Having a great business idea is often synonymous to planning to create a great mobile application for iOS and Android devices. But the challenge is, you are not certain how to turn that one good instinct in your brain into a market-ready mobile app.

Being an entrepreneur, you might not have time enough to bring the idea to life with do-it-yourself technique available from online app building programs.

Fortunately, there is a pool of smart mobile app developers who are roaring to partner with you. You can simply pick a promising bunch and they will save you a headache of all the strategic planning, methodical approach and technical involvement in the process.

According to reports by Vision Mobile, the UK app developer market are forecast to be more than £31 billion by 2025 and the economy will be worth more than £30 billion by 2030.

Read Also: App Development Cost Design, Development, Deployment

For new players in the business, described here are 11 easy fundamental steps to create a mobile application.

1. Define realistic goals

The very first step to create a mobile application is to think of what you really want to achieve and why you wish to build the app. All you need at this stage is a pen, a paper and clear mind before you set out for a fairly complicated design and development process.

A few questions you should mull over at this point are:

• What exactly do you want your app to be like?
• What would make it appear best to users?
• How will it simplify and contribute to the life of users?
• What makes it more competitive than other established players?
• What are your thoughts on app marketing tactics?

For you to survive and flourish in the market, it is essential to define and know where you are headed.

So before engaging with a mobile app development partner, imagine a clear picture of business objectives that are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Realistic
• Achievable

2. Sketch your plans and app structure

Now it’s time to jump from your confidence about the goals to penning down those brilliant ideas about your mobile app. Here words would essentially be translated into vivid visuals that will eventually help substantiate your dream app structure.

It may look a little wild and fantastical, but this step will include a set of clever ideas about future decisions such as app monetization or reselling.

You can prepare a sketch of whether or not you fancy flashing ads to generate revenue or there will be premium and freemium versions with certain in-app purchases. Foster a clear prospect of what exactly you want to do with your app at this stage.

3. Research

The next is research. As almost every mobile app developer would unanimously agree, there is no alternative to doing thorough research. This relates to both competitors and end users.

Even your most exemplary app idea will have some competition considering nearly 5 million apps already inundating the app stores. Explore the depth and find out all about your rival apps and their success stories.

It will help you understand what it is that makes them popular and what you need to make your app stand out and outshine.

Shift your focus to internet to know if there are copyright constraints or heavy technical challenges. This crucial step will tell you whether your idea is worth investing in.

4. Wireframe and mockups

Deemed as a skeleton of the app, Wireframe is more organized, palatable and presentable version to the original sketch you have prepared in step 2.

It is a sharp storyboard that brings your sketches to life and reflects your clear design ideas along with functional points.What makes wireframes and mockups a crucial step is its importance for the app development process.

You will find many options online for wire-framing tools with handy functionality such as:

• Axure
• Balsamiq
• Pidoco
• Adobe
• iplotz

5. Shape and strategize the Backend

The storyboard developed from step 4 will drive you straight to working on functionality of your app and quintessential components such as APIs, hosting servers, data architecture diagram.

A few readymade do-it-yourself tools may help you with preparing for the backend system. However, in case you struggle to comprehend their technical gobbledygook, its always a sensible decision to partner with professional server and data hosting services.

Its imperative in any case that you create clear and convincing diagrams of backend components regardless of app development methods since they are will direct and guide everyone working on the project.

You can revise and adjust your mockup content depending on the change of circumstances and future technical challenges.

Read Also: Reasons Why Enterprise Needs a Mobile App

6. Test the Raw Model

Engage your friends, colleagues and dear ones in the process and ask them to check the app demo and share their honest opinions. Tell them to be brutally honest and critical as they express their views and critique about the raw app model you have in your hand.

They will tell you how they felt as they navigate and interact with basic layout. Collect all of their views and deduce if there is a need to revise and improve existing design layouts or navigation paths.

The real goal for this step is to keep users in your central focus, adopt their thinking and come up with a final functional brain structure of the app before the design is prepared. Thus, Step 6 helps keep frustration at bay in the later stage.

7. Start Building it

You have the foundation of the app ready so you can just start erecting the entire building. Your team of developers will apply themselves to implementing database, servers and APIs.

While you work on the feedback you got from the early testing process and modify the app elements to include the changes, you should also sign up for online app stores.

Create an account with Play Store and App Store so that, when the app is completely ready, you can launch it in the market in time. This is done because the process itself takes a few days.

Procrastination especially needs to be avoided in case of iOS apps due to their stringent approval process.

8. Design the Look

After the backend system is implanted, it is time to execute the UI creation strategy. Designers should know how important it is to create a flawless, intuitive and responsive user interface because this is what users will see about your mobile application and interact with.

They will judge your app based on how easy it is to navigate, select and shuffle between different UI elements.

Consider the feedback from the testers and make sure the final product is something users highly expect and love. Skilled graphic designers are best solution when it comes to opting for high-resolution skins or visually aesthetic screens.

To save the hassle of making confounding choices about editors, templates and layout, it is better to hire a professional app development company with a bunch of seasoned designers.

9. Test Your App for UI Performance

In this round of testing, you will test your app more sincerely since you have a much polished version and interface in place now. At this point, your app must look aesthetically pleasing with uncompromised functioning.

Check all the functioning screens of your app for its visual appeal and examine what it feels like to be inside it.

