with Communication apps as soon as the device was unlocked. Next, the users moved to launch web browsers, which counts for 16% of the session time. Utility apps like App Stores, Contacts, Gallery etc. stands at the third operation of a session, with 10% of the total session time.

While these are the three categories users will continue to move around when their device is unlocked, Entertainment apps like YouTube, SnapChat, and Netflix will also find itself in the journey at 5.5%, but not at the start point. Along with the entertainment apps, gaming apps will also find itself amounting to 3.7% of the total device session time.

4. Independent Publishers will get Greater Discovery Opportunity

In June 2017, both Google and Apple announced changes to Play Store and iOS Store aimed at better showcase of editorial content and app curation. This has made both Play Store and Apple Store powerful platforms for the less famous apps launched by independent publishers.

This will give the lesser known apps an opportunity to be visible and come at the same level as that of their renowned app counterparts.

5. Demand for Video Streaming Apps will Continue to Rise

2017 was an extraordinary year for Video Streaming apps. The app category has been single-handedly responsible for 85% and 70% increase in annual spending in iOS and Google Play respectively. Our expectation is that in 2018, the number of streaming apps on users’ devices will rise from just one.

The biggest names of the video streaming industry – Netflix, Snap, and Disney, etc. have announced their plans to continue investing in the category. This trend guarantees that the category will continue to witness steady growth in both engagement and revenue, with more players coming in to take a piece of the profitable sector.

6. Instant Apps will Continue to Give App Stores Quality Check

By giving users the freedom to first try and then install the apps that they actually use, Google will be adding the “Try Now” option to more apps than the current limited list. Clicking on it, users will get a preview of the app with very basic features, without the need to install the app on their devices.

Introduced in 2017, Instant Apps were limited to just seven to eight apps in the store, but in 2018, it will be available to greater number of apps – a move that will bring an inordinate focus on quality.

With this move, Google has taken the ball out from app publishers’ court and has put it in users’ court.

For an app to have a chance at getting installed in user’s device, it will have to give an outstanding first point experience in the Preview Mode itself. This has already started bringing in a greater demand for android app development companies that could help app getting installed right after being ‘Tried’.

7. The Session Rate per App will Continue to be Low

As compared to 2016, the app session growth activity declined in 2017 to just 6% which was 11% in 2016. Even with the declining session rate, users now spending more than 5 hours on their smartphones, daily. But with a changed behavior.

As users are now spending more than five hours on their devices daily, they are dividing their time between new and old app experiences, instead of devoting to any specific app type. This movement has brought in a volatility in the session rate in a number of app categories –

Shopping category saw a rise by 54% as the consumers shifted their spending in mobile shopping apps. The adaptation of mPayment also played a major role behind the number. Media, music, and entertainment sat at 43% annual growth. While these categories rose to the occasion, Lifestyle and Gaming were the two categories that saw the least takers in 2017.

In another report by Vertoanalytics, it showed that the overall time spent has reduced in the social and news category, while it has risen for the travel and sports category. The trend hints toward the shift in content preference from once social centric to now sport and travel focused.

8. PWAs Will Lower App Bounce Rates and Give Faster Page Load Time

While being in the industry for quite some time, the adaptation of PWAs has been quite slow. The reason behind which can be attributed to lack of knowledge in the industry. But 2017 saw a number of brands investing in Progressive Web Apps, with all of them returning with similar experiences that showed – faster page load time, greater conversion rate, lower bounce rate, and higher page session time.

With brands getting acknowledged with the vast benefits that PWAs has to offer, 2018 will see not just a greater acceptance of the technology but will also witness a shift from Native Apps to PWAs.

9. Blockchain will Place Itself in a Range of App Types

One of the most talked about technologies of our time, Blockchain, will find itself getting applied in a number of apps across a range of industries. From Real Estate to Healthcare and Payment, the technology will penetrate itself across a number of industries in 2018.

While the number of blockchain apps made live on the App Stores in 2017 were so few that they could be finger counted, the number will see a rise in 2018 with more brands exploring the security and ease benefits that the technology has laid its foundation on.

Travel App Development Revolutionizing Tourism Industry

Posted on 15/01/202012/06/2021 by Tushar

The travel industry is one of the most burgeoning industries and with the rapid development of mobile apps, travel companies are leveraging mobile phones to enhance efficiency as well as agility in this increasingly competitive marketplace.

Travel mobile apps are affecting the booking as well as the planning process of the tourism industry. Nowadays, a large number of travelers are using travel mobile apps for research as well as for booking their holidays. With the availability of a well-developed travel app, people no longer have to rely on maps, guidebooks and compasses for traveling.

This is because, with a good app, you can research new places, book your tickets, find good eateries and all other travel related assistance.

What Makes A Travel App Successful?

When companies get their apps developed through a travel app development company, there are certain features that must be demanded. These are the features that make travel booking through mobile apps convenient:

Smart booking

Travel app development is done for the ease of travelers and the apps should include enough features to satisfy users. The travelers should have ease of booking with features like filter, price comparison, discount offers, bookmarking, push notifications, etc.

