2016 was quite a year for disruptive iPhone apps on the app store. What exactly does the term ‘disruptive’ mean when referring to app? Well, this would include apps that break all the rules of traditional apps. These apps open your mind to possibilities you didn’t know existed before. Without further ado, here are some of the most disruptive apps of 2016.
Disruptive iPhone Apps
Pokemon Go
If you will remember any one app from 2016, you will remember Pokemon Go. Pokemon Go was the app that had people wandering around catching pocket monsters in a world of augmented reality. This app brought augmented reality and mobile gaming to the forefront in the gaming world. The wildly popular app drew in users of all ages. The iPhone 7 Plus is adding a feature to their phone that may make fans of Pokemon Go especially excited: a dual camera. This camera will undoubtedly make augmented reality games like Pokemon Go even more popular and engaging.
Instagram became one of the top apps of 2016. It gained over one million new users, and because of this, Instagram now boasts over 600 million users worldwide. Mimicking features from other popular apps, Instagram made a name for itself. Its incorporated video stories, taking the idea from Snapchat, making users fall in love with how well they incorporated these video stories into their app. Instagram also released live streaming capabilities like Periscope and Facebook. Instagram even gave users the abilities to like comments, adding another level of interactivity that was missing from the platform. No doubt, in 2017 Instagram will continue to be innovating and exciting to its users.
Apple Music
Another Top-3 app of 2016 that was disruptive has been around for a while: Apple Music. Along with a technique used by other streaming apps, Apple music drew in subscribers by offering exclusive content only available on Apple. Users who wanted access to music by some of their favourite artists had to subscribe to Apple. Over the course of 2016, Apple music has now grown to have over 20 million paying subscribers.
Going forward
2016
Augmented reality, popularised by Pokemon Go, will have an influence on future iPhone apps. There are already apps that use augmented reality. It is being used in travel, shopping, and real estate experiences. Even if Pokemon Go does not retain its popularity, augmented reality will no doubt continue to be popular in 2017. Social apps like Facebook, Periscope, Instagram, and Snapchat, which seemed to copy each other in 2016, have many features that made them disruptive. They will, no doubt, continue to come up with ways to draw in new users this year.
2017
Who knows which social app will become the most disruptive one in 2017? Streaming content will also continue to be a big draw in 2017. Most users would likely agree that they would like to find a way to get all the content they want without having to pay separate fees for each streaming account. Perhaps in 2017, there will be a solution to this issue with a bundle option so users don’t need to purchase separate subscriptions to stream their favourite digital content. 2017 is sure to bring about more disruptive iPhone apps. We will all have to wait and see what emerges to get us excited about apps this year.