A range of UI tests are to run on your app to ensure your app has the look and the feel that meets your expectations. Either you go for online UI testing platforms or assign the entire project down to a mobile app development specialist. They will help you with the final touch, interactions and UX design of your app.

10. Finally, the Beta Testing

You have put your app through various critical funnels to prove you have built a smooth, user-friendly app. But you still need to examine the app’s performance in a live environment.

While Android testing is simple, iOS environment has a more controlled approach. For Android app, upload your app file in an android device and test it in a live environment. You can then monitor its progress from your Android device.

iOS wants you to use a platform called TestFlight for beta-testing your app. The Beta test platform usage is governed by Apple’s strict directions and instructions. But to your advantage, you can have other testers review your app before actually taking it live.

11. Finish line: The Release

Post fruition, it is the time for climax: sharing the creation with the entire world. Hopefully your app will either solve the problem or change and simplify lives.

When it comes to distributing and marketing apps, both iOS and Android are different with Android being a little easier when compared to iOS. You can simply make it live in Google Play store without review concerns.

iOS on the contrary reviews your app before making it live and there is no guaranteed time frame for the process. One way to escape this is to publish it in Pre-Apps where people take a maiden look at new upcoming apps and review them.

Final words

Completing these 11 easy but pivotal steps to create a successful mobile application is a journey you must take as an entrepreneur. Hopefully you will find the suitable app development partner to accompany and guide you on the journey to accomplishment.

With staggering app downloads worldwide, there is little doubt why businesses are aiming to get a substantial chunk of the pie too. This behavior has led several interesting businesses to enquire about how to develop a mobile app, and their associated costs.

Along with delving deep into the benefits of building a mobile app, efforts involved, businesses are also keen to find about the probable timelines that are involved in developing the app.

Generally, the timeline to develop an app looks something this:

That said, there is no absolute timeline guide that you can rely on as the development time of each mobile app is unique, depending on multiple factors.

Key Timelines of The App Process

The process of developing an app is a complex one. Every stage requires its time slots. Right from the time that you start planning for it until you publish it on the app stores, the process needs a lot of attention where every stage is dependent on each other.

Plus, it goes without saying that the size of the app and its features also has a role to play that determines the overall time taken to develop it.

#Stage 1 – Start With The Brief

This is possibly the most important part of the app development process that most businesses do not allocate adequate attention to. When the brief is foolproof, your developers require less time to understand the requirements of the project.

This is the first stage of your mobile app development process which can have left a lasting imprint on your app’s timeline and how it pans out in the end.

As you start working on the brief, remember there is some compulsory information that you must include, for example, your company information.

This will help your developers get a comprehensive understanding of what the project entails and the type of services that you wish to deploy via the mobile application.

Basis this brief, your development team can assess the following:

• RFP
• Project goals and the success metrics
• The budget range
• Delivery Date
• NDA

Along with that, they can also define a mobile app development timeline estimate as given below:

Activities	Duration
Specifications	15 days
App UI/UX, Graphic Design	30 days
Backend Development	60 days
Frontend Development	75 days
QA	30 days

#Stage 2 – Forming Research And Ideas

You may have a fantastic app idea to begin with, plus the project brief in place. That does not mean that the rest of the team will view it as you do.

The value of your idea, how it pans out in terms of formation and the way you conduct your research in combination decides how long it will take for you to develop the mobile application.

Even if the project is in place for the app, you must run a test to check if the objectives and goals are at all realistic or not.

What this means is that you evaluate if your app idea will work with your target audience when you launch it in the market. At this initial phase, this is a very critical step that should not be missed.

Moreover, you can assess if your selected user-base is the right match with the app that you are trying to launch. Take some time to define your target audience. It will not only help in shaping the app in the right direction but also boost its post-launch.

Along with researching on ways to improve upon your app idea, you should also analyze its competitiveness in the market. Collect information on all existing competitors, plus any potential threats.

This will help you to combat future challenges at the time of publishing the app.

This initial stage can take several weeks to complete. As you approach the end of this first cycle of the app development process, you should be prepared with:

• User Stories
• Minimum Viable Product
• App Prototypes

#Stage 3 – Plan It All Out

Next comes the planning stage. With your target market completely assessed, you need to decide on the configuration of your mobile app during the third stage of the app development process. Select the app platforms where you intend to launch  it.

It can be individual platforms like Android or iOS, a combination of the two, cross-platform or not, native or hybrid, a web-based app, etc.

Now make a list of the features and functionalities that you thought of incorporating in the app. As you prepare and finalize the feature list ensures that its inclusion should not make the app unnecessarily complex or compromise on its speed.

While you should focus on integrating all the basic features such as social media sharing buttons, search bar, login option, profile building. etc always think of your user’s convenience first.

As and when the size of the app increases, the number of features also rises, depending on the type of app that you are developing.

This entire stage two process takes around a month to complete.

Read Also : How to Choose the Best Mobile App Development Technology

#Stage 4 – Design Sprints and Idea Validation

To test various elements of the mobile application and get your app idea validated by your prospective audience base, you can use design sprint processes. The entire design sprint can be executed in a week or so at the most.

Additionally, this process helps in the understanding of users valuing the features and functionalities that you have opted to include in the mobile app.

They will share feedback on usability, frequency,and level of difficulty of usage of these features when navigating through the app.

