10 Great Qualities a Mobile App Must Have

Over the past six to eight years, mobile phones have become an inseparable part of our lives, thanks to the smartphone revolution. From small startups to well-established business magnate companies, everyone is racing to introduce their apps in front of millions of audience. Nowadays, Google app store, iTunes app store, and Blackberry app world have become loaded with entertainment, news, productivity, health, and business apps. However, some of the apps there, are significantly more popular than the others. Ever wondered why? What are the characteristics that make an app interesting and brings it into the mainstream? If you are planning on launching an app then you should definitely take a look at the following qualities a mobile app must have:

1. Compatibility of the Mobile App

Compatibility is a major factor to concern profoundly before releasing your app in the market. It consists of mainly two parts : with mobile operating systems as well as with devices. In today’s world, the smartphones are dominated by primarily three operating systems i.e. Android, Blackberry OS, and iOS. However, while iOS and Blackberry OS are exclusive for iPhone and Blackberry users, Android have a huge variety of devices associated with it. Certain app stores might cancel launching your app if it has some critical issues. So, thoroughly check your mobile app on several devices to ensure its compatibility before launching it.

2. Availability in Different App Stores

The success of a mobile app also depends on its availability on different kinds of app stores. Just by looking around for awhile, you will find that not everyone in your neighborhood uses smartphones with same operating system. There is a gigantic audience associated with all popular mobile platforms. If you want to target a higher number of general users through your app, you should definitely consider promoting it on all the big platforms. Apart from Google Play Store, BlackBerry App World, and iTunes app store, there are other stores that are becoming quite trendy among developers such as: Appia, OpenAppMkt, Cydia, BBNation, Lima, and AppCentral.

4. Security

Security is a decisive aspect of every mobile app. however, if it contains e-payment options, security becomes an unavoidable and crucial point to pay heed upon. Due to a weak encryption or loose security testing, important information can be leaked and payments might become insecure. Apart from them, malware or phishing software might adversely affect the user's phone. Mobile users would never want hackers to steal away their sensitive personal and professional information. Hence, endeavor to make your app unbreachable by using strong coding & encryption, implementing secure communications, and thorough security testing.

4. Fast Launch-Time Performance

In, today’s fast-forward world, everyone, especially smartphone users strive to complete their tasks quickly. They prefer mobile apps that can load faster regardless of their heavy graphics or featured content. Make sure your developer team put serious efforts to reduce the launching time of your application to five to six seconds at its max. If your app contains a number of important features that are affecting its launching time, then just place an attractive animation for the loading time. It will hold the attention of the users and keep their monotony at bay.

5. Simple and Easy to Use

General smartphone users have a tendency to switch to other similar apps if they don’t find an application convenient and simple enough. It is one of those aspects where developers don’t put noticeable attention upon. Even if the app is full of complex features and functionalities, operating it should be a piece of cake for the user. Always make a note that the simplicity of an app contributes positively by high leaps in its popularity.

6. Uniqueness

Just by looking briefly at the history of the mobile app revolution, you would find that some apps with unique concept have achieved unbeatable success. However, apps with the identical concept may gain popularity but it is somewhat arduous. Before planning on developing an app, just consider that - Is this concept unique or just a modified copy of another app already available in stores? If your app is one-of-a-kind and contains features important to the users then it will probably stand out of the rest.

7. Social Media Integration

Social media integration of an app is a game changer that can boost the functionality as well as its charm. It lets the users create an account in just one tap by signing up with their other social media accounts like google+ and facebook. It saves time and tedious work of filling the same, old & conventional text fields. Moreover, if your app allows sharing with popular social media platforms, it will keep the users engaged and they increase the likeliness of their return. Social media integrity of an app will not only increase the visibility of your app but it will also help generate revenue for your business.

8. Performance of a Mobile App

Various research surveys conducted across the world suggest that performance of mobile apps is a very considerable factor for the users. However, performance can depend on several factors that combine server, device, network, and the app itself. Testing of the app on a number of different devices would assure you of its performance and will help you identify bugs if there are any.

9. Battery Consumption

As soon as the smartphones emerged in our lives, we realized that the batteries barely keep the phones going for 24 hours. The top mobile phone manufacturers are constantly working on developing long-lasting batteries. Still, the users have to keep an eye on the apps that drain the battery quickly and they prefer the apps that don’t. To minimize the battery use of your app, instruct your mobile app development team to test the battery consumption of the app on several devices.

10. None or Minimized Ads

Ads are gradually being one of the primary ways to generate the revenue for businesses through the apps. However, for users, they are interruptive, irritating, and time wasting. If your mobile app contains frequent or longer ads, the users might turn to the alike apps that don’t. If providing ads is a necessity and the only main source for generating revenue then you could try to make them less invasive. Have a meeting with your technical team and discuss that how to keep ads in the app without compromising with user's experience.

11. Ability to Work Offline

In this era of internet, it is crucial for most of the apps to stay connected to function perfectly. Nevertheless, a good app should be able to work offline in case the users get disconnected. Not all the apps feature same functions and some, especially game ones, need an uninterrupted internet connection to perform perfectly. It is always a good idea to ponder what functions of the app can be created in a way to run offline.

We hope that now you know that what are some extensive qualities that a mobile app must have. To make their apps easy to understand, many developers are now providing initial tutorials. A great app should not leave the user confused about any of its functionality. Just make your app captivating, simple, pretty, & useful and you have a chance to experience phenomenal success.