# The Most Innovative Apps 2020

If you don't remember the last time you downloaded a new application, most likely you are stuck in the era of the dinosaurs and your gadget is in dire need of updating. 2019 and 2020 were quite fruitful for interesting applications with which you can not only successfully fill in the home screen of your desktop, but also learn a non-standard approach to current consumer problems from their creators. And 2021 won’t be anything less!

The most innovative, jaw-dropping and fascinating apps that surprised us are below.

How it was in 2019-2020: in numbers

According to Statista data for the third quarter of 2019, the total number of mobile applications in the App Store and Google Play reached almost 4.3 million.

As of March 2019, the most popular categories of mobile apps in the United States are communication and social networks (97.7% of the U.S. audience), web browsers (97.6%), and utilities and tools (96.6%) reported Statista.

The average user in the United States spent more than 4 hours in apps in 2019, according to eMarketer. 2 hours 55 minutes of these - time spent on smartphones, 1 hour 8 minutes - on tablets. It is predicted that the time spent on mobile devices will continue to grow.

More and more companies are switching to PWA and succeed. For example, as noted in MarTech Advisor, after making changes to Pinterest, compared with the old mobile website, 40% more users appeared to spend more than 5 minutes on the website. Moreover, ad revenue metrics increased by 44%, and the number of clicks on ads increased by 50%.

Let’s have a little moment of retrospective and look at the 2020’s numbers about this.

FinancesOnline gave us something to work with. Now we know that the most popular category of applications in the US is communications and social. This is not a surprise, considering what had happened to our social life in 2020. Unfortunately, 2021 is not yet much different, so we’re able to say that online communication won’t leave us for a while.

Most innovative apps that will inspire you in 2021

We offer you a brief overview of some innovative apps of 2020, among which there were not only mobile apps, but also applications available both from mobile devices and PC browsers, as well as progressive web applications (PWA) - a technology that helps create a cross between a website and an app.

1. Randonautica

This app basically is a random generator, but it generates locations. It proved to be exceptionally useful in COVID-19 lockdown, to help people aim their wandering and thoughts. When users log in, they give it their location and the app chooses a random destination for a person’s route. Of course, this app still has some bugs and imperfections. For example, some of the users share info that Randonautica takes them into places which are private property since the app doesn’t know what private is yet.

As for today, the app was downloaded by 5m users and has 53 thouthand reviews. The application helps people entertain themselves when there is no other option, works well as something that gives you a purpose even if it’s just for a few hours.

2. Simple

The Simple app is called simple because it's really easy to use. The app enables healthcare workers to have easier workflow offline through simplifying the administrative parts of work. The Simple allows to register new patients and work with their healthcare data immediately. It saves both time and effort for the healthcare workers.

The data about each registered patient (their blood pressure, temperature, all current data, along with semi-permanent information like history or medication) are synchronized to the cloud-based record system. Synchronization may be delayed until the user’s access to the internet is stronger.

.3 Forest

This innovative mobile app is a great solution for those who find it difficult not to be distracted by their phone while working. The app motivates you to stay focused, starting each work session with sowing a seed in your own virtual forest. In order for the tree to grow, you must remain in the application throughout the entire period of work. Users note that this works, and they spend less time working on social networks and instant messengers.

Moreover, the mission of this innovative app is truly noble: the more virtual trees you manage to grow, the more coins you earn that you can donate to plant real trees. This is possible due to the fact that Forest is cooperating with the non-profit organization Trees for the Future, which helps to restore degraded lands around the world by planting trees there. Good willpower training, right?

.4 Farmsmart

A tool for farmers has appeared in the world of apps! This innovative AI-driven app was designed to help Kenya farmers keep track of farm activities, monitor quality requirements and plant the best crops on their land. The free mobile app Farmsmart analyzes the data provided on the size of the plot of land, season, location, and type of soil, and through its chatbot gives personalized recommendations. With this innovative app, users can also track finances, join farming communities through WhatsApp, receive advice on product sales, sell products, receive information and warnings about local diseases, etc.

.5 Too Good to Go

Next innovative app is just a godsend for the followers of “Zero waste” and “Eco friendly”, as well as for those who want to save money. Too Good to Go connects consumers with restaurants and shops, which with a big discount sell products that they usually have to throw away. For example, pastries, which should be fresh every day, dishes left after the buffet, as well as products in supermarkets. App users order a discounted food package at a nearby store, and then pick it up a short time later. The App operates in 12 countries in Europe and the UK, and it has over 25,000 registered stores offering products with discounts of up to 70%.

.6 Google Files Go

Your smartphone began to freeze and report the inability to take a photo or video - this is a sure sign that it's time to clean up the gadget! And the next app is your own Mr. Clean. Google Files Go allows Android users to easily find files, free up memory on the device, and quickly share files with other users. With it, you can rapidly delete old photos, identify duplicate files, get rid of apps you don't need. One of the features of this innovative app is the ability to share files between Android users without using the Internet similar to the Apple AirDrop function.

.7 Noisli

You love your work and respect your colleagues, but it's difficult for you to focus during their friendly chatter or business meetings? Pay attention to the innovative app, which will help you easily create your own sound combinations by mixing certain sounds such as rain, wind, thunderstorm, waves, birds, and adjust the volume of each of them. As a result, you will create the perfect melody that will help you focus on work in the office. It can also be a musical composition that will allow you to relax after a hard day.