#Stage 5 – Development Stage

Three primary elements define stage five – the user interface, the front end, and the back end. This is the phase in the app cycle where the magic of development begins.

Your team of graphic designers will take care of the app’s user interface. This means that they will give your app the appearance and then work on to perfect the user experience. For any application, getting the UI bang on is vital.

This is the aspect of the application that will help it to flourish among your audience and by extension the market. Making the app visually appealing adds to its charm and attraction.

Other than the UI, the front end and the back end designs are equally important elements when developing the app. What the users can see with their eyes is referred to as the front end.

But the front end can only be triggered once the back end of the app is in place to drive it. Connecting the system with  UI is the role of the back end. Plus, it ensures that the app functions as per predefined SOPs.

Without these three, your app will not be able to function in any way.

Take a more in-depth look into the app’s engineering processes.

• Backend Engineering:
• Data storage
• Server-side
• Users management
• Version
• Data Integration
• Frontend Engineering:
• Frontend logic
• Synchronization
• Caching
• Wire-framing
• UI development
• UI Design

The average mobile app development timeline takes to cover everything in stage five spans across in or around 16 to 20 weeks.

#Stage 6 –QA and Testing

So, your app is ready. But do you know even it even runs as per assigned processes? At this stage, you need to do some test runs. This is critical as you need to ensure that the app is free of bugs and any other glitches that need to be fixed before publishing it on the app stores.

Your dedicated Quality Assurance team with their expertise in this domain are the right people to run these tests. Typically, testing is done through Alpha and Beta stages to make sure that the app is free of errors. This phase usually takes around two weeks.

That said, testing and QA is a continuous process even after the app has been launched in the public domain.

Post publishing it, users are bound to share feedback and comments, and your development team will make updates on the app or remove bugs and errors as part of the maintenance process.

#Stage 7 – Deployment on Stores

There are two phases when it comes to deploying the app – Submission and Review. Be it the Google Play Store or Apple iTunes, at the time of submitting the app, you will need to follow their specific guidelines and include all the information as given below:

• Screenshots
• App Descriptions
• Icons
• Video or Image
• App Store Optimization
• The time stores take for deploying your applications.

Comparatively Apple iTunes follows a more exhaustive and detailed review process than Google Play Store. In many cases, this has significantly extended the launch time for iOS apps.

Google, on the other hand uses pre-analyzing algorithms to assess and evaluate your mobile app. Therefore, the launch time taken here is much less.

Having said that, you can estimate around a week to the app deployment stage.

#Stage 8 – Post-launch Support And Maintenance

Once your app is available on the relevant platforms, it also initializes the launch of app support and maintenance. This is an operation that is executed by a dedicated team who is assigned with the responsibility of observation and managing unforeseen behavior.

If your business is focussed on attaining top-class user experience and laying the foundation for long term customer relationships, then this step cannot be skipped in any way.

Unquestionably, launching a good quality app takes a lot of time. Ensuring that offers excellent performance too is an add-on challenge. Therefore, mobile apps need to continuously undergo testing and quality checks to assure its users that it qualifies on both parameters.

How to Speed Up The Time of Application Development?

The overall development timeline for any mobile app is quite intense and not for those looking to churn out a product in a matter of a few weeks.

But there are ways by which you can shorten this period without actually compromising the quality of the app.

Read Also : New Technology Trends Driving the Mobile App Sector UK

Here’s what you can do:

MVPs and Prototyping

You can save a lot of time if you choose to go for MVPs or Prototypes. MVPs are apps where you begin with a basic feature list and keep adding even after the app has been published basis user feedback.

On the other hand, if you opt to go the Prototype route, you are mirroring an app that is a benchmark in the category. Here, you build your app simply by resembling the original idea and keep adding your personalized touches to make it a standout.

Go For Cross-Platform

Do you go to the iOS or Android way first? This is an ongoing debate that confuses a lot of businesses and choosing becomes  hard. Plus, developing individual apps for these platforms can be even more expensive and time-consuming.

Alternatively, you can select to go cross-platform where you develop a single application that can work across both Android and iOS. No doubt, this takes less time.

Hire A Professional Developer

You should solicit the services of a professional app developer or opt for a full-fledged development team. This can be done by hiring someone or a team in-house or outsource it to an agency.

If you are considering outsourcing as an option, you can do so in the country where you reside or even go for someone globally. Your budget for app development generally is a factor here.

With a bigger team in place, the mobile app development timeline automatically reduces. Plus, with so many experts on board, your app is sure to have a fantastic UI/UX design and experience.

White Label Solutions

There are ready made tools and platforms in place known as White Label Solutions where you can re-brand as per your company guidelines and present the app as your unique product.

This means you are not  developing anything from scratch. While this benefits you in terms of saving time and launching your app quickly it can greatly impact  its quality.

Read Also : How Much Does It Cost to Create an App ?

Managing Expectations

Good apps take time to develop and that is a reality that you must accept.

That said, time equates money and every business will have a cap which they will not want to exceed. If you take a long time to develop the mobile app, it is going to end up costing a lot more than you probably anticipated in the planning stage.

Several factors in combination can help you arrive at a realistic time for your app development process that is unique in your situation. Two important aspects are size and quality that influences time in this instance.

