WEARABLE APP DEVELOPMENT IN 2021

Using a constantly expanding wearable technologies ecosystem and slowly increasing client demand, the wearable market is currently in a position to keep on progressing, offering not only contemporary apparatus but also highly-functional wearable apps to clients.

Until recently, wearables belonged to the group of devices used exclusively by military forces, companies, and health care professionals. But now, many years after the first intelligent wearable device was introduced, they're finally moving from a high tech market class to the private consumer market.

From monitoring fitness activity to fostering gaming adventures -- wearables have the capacity to become a significant portion of consumer technology in the not-so-distant future. In this guide, we're going to do a deep dive into the ins and outs of wearable technologies, from what wearable is and why we want it to the advantages and challenges of wearable app development in various industries.

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What's wearable technology?

Wearables, or wearable technologies, are devices which can, as its name implies, be worn on the body as attachments, implanted directly into the consumer's body, or embedded into their clothes as part of their cloths and technology fusion. Today's hottest wearable devices are smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smart glasses (one of those head-mounted display categories.)

Based on Statista, in the interval between 2016 and 2019, the amount of wearable linked devices more than doubled, rising from 325 to 722 million. Moreover, it's predicted to grow to surpass one billion by 2022, in no small part because of the worldwide 4G to 5G evolution that's already ongoing in the telecom market.

One of the key qualities of wearables is they normally make thousands and thousands of measurements every day. The user's personal information is tracked and quantified upon their consent through strong smart sensors and microchips embedded in a wearable digital device. For this reason, the growth of the technology is closely connected with the rise of mobile networks, high-speed data transport, and miniaturized microprocessors. Besides, it's common knowledge that the link to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or mobile networks just further enhances the user experience for wearables.

Along with monitoring biometric data, wearables may also access applications and offer feedback based on the processed data. In this manner, wearable technology in several respects follows in the footsteps of the Internet of Things. Exactly like in case with wearables, additionally, it took IoT some time to go into the private sector, but after it did, the popularity instantly started to increase. Moreover, wearable devices not only follow the example of the big brother but are also now evolving into a significant category of the Internet of Things, with its numerous life-changing applications. What distinguishes wearables from IoT is that a corresponding wearable app should work independently of a phone app. It generally gives users greater flexibility. However, if done reasonably, it's still a choice to split the load between a wearable app and a companion phone app.

Why do we want wearable technologies?

The revolution began a few years back when the Apple Watch was released, and the watch per se -- an attachment telling time -- turned into a wise device that was fairly good at many other technically challenging tasks. Since that time, ongoing requirement has been always fueling a solid growth trajectory for wearable devices.

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Still, the question remains: Why should we care about wearables and wearable apps?

The brief answer is that they can make our everyday lives easier. Whether or not a wearable device is worn around the body or integrated into the clothing, its purpose is the same, which is to provide permanent, portable, convenient, and in certain cases, hands-free access to computers. This accessibility, in turn, can bring about the following benefits to individuals:

1. Wearables help us monitor data better and thus contribute to maintaining and enhancing our health.
2. They can make many tasks less of a hassle to finish -- make sure it contactless payment, navigation in the environment, or responding to text messages.
3. Wearable technology has the potential to improve lives by encouraging proactive healthcare and active living.
4. Wearable technology is equally acceptable for life and work. It can help improve productivity in the office or be part of apparatus meant for entertainment.
5. Wearables have the social aspect which permits gamification of personal accomplishments tracking and sharing -- make it a workout conclusion, recovering from a state, or success in quitting and reducing smoking.

Advantages of wearables for different businesses

Smartwatches and other wearable devices don't appear to prevent gaining in popularity. However, to ride this wave, one needs to know where to find it in the first location. Nowadays, there are three large industries that one needs to consider when looking to the ways to become a part of this worldwide wearable tech market: health care, gaming, and style.

