#BizTrends2022: 5 mobile trends we're watching in 2022

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When you look around right now, the world is slowly starting to move beyond the pandemic and adapt to our new reality. But when we imagine a post-coronavirus society, we need to remember that people have become used to an increasingly digital and virtual world. And, as such, our expectations around how we work, shop, play, communicate, learn and entertain ourselves has changed forever.

Looking ahead, the technological advances we can expect to see in 2022 will be a logical continuation of everything that has happened in 2021, but the impact of the pandemic will undoubtedly remain. One of the major after-effects of the pandemic is a heavy reliance on mobile because mobile apps, mobile tools and mobile solutions enable the new ways of working and playing that lockdown regulations and social distancing measures have forced us all to embrace since the start of 2020.

Here are five mobile trends I'm keeping an eye on in 2022.

AI and machine learning everywhere

In the past, “smart" just meant connected. But in 2022, “smart” will increasingly come to mean powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Going forward, most industries and job functions will be transformed by AI-powered solutions that augment and improve our experiences. For example, McDonald’s is using big data and AI to personalise their drive-thru menus based on external factors like time of day or the weather.

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) gain momentum

When AR and VR are integrated into a business, sellers and service providers can interact with their customers in unique ways. AR makes it possible to create experiences that tell a story in a more complex and layered way and provides customers with a truly immersive experience. AR and VR also hold huge potential within industries like manufacturing. AR and VR can be used to train workers much faster than traditional training methods and these mobile solutions also allow employees to learn without the risk of hurting themselves or damaging expensive equipment.

More use cases for progressive web apps (PWAs)

I recently wrote a piece about PWAs [insert link], asking if these mobile apps could be the apps of the future. What makes PWAs so impactful is that they provide a quicker, more reliable and more engaging version of your website by bringing together the best a website has to offer and the best of what native apps have to offer. With PWAs there is less dependency on an Internet connection, and loading is much faster, providing the seamless and quick experience that consumers and business users want in 2022.

Introducing contactless and touchless everything

During the pandemic, people wanted to minimise physical contact for safety reasons; making contactless incredibly popular. We are already seeing drones being used to deliver groceries. This kind of mobile innovation is only set to increase into 2022. Similarly, touchless UI is definitely a future mobile app development trend to keep an eye on next year. While we have already applied touchless control in varying degrees, voice-driven interfaces and gesture controls will continue to gain traction as users demand a more hands-free experience.

The rise of 5G

Yet to become the connectivity standard, 5G will continue to gain momentum in 2022. Many of the trends on this list wouldn’t be impossible without fast, reliable Internet connectivity. The demand for high-speed Internet has bolstered the development of 5G, and even 6G, technologies. In 2022, we will see a rise in solutions being developed and designed with super-fast, and reliable, 5G connectivity in mind. 5G promises speeds up to 1 000 times faster speeds than 4G. Thus, 5G offers endless possibilities for the developers and users of mobile apps and solutions; particularly apps that require faster connections to work properly, like AR and VR.