5 Tips to Take Your Mobile App to The Next Level by Optimizing for Wearables

Wearable devices are among the hottest trends for mobile app developers in recent years. They became an extension of mobile iOS and Android app development. Companies started working with mobile app developers to prepare for the advancements. They are creating wearable technology strategies for mobile apps.

These are essential for companies that want to continue providing necessary value to their users in relation to wearable devices. If your business is based in a region where emerging technologies are breaking grounds, then perhaps it’s a good time for you to consider it as well.

Actually, wherever you are located, it’s only a matter of time and you’ll need your app optimized for wearable devices.

For now, smartwatches continue to be the most well-known type of wearables. People tend to use them more and more due to their functionalities and ease of use. In other words, if a mobile app development company plans on working on a mobile app, there will be a need for its adaptation to wearable devices.

Here are five tips to take your app to the next level by optimizing it for wearables:

Find it’s benefits

It’s crucial to understand how exactly would people use your mobile app if it’s converted into a wearable-friendly form.

A bookkeeping app, for instance, is completely impractical for smartwatch users. Pick those features that would be helpful for them, like scanning receipts or accepting payments. You need to understand the immediate needs of users. Their interactions with wearables are a lot shorter and intuitive than those with a smartphone.

When optimizing an app for these devices, you have to be aware that they stay on the body for long periods of time and notifications that would often be acceptable on a smartphone, would be very annoying on a wearable.

Select the right platform

Choosing the right platform is important and it depends on the requirements. Don’t go for multiple versions on different devices and platforms. Instead, have a single app that is suitable, easy and responsive for every device.

iOS is usually the easier choice as it doesn’t support that many devices like Android.

If you want your wearable app to be successful, it has to be compatible.

Design and User Interface

Wearable devices are rather difficult when it comes to implementing various feature sets, due to their small size. User Interface is a key factor for engaging the customer with the app, just like on mobile devices. Designers are challenged with the restricted visible space available.

Ease of use is the key objective for wearable apps. Provide simple, but valuable functionalities to the end-user. Understanding the impulsive nature of smartwatch apps is crucial. Minimalistic design is what you’d like to consider for this kind of apps. Using them should be as easy as checking the time.

Testing

Despite mobile app development myths, the proper performance of the mobile app is a key metric for measuring success. These devices usually represent the smaller and restricted version of another device which they depend on.

This means that they have to be absolutely compatible with other devices. Any application has its’s purpose; the one that developed for a wearable device should always undergo rigorous testing for all capabilities and functionalities.

Security Matters

You’ve probably heard the news from a while ago that a fitness tracking app revealed the location of U.S. soldiers in war-torn areas of Syria and Iraq. This brought out the question of how our personal security while using these devices.

The fact that wearable devices collect so much data, even our heart rate, sounds disturbing and brings the risk of data breaches. Wearable technology is still in a rather nascent phase. As with any new products, it faces data security challenges. Users are concerned about their private information and developers should take it into consideration to implement new data-protection features.

Conclusion

Technology and mobile app development move faster than we ever expected it to. If you want to have a successful app, you need to make it work seamlessly for all devices. With these 5 tips, you can see some of the fields you could put the focus on in order to create successful and effective mobile apps geared for wearable devices.