1. Wearable devices in health care

In 2021, health care is a big deal, and in part, hence, the medical industry continues welcoming technology innovations to better protect people and enhance the delivery of care.

Wireless medical sensors aren't completely new to the health industry. In actuality, there are lots of ways in which sensors are used in healthcare for ages. From body dimensions to the quality of sleep, from heart rates to respiratory functions and outside -- the detectors are nearly everywhere. They communicate with each other creating an ecosystem which stores all medical data about someone. Because of this, individuals and their health care providers become allowed to track their health 24/7 and manage their medical conditions more seamlessly. However, as wearable technology is becoming more integrated into the ordinary client's life, there isn't any requirement for wearable apps to be directly linked to medical staff. It's very likely that such applications will react to the recovered and analyzed data with alarms or suggested activities anyway. Obtaining feedback, awards, and reminders about one's health and fitness goals can be satisfying enough.

This guarantee of complete awareness is a massive part of why the amount of individuals using wearables for health reasons is forecast to steadily increase. Thus, yet in 2018, Accenture conducted a research on electronic health services, demonstrating that 33 percent of respondents had embraced wearables -- compared to 9 percent in 2014 -- and what is more exciting is that 72 percent of customers stated they would agree to share personal data gathered in their wearable devices with their insurance provider.

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Wearable devices used in preventative care, diagnosis, treatment decision, as well as high-risk care management were estimated to save over $200 billion across all states in the US by 2050. Moreover, according to recent study from Insider Intelligence, the amount of smart wearable consumers in the US will reach 72.6 million.

Having the ability to track fitness action, assess sleep quality, and quantify health information like heart rate or blood sugar level, wearable devices continue becoming more and more sophisticated. Today, there are several things besides step monitoring. Similarly, the Choice of wearable devices for health tracking is only widening:

1. Wearable fitness trackers - fitness-tracking smart rings (Fitbit, Jawbone, Runtastic, Garmin, etc.) and smart rings (Oura, Oumij, Motiv, etc..)
2. Smart health watches - smartwatches running Wear OS, Galaxy Watches from Samsung, and Apple Watches from Apple.
3. Body-mounted detectors - a variety of sensors monitoring biological data to healthcare purposes:
  - - Wearable ECG monitors
    - Wearable blood pressure monitors
    - Biosensors detecting pulse rate, blood oxygen and sugar levels, muscle oxygen saturation, and much more

Though fitness trackers were the first wearable devices to become especially popular with the wide audience, smartwatches have followed the lead. Because of this, they were able to develop to a hugely popular staple of the consumer electronics business and a fixture of the watch industry's center market.

Another important part of smart wearable apparatus used for health purposes is algorithms. Wearable devices powered by an algorithm may alert users when any irregularities in their biological information are detected if these symptoms indicate a particular medical condition's presence. Algorithms in wearables are the next-gen development which has been extensively studied today. So, the use of smart wearables to ascertain symptoms of a specific infection, for example, isn't science fiction but instead an eagerly anticipated feature.

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2. Wearable gaming technology

Gaming and technology are inseparable. Moreover, since consumer expectations tend to rapidly align to new advancements in the game design field, the requirement to continue to grow and achieve more is always there when it comes to game development.

Wearable gaming technologies are just one of those developments which have been gaining plenty of attention recently. They aren't a new thing, and in 2021, they will keep growing. Everything started decades ago with the first prototypes of contemporary VR headsets. Nowadays, Virtual Reality wearable devices remain among the most common kinds of wearable technology in the gaming market. Nevertheless, as it was noted, clients need their gaming experiences to be better with every new release, so wearable haptic devices are an ideal candidate for your job.