Plus, you need to be sanguine that you have budgeted for all the basic features that need to be incorporated in the app before launch. Now who builds your app will also contribute to the mobile app development timeline.

It is best to be fully aware of what you are getting into and plan accordingly to ensure that the process works as per the timeline. Have a buffer in place as you will face challenges that will have to solve  then.

Due to the immense adoption, rapid innovation and increased affordability of mobile technology, mobile apps have gained enough potential to alter the legacy logistics processes for good in UK.

In UK, logistics and supply chain businesses, the chief advantage of using mobile apps stems from the ability to deliver improved customers experience and ease of connectivity with customers.

As individuals remain connected and instantly accessible 24/7 via mobile technology, the way companies operate, manage and engage with customers.

Since mobile technology is capable of executing multiple operations, having logistics mobile apps translates to handling myriad business aspects including inventory and warehouse management, vehicle & transportation control, order fulfillment, customer service and overall process efficiency.

With this idea in mind, lets understand how logistics mobile apps would replace traditional processes in UK.

The realized necessities for building logistics mobile apps in UK.

It is quite a challenge to operate the entire logistics business in a traditional fashion, managing each segment of its processes from different perspectives.

This calls for a reliable system that streamlines, synchronizes and gathers operational information on a single spot, just like mobile apps.

Modern logistics industry scenario has the increased number of connections within its route, meaning to address on-demand service requirements for thick population of customers.

The usual expectations here are shortest delivery route, faster order fulfillment and high-quality experience from start to finish.

The current ripple in logistics involves growing number of shipments of fragile, sensitive devices and high-value equipment that demand sophisticated care during transition, displacement and packaging.

Read also : Need For Mobile Apps in Transportation & Logistics Companies

Additionally, due to massive B2B rush inspired by online retail commerce, the transportation system looks for much more transparency, real-time location tracking and fleet management.

Another factor that impregnates business-critical consequences is the shift to a strategic delivery from a merely tactical one, which further impacts the industry’s promising revenue generation potential.

These points altogether lead us to acknowledge the pressing need to integrate Logistics mobile apps that can address complicated challenges and bring significant value in terms of:

• Higher accuracy
• Timeliness
• Improved consistency
• Operational efficiency
• Customer satisfaction

Smooth and accurate data management

Digital tracking by means of mobile devices has exceeded the limits of traditional processes of data-driven action implementation.

Additionally, with mobile technology allowing business systems to compatibly integrate software backend, paperwork is eliminated and all essential data files land directly into integrated database and reflect in dashboard analytics.

Smooth and seamless data flow ensured by mobile app system (bar code and scanner) minimizes the scope of human error while making the data entry of order details and shipment information automatic.

This ultimately boils down to accuracy in supply chain and logistics management.

Location Tracking for better monitoring

As almost every modern digital device has an integrated GPS, which gives you a direct advantage of easily tracking transition trucks and shipment on the go. The knowledge of precisely where the fleet stands mean transparency of the entire delivery process.

Having a transparent location tracking empowers the logistics businesses to maintain speed, efficiency and integrity while addressing customer expectations since they are able to monitor and prevent undesirable hazards or unfavorable delays on the road.

Seamless Inventory and Order Management

In UK, Mobile apps intended for revamping logistics industry are accessed by local warehouse operators and order management teams, primary departments that receive the best effects are inventory, dispatcher and order fulfillment.

They can use apps to:

• Track product quantity and location
• Scan arrived and outgoing goods
• Make order packaging faster and accurate
• Quick access to main database
• Real-time stock updates and replenishment
• Avoid human errors

Proactive Fleet management

Trouble-free and smart vehicle management is one of the critical milestone achieved by logistic mobile apps.

With every minutest aspect of fleet connected to agile business data management system of logistic mobile apps, you can easily access the utility data such as fuel efficiency, mileage, battery performance, network coverage, engine status, tires and optimal route choices to ensure nimble fleet movement in UK.

As vehicle-critical parameters are kept in check constantly by receiving predictive information from connected points, maintenance and repair scenario becomes more proactive than reactive.

Transportation Resources for dispatch efficiency

Logistics mobile technology has disrupted the world of transportation services with an array of valuable features that offer unique value to large corporations in terms of zero damage, faster routes, local overage and LTL shipments.

Amazon and Uber are the exemplary examples of mobile-driven logistics enhanced by a huge variety of transportation resources to ensure rapid product transition and better dispatcher efficiency in many global markets.

Drivers receive shipment requests on the mobile app along with precise information on optimized routes to expedite the delivery.

Without advanced transportation resources like location tracking and GPS navigation, keeping updated with vehicle mileage, distance, driver roster and delivery schedules and making prompt decisions would be unimaginably challenging.

Transformation of Customer-focused experience

Although the major effects drawn from implementing logistics mobile apps relate to business side of success, the mobile technology also essentially impacts the consumer side of experience, especially the one that comes post order placement.

Revolving around delivering delightfully smooth customer experience, logistic mobile apps laced with special capabilities can help customers save time on service delivery.

As employees and customers come together via on-demand logistics apps, customer service professionals become more informed and equipped enough to handle diverse customer queries.

Thinking Forward with Mobile Apps

More and more forward-thinking companies have begun to realize how mobile technology is a superior solution to drive value and ROI to logistic business operations.

