you wear an expensive watch just for style and never use it to see time? You scroll through Instagram as soon as you wake up? What is a voice call, WhatsApp and Face time are your go-to communication mediums? Are you guilty of all these symptoms? If yes, you have a chronic case of app-addiction. Mobile app addiction is a serious phenomenon, especially India whose smartphone user population will be more than US population by the end of 2018.

In the last 5 years we have seen mobile apps business in India grow leaps and bounds. Who would have thought sixty year mums would be shopping for groceries via mobile apps? It’s incredible! Which leaves us with a question, what next? Let’ see what mobile apps have in-stored for us in 2018.

On-demand Apps
Let’s be honest, no one nowadays wants to waste hours in a grocery store or be stuck in traffic driving. In comes on-demand apps making our lives easier. Take an example Uber, primarily a taxi service that ventures into Uber Eats, a food delivery service. That is the impact that on-demand services have created in the Indian mobile economy.

Zomato, India's fastest growing food delivery app declared 80 percent revenue growth early this year and raised USD 225 mn in funding. Recently, online grocery startup Big basket raised USD 5 mn and its rival Grofers India pumped in USD 14.7 mn in funding.

We foresee that on-demands app will grow more in 2018 in India as the smartphone user numbers will reach 400 mn.

WhatsApp for business
Not exactly a forecast, but a billion-dollar opportunity in making. WhatsApp is already making billions for Mark Zuckerberg, however, launching the business side to it was a much awaited scenario. India being the largest market for WhatsApp with 200+ million active users, it’s a great opportunity in making. The service currently is free like regular WhatsApp, however, we predict that they will in future monetize the business app.

payments apps can help in more inflow of remittance money in the country, truly working

towards a better economic future of the country.

Mobile Payment Apps and Remittance
There is no proof required when it comes to the increase in adaptation of mobile wallets after demonetization hit us a year ago. However, what is now new is that mobile payment apps may be the preferred way to get remittance money to the country. India gets the highest remittance money in the world that contributes to over 3 percent to the India GDP. The quicker and cheaper money transfer via mobile payments apps can help in more-inflow of remittance money in the country, truly working towards a better economic future of the country.

Machine Learning (ML) is a form of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that provides a system the intelligence to improve the current user experience by analyzing the usage the consumer had in the past

Cloud-based App
Do you follow the HBO series Silicon Valley? If you haven’t you should, as they are building the future of cloud storage. Reports say that 55 percent of enterprises predict cloud computing would generate brand new business models within the next three years and 94 percent of businesses saw a remarkable improvement in security after switching to cloud.

Cloud based apps are the apps that are used to keep your data available on cloud, irrespective of genre. It can be an Evernote which has your documents online, iCloud app that keeps your pictures/videos online or a Gantter that helps you manage your work online with your entire team in sync.

Cloud computing is projected to reach USD 162 bn in 2020 attaining a 19 percent CAGR. Now a days when people documenting every minute of their life, all that data needs to be stored and cloud based mobile apps will make that happen.

Android Instant Apps
As per Google, Android Instant Apps are “an evolution in app sharing and discovery, Android Instant Apps allows Android users to run your apps instantly, without installation. Android users experience what they love about apps-fast and beautiful user interfaces, high performance, and great capabilities-with just a tap.”

If you put this definition in the Indian context, it means lesser space wastage of your smartphone and less spend of your mobile data and still get to use/test the app in its native form; a win-win situation for both Google and its users. 2018 will see Google opening this platform for many apps and we will get to reap it benefits later the same year.

Machine Learning
Machine Learning (ML) is a form of Artificial Intelligence(AI)that provides a system the intelligence to improve the current user experience by analyzing the usage the consumer had in the past.

Right now, we ML in or day to day life, when Facebook asks you to right a good morning status as your day starts or when Netflix tells you what show to watch next after analyzing your past preferences. The near future will see big changes with ML and IoT(Internet of Things), when Alexa will be doing the monotonous job of handling your everyday chores and giving you more time to invest in more useful things. Business wise ML will be used in fraud deduction, data mining, Robotics and much more.