SEO Optimized

When travelers search for a particular place they should be directed to the most relevant results. When the app is SEO optimized by any travel app developers, it becomes easy for users to get proper search results on the app.

This also lets the company understand what the travelers look for and how they move through the app. This information can be used to make the next big move in the business.

Allow cab bookings

Many tourism apps have flights, buses, or train bookings, and a very smart feature to add with these bookings would be an option to book a cab or taxi. This facility would give the users the comfort of booking a cab from the airport, bus stand, or railway station.

This is a great strategy but it also involves more addition of data to the app’s database. The travel app development should be done in such a way that the app can load the information without any glitches.

Include Geolocation

When people are in a new place they are always afraid of getting lost but if the tourism app has the geolocation feature the travelers will move around freely. This feature is highly demanded by businesses when they go to for their tourism app development.

The feature allows travelers to find nearby places such as bars, restaurants, medical shops, etc.

Weather forecasting

The real-time weather forecast will be a great feature for traveling people. This feature will help them in making flight bookings, taking up adventure activities and also packing clothes accordingly.

Option to review

When a person wants to travel to a new place he always looks for feedback from travelers who have already been there. The option to review a place is another smart feature an app must-have.

Reviews not only give a beforehand idea about what to expect but also an option to choose whether the place is worth the visit or not.

Easy transaction

A transaction through the app allows better and accurate storage of customer data. Apps are the new way to replace the traditional method of keeping receipts and documents.

But the travel application development process must pay attention to a load of information. That way the storing and accessing of data becomes smooth.

To create travel apps, these were the features that must be included for maximum user satisfaction.

Why are Apps your Best Travel Companion?

There is no exaggeration in saying that this increasing demand for travel mobile applications has effectively strengthened the kinship between the travel and tourism sector and the mobile app industry. There are still many travelers who are not sure of having a well-developed app, thus listed below are some ways apps can help during travel:

Useful Safety Information

A travel app keeps you informed about the current security situation of your chosen travel destination such as important notices on strikes or weather-related disturbances. Its 24-hour emergency service can help you at any time and this way you can have a safe vacation with your friends and family.

Instant Hotel and ticket Booking

There are many apps that offer you the list of the hotels with the accommodations prices. On the other hand, if you book your accommodation or hotel with the help of an app of that particular hotel, then you are at a higher chance to avail special discount which is generally available for few lucky travellers. Hotels have used travel app development agency to develop apps for their chain of hotels. Such apps give you complete description about the rooms with spectacular views. This way you can find the best room at the best price.

Apart from travel apps will let you know about the lowest airfare of a particular airline so you can book. In addition, you can find the best seats in the plane and it gives you the chance to make the booking of your taxis to and from the airport in a hassle-free manner. Apart from taxis, finding other public transport can also be easily done.

24/7 Accessibility

When you have an app, then you can use it anytime to acquire any kind of information and from anywhere. In other words, you can use it at your convenience and there is no need to worry about the issues of time zone. The apps developed by travel app development companies have special features that are added from a travelers point of view.

Best Way For Networking And Sharing

With apps, you can stay connected with your chosen communities and you can easily share photos, videos and even exchange notes with your friends and relatives. Hence, there is no exaggeration in saying that this improves the experience of your travel.

How does App Help Travelers?

There is no doubt that mobile applications have changed the life of users. The tourism industry is a big scope for tech companies and hence we see many companies specializing in travel application development. Tourism apps help travelers in numerous ways. Let us look at the most important ones:

IoT based decisions

Many travel app developers use IoT-based solutions for tourism apps such as geolocation. This feature helps users know and understand a new place without any confusion.

Travel cashless

One of the most important motive of tourism app development was to make traveling a cashless affair. With the use of one app travelers can book hotels, flights, cabs, buses, trains and even tickets to museums and plays. All this has become possible only because of the app technology.

Special services

The benefit of using mobile application for business is massive for business as well as for users. The travel app development procedure must have storage of data as priority. This is because apps store the record of users and hence allows businesses to determine which users are eligible for special offers and discounts.

Customised apps

With the increase in use of tourism apps, travel mobile app development companies have started getting demands for custom made apps to beat the competition and stand out.

When users give feedback, the companies use it as a guide to improve their applications which lets the business retain its customers and improve user experience.

Traveling as a community

When travelers want to know about a certain place they look for feedback from other travelers who have been there already. This creates a social community for travelers who help each other by sharing important information such as things to not miss, precautions (if any) and any extra detail not mentioned to the travelers beforehand.

These are some of the benefits of travel apps and by witnessing all these advantages, it can be said that apps in travel industries are very advantageous because such apps have minimized the hassle of travellers with great instant service. Apart from helping tourists, it plays a pivotal role in generating a lot of revenue in the travel sector. Travel mobile app development companies are seeing success like never before and the reason is the vastness of mobile application and travel industry as a whole. So, to create travel app, has become a must-have for both commuters and travel companies.

However, all apps cannot be the same and thus, you should do a little research before downloading the app for enhancing your travel experience. You have plenty of options in app stores, but when it comes to choosing the best one, there is a need to check the rating of the app and also reviews about that particular app. So, do some thorough research and find the best app that suits your requirements.