Not only do you achieve better visibility for warehousing, inventory management and transportation, but cost optimization and efficiency gain are reaped as regular outcome.

Mobile apps enable real-time data accuracy which sharpens your business decisions related to resources allocation and future expansion.

Read also : How Tracking & Delivery Apps are Changing the Logistics Industry

On the other hand, from the consumers’ side, experience gets richer as customer interactions with your business gets smoother and frictionless.

Since doing business with a company feels like a breeze, there is more perceptible satisfaction among customers who would feel inspired to choose your brand frequently.

Remarkable logistics mobile apps in UK

1. EazyStock – Inventory Optimization and Planning Software

The cloud-based inventory optimization and planning tool helps you create more demand-specific and systematically managed stock levels at your warehouse, eliminating unnecessary or obsolete goods.

It strips cost down and increase profitability by ensuring you maintain only healthy inventory. EasyStock has slick dashboard and is compatible with any ERP tool in place to target automated procurement and replenishment process, neutralizing the guesswork, cutting the cost.

Download : Android

2. Veeqo – WMS

Veeqo makes for a convenient and competitive Warehouse Management System for easily managed Warehouse operations for multichannel retailers, bringing multiple warehouses in one place.

It has the much-needed set of comprehensive features for omnichannel retailing operations including scanning, locating, picking, packing, shipping management, etc. The app synchronizes shipment details across all sales channels, warehouses and marketplace.

Download : Android, iOS

3. CoPilot Truck – Map & Direction Routing

CoPilot Truck changes the way professional truck drivers manage their route to dispatch the goods on time. The app’s intuitive dashboard offers turn-by-turn navigation unlike a regular Google Maps.

It has underlying smart algorithms in place that keep drivers updated on more efficient routes in real time inform them on load type for critical material, routing parameters, truck weight and height and more.

Download : Android

Conclusion

The major advantage of creating logistics mobile apps in UK is that it manages real-time data that targets both business operations and customer experience.

While such applications address leading problems involved in traditional processes, it also enables the flow of critical information for the decision makers of companies to leverage.

With everything being available at your fingertips, mobile apps for logistics industry adds convenience, process efficiency and speed along to a more durable model of processes fulfilment that allows you to conduct, monitor and control business anytime anywhere in UK.

As the digital world is becoming the host of cybersecurity attacks and sophisticated data breaches, it is not uncommon to see smartphone users and online customers feel worried about privacy.

Often these concerns are about the intrusive rise in surveillance machines that follow us everywhere we go online. Our smartphone is a sensitive device as it holds incredible amount of personal data.

We store almost every aspect of our life in there including contacts, emails, chat messages, images and videos, banking interactions, etc.

It will be your worst nightmare if you lose all or any of it to a high-profile hacker. To ensure good level of privacy, there are a few Android privacy apps that address a range of usual privacy concerns.

Read Also: 13 Best Music Player Apps for Android

Thankfully, for Android users, there are plenty of privacy apps in this domain.

Here are out picks for best privacy apps for Android

1) ExpressVPN

Despite many free VPN choices out there, browsing the web on your Android device with ExpressVPN software is worth considering. The app encrypts the incoming and outgoing traffic on your device and users the intermediary server outside the current location for routing.

In doing so, ExpressVPN hides your digital footprint and keeps it distant from the reach of intrusive surveillance agencies and spies and hackers. It also unlocks geo-restricted content of the apps that are usually restricted in certain locations.

ExpressVPN offers strict high-grade encryption protocol service with generous server network and fast speed. This is why the app tops the list of best privacy apps for Android. It does not store user logs which is a unique aspect over other free VPNs.

 

2) Hushed

Smartphone users are no exception when it comes to using their device as phones where simple voice calls initiate over wireless networks.

That means millennials needs protection and rest from those agonizing, undesirable phone calls. This also happens when you accidentally spill the contact details online for a sales rep to seize and call.

Hushed creates a temporary phone numbers to hide your real numbers. This is perfect when you go online and are compelled to fill out a form or post an ad on popular portals or fill a survey.

Hushed comes handy in situations when you need to create caller IDs for personal and business purpose so that you don’t have to bother to have a second phone in spare.

 

3) Orbot

Developed by the Guardian Project, Orbot provides a great solution for Android users to access the Tor network.

For mobile browsing with Orfox browser, the app lets allows users to safely browse the web without concerns about getting their location tracked.

The app encrypts your locations and hides it by routing it through several networks. You can use Tor hidden services and its gives .onion extension to certain websites you visit such Facebook.

This results in extra security. A small drawback is that while routing your data through a number of computers, your data connection speed will get compromised a little.

 

4) DuckDuckGo

Search engines are quite useful but one major demerit of using Google and Bing is that your search term is often shared with third-party sites you visit.

 

They also deliberately save your search history which can be changed from the setting. Apart from traceable searches, they also intrude your privacy by placing cookies on your device to monitor your search habits.

This is where DuckDuckGo aids and acts as a drop-in replacement. It blocks your default search engine typical behavior so that your search data is not leaked to websites you visit and Google does not keep the record of the search information.

DuckDuckGo is ad-free and users can also hide their search location since it works compatibly with Orbot.

 

5) ProtonMail

Google’s invasive eye is far more powerful than just being limited to search as its tracking algorithm within Gmail also helps present more targeted ads, marketing messages and product recommendations.