- VR wearables. Virtual reality headsets were the first kind of wearables used in gambling. VR gaming headsets and goggles assist users immerse themselves entirely from the game. That's why up until now, the most significant VR gaming accessory is the one users wear on their minds. The variety of those wearable VR gaming apparatus is broad enough to fit any budget: from easy VR goggles showing the simulated 3D game environment to innovative motion-control VR headsets effective at capturing and transmitting full user's head and eye movements.
- Haptic devices. Another measurement of participation that wearables can provide in gambling is tactile feedback. In matches, touch is engaged via the science of haptics. Video game controls have been using haptics for almost two decades but integrating this technology into wearable devices is the upcoming achievable milestone.

3. Wearables in fashion

The fashion business is just as perceptive to initial ideas and innovation as the gambling sector is. Trends come and go, so when anything exciting looms on the horizon, it can't but be picked up to become a person's fashion statement.

Wearable smart devices have taken over the fashion business and do not appear to move over. Wise accessories and garments are now part of smart fashion that combines style and aesthetics with functional technology. There are already quite a number of ways that wearables are employed in the fashion industry. As an example, your smart accessories may change color to match some of your outfits, your smart tote can control your phone or other USB devices, and your handbag can turn on inner lights each time you open it.

Moreover, there's such thing as smart fabrics which are being used by famous brands such as Levi's. Their smart apparels are made to get sensors measuring biometrics. In this manner, suits, trousers, and other clothing accessories become wearable apparatus whose distinctive fabric can adjust the temperature or even improve blood circulation.

Wearable apps are quickly taking over the fashion sector. According to the report by Statista, the international smart clothes and fabrics market size is estimated to substantially grow from 2018 to 2025. Estimates compiled from several sources have it that in 2025, the wise clothes and fabrics marketplace will reach the size of more than 5 billion U.S. dollars.

1 way or another, each coin has two sides. Similarly, there's absolutely no cutting-edge technology that would not have any challenges to be managed. The wearable devices market is no exception. Let us take a look at the most nagging issues that are likely to arise if you choose to develop a wearable app.

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1. Battery issues

Thinking about ways to enlarge a wearable device's battery life is crucial for anybody in the wearable enterprise. Wearable devices are typically small and lightweight, so no wonder why battery life has always been such a huge issue. So, it's crucial for wearable device vendors to design an efficient, high-performing, and durable battery. However, wearable app providers need to maintain this particularity in mind as well when creating their products.

The sector is already highly competitive, and the wearable app that consumes an excessive amount of battery isn't likely to survive. The wearable device applications -- portable by its own nature and nearly always on the net -- does not need to earn a user recharge the device too frequently. At exactly the exact same time, but this app has to be capable of balancing between functionality that is useful and battery-saving capabilities.

2. User interface

A wearable app should function smoothly without draining a battery and look appealing on wearable devices. The biggest challenge here is that normally, wearable devices have much smaller screens than smartphones. Hence, the user interface of a wearable app must be equipped with a set of basic principles in mind:

- Eliminate visual clutter in the UI to allow for its glanceability
- The UX/UI must convey messages correctly, so make a UI clear and glossy
- The displayed content must be relevant to the consumer context
- The content should be displayed against a mild enough background
- Design singular focused tasks that produce an efficient stream
- Make notifications unintrusive and beneficial for an individual
- User sessions on wearables are brief, so interactions must be as lightweight as possible

3. Privacy and security

Any app supplier -- no matter the vertical or the degree of elegance -- should always opt for more privacy and safety for its users.

To start with, wearables are intended to be always connected to the net and support data transfer from one device to another. It's good for the user experience but can also be related to the increased risk of information breaches. Having said that, it's the app provider's responsibility to eliminate the risk and prevent data robbery by third parties.

In addition to that, wearable devices' screens can quickly become the source of the data flow, too. A good practice is to produce content on a wearable device's display glanceable. Because of this, if designed poorly, users' sensitive health data or personal conversations could be visible on a wearable device when it's in plain sight. But, there are ways to overcome this issue by effectively designing wearable UIs. Thus, you must consider how the wearable is confronting and, based on that, decide how data should be displayed. As a guideline, the screen should stay blank when it's unsafe to do differently, and every time a notification arrives, the device must vibrate and only then display this telling. 1 way or another, respect your clients and consistently aim to help them protect their information!

