When it comes to your continued success in terms of mobile application development, one of the core contributing factors always comes down to the platform you’re ultimately working on. As of the beginning of October, Apple’s iOS 12 had already been installed on roughly 53% of all iOS devices that were released in the last four years. If you expand that number to include all iOS devices currently in use, the number only drops to about 50% – meaning that for at least the next year, this is a major platform that you’re going to have to get comfortable with.
Luckily, the reviews have been positive and the users seem to be satisfied, so it’s not like you’re stuck developing in an environment that works contrary to your goals instead of for them. In fact, iOS 12 brings a lot of different benefits to the table in terms of what it is now possible to do with your apps. You just need to keep a few key things in mind.
Support For Upcoming Devices
One of the major “behind the scenes” changes in iOS 12 doesn’t necessarily impact the choices you’ll be making today – but it should absolutely affect the ones that you could be making tomorrow.
Based on certain elements of iOS 12, it’s clear that the iPhone X’s controversial “notch” is here to say. As the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR already feature this curious design choice, the writing has essentially been on the wall for some time. You should consider this a confirmation, however, that the notch is something you’ll have to work with with regards to your UX and UI choices moving forward.
Equally important to note is that iOS 12 may have revealed the existence of a bezel-less iPad that has yet to be released. This too will impact the way that your apps look, feel and operate on those devices and it’s something that you should start planning for now so that you’re not caught off guard when that particular product finally hits store shelves.
ARKit 2
Apple’s ARKit has been a part of the iOS platform for some time, but iOS 12 takes things even further. Thanks to this update, it’s now possible for users to share the view on their device with other iOS 12 users. Not only that, but ARKit 2 lets people explore full 2D image tracking and even features support for tracking 3D objects as they move through a space.
This is relevant for mobile app developers operating in the enterprise space in particular, as it could potentially let you develop new collaborative features that will assist in increasing productivity for business clients.
The Future of CarPlay
One of the most important changes to iOS 12 involves a major shift to the CarPlay API, which now allows users to run third-party navigation applications. When developing apps for business users who are also constantly on-the-go, this represents another opportunity to tie elements like navigation and scheduling together into a richer, more useful and more fulfilling experience.
The Legacy Factor
Finally, we arrive at device support – something that is an important topic for app developers everywhere who still struggle with implementing state-of-the-art functionality while still offering support for legacy devices that users may happen to have.
All devices that supported iOS 11 still support iOS 12 – so those iPhone 5S users you’re working with are still a concern for the foreseeable future. However, with significant backend changes in terms of performance and hardware requirements on new devices, it’s easy to see that this is soon going to change. When iOS 13 is released in the fall of 2019, the iPhone 6 will be five years old – which means that any devices from this era will likely no longer be supported. Keep that in mind when laying out your long-term development plans moving forward.
Contact us today to discuss custom software for your organization!
Image by FreePik.com