However, this does not mean all of these incoming email messages and ads are end-to-end encrypted. The same goes with other leading email providers.

ProtonMail is a superior alternative to Gmail and similar contemporaries. It is secure and innovative, and is engineered by CERN professionals.

Read Also: 10 Best Mobile Banking Apps in UK

It is made open source for others to test and check. With this app, you can send password-protected content that is perfectly encrypted and can self-destruct after some time.

 

6) FrozenChat

FrozenChat, as the name slightly hints, is a message encryption solution. It is one of the best privacy apps which relies on OTR (Off the Record) messaging to keep your conversation private and safe.

The moment you type anything, it gets encrypted before it is sent outside. Whatever you talk and chat remains private and away from malicious hackers and data thieves.

FrozenChat is open source so those who are concerned about the security can check its code for efficacy.

The unique aspect about FrozenChat service is that it supports XMPP standard which is different from the central server that other messengers like WhatsApp use to enable chatting.

Due to availability of thousands of public XMPP servers, your privacy remains intact.

 

7) Kyms

Kyms (extended as ‘keep your media safe’) is a master of disguise, a chameleon app that conceals its real identity and pose as a normal calculator in your system.

When it dwells your home screen, it goes by the name ‘KyCalc’ and, to your surprise, it can also do your sums if you wish. But as you enter a predetermined four-digit PIN and password, it turns into an encrypted vault.

You can use this vault to store text, images and more. Moreover, this phenomenal app also has a built-in web browser and store videos straight as you download them.

You can also transfer media from other devices. Of course, as you enter the app name in Play store or glimpse at the file size shown in the phone system, you will realize this is more than just a plain calculator.

 

8) LastPass

As millennials tend to use same or similar passwords across almost all sites and apps, it leaves them vulnerable to data breaches and information thefts.

However, to ensure high standards of safety, they have to generate new passkeys for every other site and app, which is painful. Plus, the recovery process for multiple password approach turns out to be quite tedious and annoying.

But then why to risk compromising your password and exposing your social media account details to hackers? LastPass does care and plays a strong password manager and generator for you and helps store such private, sensitive information in a secure vault.

The app also lets you set it to change passwords automatically to your desired timing.

 

9) SmartApplock

It is very usual to find swipe patters and numeric codes on every Android smartphone these days. But they only serve to lock the front screen and are not enough.

One can easily access the apps and folders inside the phone once they cross the screen lock barrier.

This is not security enough as sometime you feel insecure or uncomfortable handing your phone to someone who take freedom to sneak into more than what they are supposed to access on your phone.

For example, you don’t want your young kids to access certain data or applications. Smart Applock here comes handy and allows you to change permission settings for individual apps on your phone.

Using the app, you create a strong password to block their access to social media and chat apps that contain your critical data.

 

10) Abit

People who are hackers and snoopers are always on the foot to hack, steal the information of value and misuse it. Although you use several encryption services like FrozenChat, they will still intrude and find out who you are and other details about your contacts.

Abit is an open-source app with Bitmessage protocol to helps you beat this problem. Using Abit, you can easily exchange messages with Bitmessage users and no one can know who you are to impersonate you or read your private messages.

For participating in group discussion with ‘Chans’, you can use its generic address to conceal your true identity. Since its consumes good amount of data, it is better to use it over Wi-Fi.

 

11) Find My Device

Find my Device is Google’s proprietary app and is similar in workstyle to Find my iPhone. It helps you locate your lost Android device and disable it in case it is stolen.

You can view location information to find its whereabouts or make it play sound if it is nearby.

In case it is lost, this privacy app enables you to leave a callback number so that when it is found by a good person, they can return it to you quickly.

 

Read Also: 12 Best Free VR Apps for Android

Conclusion

These are the best privacy apps for Android users in 2023. You can download some of them to try and keep ones that suit your needs.

We also recommend you to stick to strict measures to avoid falling into the security-related trouble. The preventive measure is to carefully select individual app permissions to maintain data privacy.

It is not always easy to find a suitable, affordable space for a car park in the UK. In fact, during busy hours, searching for a perfect parking space and navigating to the spot could be stressful. Things get quite challenging if you are driving to a new, unfamiliar region and seek help.

Moreover, keeping change money in your wallet is a bit of a headache, too, when it comes to paying at pay stations that don’t process cards. This is where great smartphone apps for parking in the UK become of great value.

These best parking apps in the UK are built to give information on car park options, real-time space availability and easy payment methods on its user-friendly interface.

Here we have handpicked the 10 best parking apps in the UK that stood out to our expectations:

NCP Parking App	PayByPhone
YourParkingSpace	RingGO
JustPark	Parkmobile
Parkopedia	ParkRight
AppyParking	ParkMe

1) NCP Parking App

NCP Parking is the car park app released by National Car Parks in 2011 to help drivers locate suitable parking spaces in their nearest parking centers. Since it is developed by UK’s ace car park provider, it helps best if you are looking for paid commercial car parks with many options to choose from.

The app aids in navigational directions to the nearest car park along with price and availability. An interesting feature of the NCP parking app is that it allows you to record your car’s location after parking it so that it is easy to locate and walk back to your car when you return.

It may not be the cheapest bet, but the app still works best for newbies looking for the nearest car park in their neighborhood without a hassle.