4. Functionality

An appealing, minimalistic, and easy-to-navigate interface is an essential part of what a terrific wearable apparatus should be like. Yet, an individual shouldn't sacrifice performance for aesthetic reasons.

In actuality, the more useful performance a wearable device provides, the better. To attract and retain users, wearables must show they are here for a reason and that they could actually achieve what wouldn't otherwise be possible. A wearable app must enable features that would add new advantages. As an example, a sleep-tracking wearable app shouldn't only tell how long you slept or how frequently you moved through the night, but rather, it should indicate guidance on improving the quality of sleep according to your sleeping habits. A wearable app's functionality must rely on customization and personalization not achievable on other apparatus to be justified.

5. Regular updates

There could hardly be a moment for an app when all of its customers will become completely happy with how it works and looks. In actuality, it's much more probable that many of them will not be completely happy with the help of an app.

Having said that, any application -- and a wearable app is no exception -- need to be regularly upgraded. Only with constant updates, the app will have the ability to stay relevant and useful. Regular upgrades help address quality-related problems, and new releases are the only means to deliver new features and fix bugs.

6. Multi-platform support

It's natural that with wearables, boundaries between devices have begun blurring. Ideally, wearable apps should be compatible with multiple platforms. However, this device fragmentation, then, started to interfere with multi-platform app development.

Therefore, in fact, it's rarely possible to generate a wearable app that would run seamlessly on various devices. Wearables are frequently tied to proprietary platforms, and third party app development is quite limited, if not impossible. As an example, some vendors manufacture devices so that their OS wouldn't be modifiable. Thus, to operate on multiple platforms, a wearable app must rely upon a genuinely vendor-independent platform.

Nevertheless, many wearables are often paired with a smartphone. They rely on the various smartphone company app to gain from internet connectivity and for superior performance. It further complicates the situation as cross-platform development approaches must support each combination of host and observe platform. This leads us into the next and final challenge that wearable app developers can experience.

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7. Tethered devices

Interaction with other devices is vital for wearables. Their restricted performance and generally much smaller displays are a few reason why wearables are tethered -- connected -- instead of standalone devices. Wearables rely on larger devices when attempting to fulfill the performance standard. This tethering unlocks access to more features, but there's also a reverse side to it.

- If the battery of the bigger apparatus -- a smartphone, tablet, etc. -- has run down, the wearable itself becomes useless.
- If the device a wearable is connected to is outside the Bluetooth connection array, operations get not as smooth or stop completely.
- An app that's managed by two apparatus has twice as many reasons to neglect.

Accordingly, developers shouldn't consider wearables in isolation when designing apps for them. Until there's a rock-solid solution that would enable wearable apparatus to operate flawlessly independently, it's almost compulsory to integrate them with the present devices in an individual's digital ecosystem. What's more, this has to be done so that all of the connected devices may benefit from one another, thus providing the user with the best possible results. As an example, a smartwatch that measures heart rate and blood flow and a smartphone that offers the in-depth analysis of the accumulated data are amazing examples of effective cooperation between a wearable and companion app.

Conclusion

Wearable technology is growing and strong. Nowadays, it has everything to attain success later on and allow people who make wearable devices and applications for these devices finally hit the big time.

Wearable technology's benefits are multifold, but the associated challenges are equally important. Still, by most accounts, the former is expected to overweigh the latter, as the companies see the bright prospect of wearables and are prepared to help others see that coming. With the ideal combination of hardware and software, wearables will surely can serve the purpose of enhancing people's lives.

For those who have a wearable app idea or wish to find out more about present possibilities for wearable app development, reach out to us with the contact form below! Our consultants will do their best to put to good use their tech experience and expertise creating wearable applications.

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