The whole world is in our smartphones: modern types of mobile apps

3.1 hours a day we are consuming content through apps. They accounted for nearly 50% of internet traffic worldwide last year. A smartphone isn’t a thing for communications only anymore. It covers everyday needs with different apps. Let’s discuss the most popular categories of mobile apps and their functionality depending on content.

Utility apps

These are the basic applications that usually exist on all smartphones. Here you can find different calculators, alarm apps, flashlights, password storages, converters, etc. They help us to solve little problems every day.

Education apps

In this group of apps, the user has the opportunity to learn and teach others. They are sharing knowledge interactively in a convenient and simple way. It can be book libraries, vocabulary training apps, test preparation apps, and educational platforms.

Music apps

In this category you can find different apps for finding, listening, sharing and saving your favorite music. Each user can create his own playlist and find music in accordance with his wishes. Maybe, the most popular are Spotify and Apple Music. But there are so many other apps that you should try too and probably like.

Game apps

Another group of apps which can make user`s life funnier is games. These apps account for 80% of all app revenue. Here the user has a very large selection. From highly intellectual games to time-killers for just wasting time. Game apps always have the most complex design and a very powerful visual component.

Food and drink apps

There are many apps offering users recipes, reviews of meals, nutrition facts, restaurants and cafes. They contain information about eating out or home cooking. Modern users are always glad to know more about their meals. The trend to monitor nutrition is constantly developing.

Shopping apps (m-commerce)

More than 80% of shoppers used a smartphone at a physical store for looking up product reviews or comparing prices. These apps support the full cycle of purchase or enhance the shopping experience in a physical point of sales. Also, they make a process of payment easier. It is suitable for all business marketplaces. M-commerce is one of the most emerging sales trends.

Entertainment apps

People are already used to rest with a smartphone`s help. These apps are designed to entertain users with audio, video, graphic and other content. In this category, the user will find movies, ticketing apps or even TV. A good example is Netflix. They made a really cool platform for watching favor movies right from a smartphone.

Business apps

These apps help businessman or his hired workers who do business activities. They can help to track and analyze data, make plans and manage them. This category includes apps for hiring and searching for a job, file sharing apps, and tools for networking.

Finance apps

Today’s users need help with financial operations and budget planning. Apps of this type simplify these processes and are always available in the smartphone in just some clicks. Here are financial and investment management, budget apps, mobile banking apps, bill reminders, and more. With the development of mobile payment technologies like Google Pay and Apple Pay, this group is becoming even more important for the user.

Photo and video apps

Visual content is so popular, cause it’s much easier to consume nowadays. With these apps, users can create, edit, and share photo and video content. Usually, they have special effects, masks, collages, typography editors and more. Then finished materials can be easily sent straight to the social network.

Productivity apps

People are lazy by nature and need helpers right in the smartphone. Any apps that somehow help organize workflow, develop habits and simply motivate to work productively are suitable here. These can be project boards, schedules, reminders, notes, to do lists and more.

Health and fitness apps

This type is developed to manage people’s health. There can be apps that help to monitor health conditions, track different kinds of data, lose or gain weight, scan stress, do fitness or have an active rest. Workout trackers, apps for weight loss, yoga apps, pregnancy apps are useful helpers of this category.

Travel apps

Traveling is fraught with many problems that the user faces. There are apps that help users plan their journeys, book hotels or apartments, find and buy tickets. These can be flight trackers, apps for hotel or car rentals, city guides, etc. A good example is Airbnb which helps millions of travelers get their comfortable living place.

Magazines and newspapers

In these apps, the user will find content provided in newspapers or other periodicals. Articles cover a wide variety of topics. It can be an online version of a print magazine. Also, it can be only an online edition without any connection to a physically existing publication: fresh news, blogs, etc. For the user, it’s very comfortable to find out different news from his smartphone.

Lifestyle apps

These apps help users look good and feel good, improve their homes and the way they live, etc. They help in organizing a user`s life. If your business is about real estate, fashion or hobbies, that’s your app category. For example, it is an excellent addition to the cosmetics selling website, where you can give bits of advice about daily care.

Social networking apps

Today, everyone spends free time on social networks. These platforms allow a user to communicate with friends from anywhere in the world, share photos, videos, files, stream and even make a full-fledged business. Here are messengers with voice messaging, audio and video calls, also, dating apps, and instant apps. This is the most downloaded type.

We hope you know about all the main groups of apps and their differences now and it will be easier to find what you really want. To create such a successful app you should combine skills and technologies with design-thinking.