Modern technology is making speedy advancements towards bigger and better all the time. This is a cycle that repeats itself as we evolve as a society, but the last couple of years have seen a major rise of smartphones and smart devices in general.

At the core of these gadgets, we have mobile apps, which give smart devices a purpose. The mobile app industry is one that continues to grow despite its already undisputed popularity.

Apple’s iOS operating system, alongside its App Store marketplace for mobile apps are an industry pillar alongside Google’s Play Store. Today we will be focusing on the former, and how developers can prepare for the upcoming trends.

This will give you a better shot at having a relevant app in the current app ecosystem, influenced by what kind of apps will be demanded most in 2017.

Let’s see what we can expect to be “trendy” this year.

Enterprise apps for iOS

The mobile app industry as a whole has become a critical access point for enterprises towards consumer blocks. A huge mass is reached today through mobile apps and that’s why enterprises today can not only benefit from having an app, but are required to make one just to stay afloat.

Developers that invest time into iOS apps for enterprises can count on a fruitful year ahead given the current flow of marketing towards mobile apps.

Related blog: Must Have Builds and Needs for An Enterprise Mobile Application

Beacon apps and Beacon technology

Beacon technology has been introduced in previous years, but after a slight interest shown by the industry, it rapidly died down, never to be heard from again, until recently.

A recent return into the picture by Beacon technology is pushing developers all over the world to bring more Beacon apps to the App Store. Beacon apps help organizations and retailers promote their services and products by pushing consumer-friendly ads directly to their handsets.

Functioning on a proximity-based system, Beacon apps can target your device (granted you have enabled Beacon permission on it) and provide the latest deals and offers from that particular retailer.

Related blog: Improve Your Business ROI with iBeacon Apps

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Virtual reality is a topic we can discuss for a very long period of time. To summarize it all, virtual reality is a very sought after app branch. The market is far from saturation and a lot of developers will be looking to change that.

Thanks to the increasingly popular concept of VR and how it is currently marketed to the public, the interest in this type of technology promises to persist for the foreseeable future.

VR and AR (Augmented Reality) apps will have a top spot in the market in 2017 so eager developers should get to developing if they want to have a competitive app ready in time to catch the big VR wave approaching.

GPS and localization app development

Closely tied to how Beacon apps are raising to popularity, GPS apps and solutions will also be very sought after in 2017. Beacon apps work off of GPS localization and need GPS tech in order to better fulfill their end goal.

By creating powerful GPS solutions for the iOS market, app developers can establish a successful focal point in a much larger network.

Related blog: Things To Know Before Developing A Geolocation Based Mobile App

IoT apps and development

The IoT spectrum is seeing more and more interest, and Apple is one of the leading forces behind the industry’s development in this direction. The company’s iBeacon proprietary technology as well as its HomeKit has put a staple for other companies to aim for.

These will become even more valuable as we approach a time when IoT app development will have a top spot in the market. That time is now, actually, and app developers should keep IoT in mind when looking for app development ideas.

iOS games

Apple’s platform is known to be more stable than its Google counterpart, Android. This is an opportunity for iOS developers to push on their advantage over Android developers and provide reliable gaming solutions.

We use our smartphones daily for numerous activities and tasks, but no one can deny the sheer value of a good mobile game when you’re stuck in a line or looking to just kill time.

Mobile games and iOS mobile games specifically are nothing new, but they are still speculated to go strong this year. This is due to the fact that people’s need to have fun isn’t something that is bound to just disappear one day.

The superior stability can be seen for example in Nintendo’s recent decision of bringing a Mario game to iOS, whereas the Android version is still lost in the wind at this point. Developers can take advantage of their priority in queue and capitalize on the status quo of the marketplace.

Swift 3.0 apps

It looks like iOS development has all but crossed over to Swift, as it is consider a superior programming language. At least that’s what every iOS app developer that switched from Objective-C considers.

Using Swift 3.0 to program iOS apps in 2017 will see developers find far greater success thanks to the continuous rise on popularity of the platform.

Integration and connection apps

Another hot topic for 2017 is integration. People are looking for new ways to integrate their daily tasks or the devices they use daily into one big platform.

The release of devices such as Amazon Echo, which allow you to connect all smart devices in your house to one central hub, or the recent partnership between Microsoft and Volvo that would see the former provide Skype support for cars made by the latter, are examples of this.

Coming up with apps that allow users to connect their appliances, cars, cats, dogs or kitchen sync to their smartphones will be met with great interest as we approach an era of interconnectivity.

Conclusion

That being said, there are multiple types of iOS apps that are guaranteed to see some spotlight in 2017. By focusing on bringing customers applications that pertain to these categories, you can boost your success rate through “catching the wave”, or rolling with what’s popular.

Trends never last forever, but speaking from a large-scale point of view, it is safe to assume that these app trends will be around for a good while. Usually, app market shifts happen slowly enough that they can be detected in time and thus prepared for. There are more app trends you can look forward to in 2017 but these are a few you can explore.