.8 Soundslice

So a tree was planted, vegetables were grown, restaurant food was bought at a discount, the smartphone was cleaned, and you even created your own track. But what about the development of creative skills? Soundslice is a progressive web application for online music education that takes the learning and musicians’ practice to the next level. It combines MP3 players, sheet music, videos on YouTube, apps for editing notes, apps for slowdown / looping, etc. This web app with an innovative music player makes learning music easier and more effective for self-taught musicians. Thanks to the Soundslice player, you can study music by reading and listening to it on any device, whether it be a phone or a large-screen desktop. In addition, with this tool, music teachers can create interactive lessons. There is also a store where you can buy lessons and transcriptions.

.9 Faros

So you need a week or two to hit the road in Seattle. Maybe for work, or see the area, or take exams at college. Faros will help you solve the problem of finding temporary housing. This is an innovative progressive web application that makes it easy to find reliable housing for school courses and internships, short-term business trips. Also, thanks to this app, homeowners can quickly find suitable tenants for their properties, and the tenants, in turn, use their services, book housing, find the neighbors to share it, and pay the rent.

The app has a distinct advantage because it’s creators check the landlords and provide reviews, which saves the renters time for searching for the best accommodation. The web app also can connect the students with each other who work nearby. Using filters, the user can conveniently search for suitable housing, depending on the location, the required number of bedrooms and bathrooms, certain furniture and appliances, and parking spots. This app also includes additional features, such as searching for properties that allow the tenant to keep dogs or cats, or smoke indoors. Customization at the Subway sandwich selection level. ;)

.10 Yummly

Since we mentioned Subway, it's time to move on to an innovative culinary app. We know that this text is impossible to read when lunchtime is coming. But anyway, we present you the app with the delicious name Yummly. Based on the user's taste preferences and other indicators, this innovative app recommends individual recipes, compiles a shopping list, and also offers quick food delivery. Along with its native app for Android and iOS, Yummly is also available in web browsers like PWA. Yummly PWA offers a search engine for food, cooking, and recipes. With this web app, users are able to search over more than a million recipes from top food sites, niche blogs, or local food brands. In addition, the app is personalized and allows you to filter the search results by ingredients, cuisine, diet, cooking time, price, allergies, taste, nutrition, dishes and many other indicators. There is also a voice search function.

.11 Wego

Travel is stressful enough with planning and scheduling. Using the next application, you can ease some of the stress of booking the trip. Progressive web app Wego provides mobile users with easy access to airline and hotel reservations. Wego has successfully transformed travel search and payment.

Among the best features of this app:

Other App features such as “popular destinations,” “offers,” and “price alerts” are also available.

.12 9GAG

9Gag is a unique type of social networking platform, the purpose of which is to download and share mainly humorous content such as images, videos, memes, etc. Using PWA allowed including other functions on the website that were available only in native mobile applications. This has further expanded its network around the world, including Germany, the USA, France, Brazil and the UK.

Using the app, users can research interesting content, check channels, search by filters, comment, join community discussions, find friends from all over the world, and share humor on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Line, WeChat, and Weibo.

.13 SoloCoin

This application is created to make social distancing seem like fun. It gives you shopping coupons that may be exchanged for discounts on Netflix, Amazon, Zomato, etc.

Basically, this app rewards you for being away from people and staying put in your house.

It even has leaderboards and badges to make this process even funnier. App has a location timer and daily challenges by completing which you would earn rewards.

So, if you find it hard to entertain yourself while staying at home, this app is something that may really help you.

What’s next?

Among the top trends of apps development in 2021, the following are leading the charts:

• AI use

In 2021, AI will continue to play an active role in our lives. In addition to improving existing apps, other tools will be used, such as AI-based cameras, voice translations, user forecasts, etc. Also, apps will use the analytical capabilities of machine learning, in particular, to study user behavior.

• Augmented reality and virtual reality

It can be expected that many of the ideas of AR-based applications will turn into fully functioning mobile apps. This will be especially efficient in healthcare, tourism, education, retail, marketing, etc.

• On-demand services

Such apps include applications for delivering food, goods, taxis, laundry, salons, babysitting services, and so on. The development of an innovative on-demand service app will be paid special attention. This allows users to take advantage of a particular service, and brands, in turn, attract customers by quickly responding to their needs.

• IoT apps

These include systems that allow you to manage your home, car, as well as apps for devices in the healthcare system, and others. From its use on sensors and devices to web and B2B applications, IoT demonstrates the full potential of smart technology.

• Mobile wallets

These applications allow the user not to pay in cash, and also they do not need to enter his account data several times a day. Mobile wallet apps such as Amazon Pay, Google Pay, PayPal have become very popular. Mobile app developers and business organizations will implement mobile wallets into their applications.

• Beacon technology

An application with this technology has great marketing potential. While the customer is walking to the store for a certain product, the application on the gadget shows which stores have the product they need, and also provides its price and other characteristics. This technology can also be used in apps for healthcare, tourism, mobile payments, games, and quests.

These were the most interesting and vibrant apps of 2019-2020. But who said this is the limit? 

It's possible that your application will get into the top innovative apps of 2021. If you have got a cool idea for developing an application - contact us.