 

Read Also: 14 Best Rideshare Apps Across the Globe

2) PayByPhone

PayByPhone literally provides smooth payment options for parking sessions using your phone and has limited but great features. It is the high-ranked parking app in the world with its service available in over 400 cities and 8 countries. Like other apps, it reads the unique code you enter for a car park to display its availability and location.

It has an image-recognition system to sign up and add payment cards. You can also choose to pay via Apple/Android Pay. Making Payment for parking sessions with PayByPhone is easy and smooth.

 

You can even set up the stay for one minute and stretch it longer with minimum charges. Here also you have session expiry reminders in text messages and options to extend the time.

 

3) YourParkingSpace

Available for both iOS and Android, YourParkingSpace holds 4 stars and is a pretty great car park app. While it might not be suitable for all types of car park options, the app primarily features an option to allow people to rent out their free parking spaces and private driveways.

This kind of arrangement comes handy when you are running out of options with conventional car park choices with other apps. YourParkingSpace solution lets you park your car for a little longer than usually expected which is a big deal to many parkers.

You are allowed to extend the length of stay often in addition to your current session. The app is a great alternative to other parking spots that might be too busy or rigorous or seem like a thumb down.

 

4) RingGO

Completely free, RingGo is another largest and high-quality mobile parking app offering its service in over 40 towns and cities all over the UK. Due to its simple and handy payment system, scores of parking providers in the country rely on RingGo app system so that drivers can pay for parking without involving hard coins.

Once you sign up with your vehicle registration and payment details, the easy-to-use RingGo needs a unique car park code for respective pay stations. Enter the code into the app to recognize the parking location.

You can then use its color-coded map to confirm space availability, navigate to the car park and also make payment for the session in advance. It also features an option to extend the session or send reminders in case your session is to expire.

 

 

5) JustPark

JustPark is a popularly used and high-rated free parking app that covers up to 1.4 million spaces across the UK. Its service includes off-street and on-street car parks, free parking zones, private spaces, and driveways.

The outstanding part about the app is that users can land their unused parking space to others on rent including their private space, garage or driveway. The marketplace kind of app also allows you to pick the time for space availability.

The end users can view space availability in real-time, price and associated conditions. The app integrates with other map apps installed on your smartphone for navigation purposes.

Options like  the reservation for parking space are available for over 45,000 locations along with the ability to pay for the sessions using PayPal, card or Apple or GPay. You can even set session expiry reminders and extend the session swiftly.

 

Read Also: Top 10 GPS Tracking Apps

6) Parkmobile

ParkMobile is a great parking app, too, except that it has a tedious registration process as experienced by other app users. Also, navigation is another part where the app seems to discourage.

However, once the process is completed, things get better and you come across a good range of parking suggestions in London. You can select from on-street and off-street park spaces along with availability, space quality, and price.

You can easily track down to pay for car park space and initiate the timer for the parking period.

 

7) Parkopedia

Founded in 2007, Parkopedia is one of the freemium parking apps in UK that provides superior, detailed parking service for more than 70 million parking spaces. This app is used for car parking, parking at streets and private places and is active in 89 countries including the UK.

The app color-codes each parking spot based on its price and available space to know the cheap deals. It lets you connect with navigation apps on your phone to enable navigation.

You would pay £4.99 for its premium version that unlocks additional features such as compatible car parking spaces and their real-time availability, advanced parking space reservation and payment ability for the service via the app.

 

8) ParkRight

ParkRight is a good considerable car park app for the UK dwellers with perfect-looking options. However, a limit with using the ParkRight app is that it is only available to the London area for now.

It is so good its availability to other UK locations can make it a hot favorite. Although its London-restricted park service could dismay you a little, people living in or driving across the capital city will find ease and comfort in its search results for on-street and off-street park spaces.

They all indicate clear information about space availability and fees. It integrates one of the navigation apps installed on your phone and lets you pay via RingGo.

 

9) AppyParking

Glorious with five-star ratings, AppyParking is an excellent, full-fledged free parking app in the UK market, covering all-round solutions for on-street and off-street parking.

It is easy to save money with AppyParking as it helps you find free off-street options or cheap parking spaces with real-time availability. The app also comes with options for disabled motorcyclists and electric charging points.

Its slick and simple interface lets you easily access Google Streetview once you have found suitable space and picture what the car parking space exactly looks like. The app also comes handy while navigating to the precise parking spot right in the car.

You can pay for parking via card or phone at various UK-wide locations. Also, it is easy to locate your car with its walking route feature when you are leaving.

 

10) ParkMe

Developed by INRIX known for automotive and transportation solutions, ParkMe is a fantastic parking app available in 15,000 cities. Although primarily serving the American market, the ParkMe app also covers the UK market and stands out with its unobvious well-designed, slick and easy-to-use interface.

The app displays space availability, price, distance from your current location and a Google StreetView image as soon as you find a space.

It also allows you to mark the car location and set up a timer in case the session is to expire. Since it is more exclusive to US users, the UK version doesn’t offer yet the option to pay for parking sessions via the app.

 

Read Also: 10 Best Hotel Booking Apps

Conclusion

Even though there are several more parking apps you could try, these 10 best parking apps in the UK are the effortless way to find parking space, commercial, free or rented.

