Mobile Applications

What are Mobile Applications?

A mobile application, most commonly referred to as an app, is a type of application software designed to run on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer. Mobile applications frequently serve to provide users with similar services to those accessed on PCs. Apps are generally small, individual software units with limited function.

Apps are divided into two broad categories: native apps and web apps. Native apps are built for a specific mobile operating system, usually iOS or Android. Native apps enjoy better performance and a more finely-tuned user interface (UI), and usually need to pass a much stricter development and quality assurance process before they are released.

There are several types of apps currently available:

Gaming apps

The equivalent of computer video games, they are among the most popular types of apps. They account for one-third of all app downloads and three-fourths of all consumer spending.

Productivity apps

These focus on improving business efficiency by easing various tasks such as sending emails, tracking work progress, booking hotels, and much more.

Lifestyle and entertainment apps

Increasingly popular, these encompass many aspects of personal lifestyle and socialization such as dating, communicating on social media, as well as sharing (and watching) videos. Some of the most widely known apps such as Netflix, Facebook or TikTok fall into this category.

Other app types include mobile commerce (M-commerce) apps used to purchase goods online such as Amazon or eBay, travel apps that help a traveler in many ways (booking tours and tickets, finding their way through maps and geolocation, travel diaries, etc.), and utility apps such as health apps and barcode scanners.