No matter how busy your day looks, you can always find betters deals for car parks using these phenomenal parking apps. hopefully, you will install and try a few of them to check out whether they suit your parking requirements.

App developers or any individual wanting to build an application today and become a part of the 2.1 million apps in Google Play store and 1.8 million in Apple App Store must have heard of the technical term API (application programming interface).

API develop mobile apps and third-party software programmes interact with one another. A known example of APIs in action is the ability to log into services or accounts with your Facebook login credentials.

For instance, you can log into Uber by using the credentials of your Facebook account.

According to Twilio’s James Parton, “APIs are going to be the driver for the digital economy and unless they (companies) are talking about APIs already, they will be left behind.”

Read Also: Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Day to Day Life

This shows that API has become an accepted tool to develop mobile apps. But what exactly is API and its benefits?

As you must be aware, technology was not born yesterday. It has taken years to evolve and grow. Yet, until a few years back, it has only been about people communicating with a machine or a man working with machine.

Thanks to the growth of API, technology has come to such a stage where machines are capable of communicating with machines by making use of the power of IoT (Internet of Things) and wearables.

APIs for iOS, Android or mobile applications of any other OS have made it easy for things to communicate, connect and work. The best example will be wearables attached to your body and connecting it with apps.

To put it simply, APIs allow one program or application to make use of the capabilities of another software or application.

Brands like, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, eBay, Netflix, Dropbox and Uber have built apps with API integration and intelligently used APIs to make their app perform certain actions like, geo-location, social preferences and usability.

To develop mobile apps, API makes it possible for the exchange of data with web services, such as Facebook, Google Maps or other such web services and take advantages of their offerings and popularity.

Today, there are other types of APIs used by businesses like, chat APIs, payment APIs, tracking and location APIs and analytics APIs.

Application of APIs

When developing an application, APIs have multiple usage making them a versatile tool. They can be used as per your requirement. The access points of a system are ruled by API.

By using APIs, developers have this massive independence in manipulating the application or system that they are developing.

Benefits of APIs

• Saves time – APIs save a lot of time when developing an application. This is because it puts an end to the need of coding the entire thing in order to make it work. They are available readily from reputed web services. For example, app developers can make use of DropBox API or Google Drive API in their gaming apps, making it possible for users to save the progress of their game session into a cloud-based storage that can be retrieved whenever you want to.

• Provides new function without the hassle of coding from the scratch – Building apps with APIs allow developers to provide something unique to the users. You can look at Yelp for inspiration. This popular mobile app lets users search for the best eating places in town based on the recommendations and reviews from Yelp users. After helping users find what they are looking for, the app uses the Google Map API in Android to help users locate the eating place on the map. In the iPhone version of the app, the Apple Maps API helps users locate the restaurant. You can also use APIs intelligently to offer a superior user experience.

• Convenience – Apps with API allow users to use their Facebook or Google user details to sign in without the need to create a new login account. This is an excellent example of convenience.
• Flexibility – Today, majority of apps allow users to share information on different social media platforms like, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp or Instagram. APIs make it possible to share articles, post reviews and comments, without having to leave the app

So, APIs are basically everywhere, and users are probably using it without their knowledge.

But, when you are involved to develop  mobile apps, there is only question that you need to ask – whether to buy or build API by yourself?

Read Also: 11 Easy Steps to Create a Mobile Application

Buy or build?

There is no confusion regarding the need to integrate an API. But you need to decide on how to do it.

The first option is to integrate an API that is already existing into an application. The second option is to build a new one by yourself. Obviously, the first option is a no brainer as it saves a lot of money, time and needs lesser experience.

On the other hand, building an API from the scratch will allow more room for customization according to your specific needs whilst maintaining a high standard of security.

Remember the Following When Building an API from The Scratch

• Permissions

If you decide to build an API, do not forget to insert a developer key. This will make sure that whoever wants to use the API has to insert a specific code for using it. This way, it stays away from hacking, misuse and abuse.

• Process documentation

You must document of the process of the API development so that it is easier to track the progress. Also, proper documentation will ensure that the user or you is kept updated about the past and present status of the API.

• Plan your update

There will definitely be a time when you have to roll out an update in the future for the API. You must ensure that it is a planned one. Make sure that the development of the API is such that it is safe and easy to roll out updates when it is needed. In case you are careless, the chances of messing up the functionalities of the apps based on the API are high.

Mobile app development best practices with API

• It is essential to build a solid foundation and also invest both up and down the stack to be able to create a responsive digital experience for the users. Take the necessary steps to make sure that your mobile application is not sitting on a slow API as that will provide a very poor user-experience.
• Reduce API calls and network chatter as that leads to draining the battering life of mobile devices.

• In order to meet the growing demands for new digital experiences, you need to move the points of integration from large systems to micro-services architecture.

• Remember that every change that you do in the backend will be affecting the performance of the API of the front-end application that expends it. So, every architectural decision must be precise.

Read Also: Why Should Mobile App Developers Consider Flutter

Conclusion

The reason why mobile apps creation is to perform basic functions – communication, interactions and delivery.

But, think about the purpose that the apps will serve if they did not have anything worth transacting, communicating or delivering. Across the world, businesses are sitting on a lot of intellectual property that can be used in the form of APIs.

By using APIs, you can extend the usability of data beyond conventional boundaries. Without APIs, the future of mobile app development would have been bleak.