Mobile app

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For Wikipedia's mobile apps, see Help:Mobile access § Applications.

A mobile app is a computer program designed to run on a mobile device such as a

phone/tablet or watch.

Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications that run on desktop
computers, and with web applications which run in mobile web browsers rather than directly
on the mobile device.

The term "app" is a shortening of the term "software application". It has become very popular,
and in 2010 was listed as "Word of the Year" by the American Dialect Society.[1] In 2009,
technology columnist David Pogue said that newer smartphones could be nicknamed "app
phones" to distinguish them from earlier less-sophisticated smartphones.[2]

Contents
 1 Overview
 2 Development
 3 Distribution
o 3.1 Google Play
o 3.2 App Store
o 3.3 Others
 4 Enterprise management
o 4.1 App wrapping vs. native app management
 5 See also
 6 References
 7 External links

Overview
Most such devices are sold with several apps bundled as pre-installed software, such as a web
browser, email client, calendar, mapping program, and an app for buying music or other
media or more apps. Some pre-installed apps can be removed by an ordinary uninstall
process, thus leaving more storage space for desired ones. Where the software does not allow
this, some devices can be rooted to eliminate the undesired apps.

Apps that are not preinstalled are usually available through distribution platforms called app
stores. They began appearing in 2008 and are typically operated by the owner of the mobile
operating system, such as the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone Store, and
BlackBerry App World. However, there are independent app stores, such as Cydia, GetJar and
F-Droid. Some apps are free, while others must be bought. Usually, they are downloaded
from the platform to a target device, but sometimes they can be downloaded to laptops or
desktop computers. For apps with a price, generally a percentage, 20-30%, goes to the
distribution provider (such as iTunes), and the rest goes to the producer of the app.[3] The
same app can therefore cost a different price depending on the mobile platform.
Apps can also be installed manually, for example by running an Android application package
on Android devices.

The official US Army iPhone app presents the service's technology news, updates and media
in a single place

Mobile apps were originally offered for general productivity and information retrieval,
including email, calendar, contacts, stock market and weather information. However, public
demand and the availability of developer tools drove rapid expansion into other categories,
such as those handled by desktop application software packages. As with other software, the
explosion in number and variety of apps made discovery a challenge, which in turn led to the
creation of a wide range of review, recommendation, and curation sources, including blogs,
magazines, and dedicated online app-discovery services. In 2014 government regulatory
agencies began trying to regulate and curate apps, particularly medical apps.[4] Some
companies offer apps as an alternative method to deliver content with certain advantages over
an official website.

Usage of mobile apps has become increasingly prevalent across mobile phone users.[5] A May
2012 comScore study reported that during the previous quarter, more mobile subscribers used
apps than browsed the web on their devices: 51.1% vs. 49.8% respectively.[6] Researchers
found that usage of mobile apps strongly correlates with user context and depends on user's
location and time of the day.[7] Mobile apps are playing an ever-increasing role within
healthcare and when designed and integrated correctly can yield many benefits.[8][9]

Market research firm Gartner predicted that 102 billion apps would be downloaded in 2013
(91% of them free), which would generate $26 billion in the US, up 44.4% on 2012's
US$18 billion.[10] By Q2 2015, the Google Play and Apple stores alone generated $5 billion.
An analyst report estimates that the app economy creates revenues of more than €10 billion
per year within the European Union, while over 529,000 jobs have been created in 28 EU
states due to the growth of the app market.[11]

Development

Developers at work
Main article: Mobile application development

Developing apps for mobile devices requires considering the constraints and features of these
devices. Mobile devices run on battery and have less powerful processors than personal
computers and also have more features such as location detection and cameras. Developers
also have to consider a wide array of screen sizes, hardware specifications and configurations
because of intense competition in mobile software and changes within each of the platforms
(although these issues can be overcome with mobile device detection).

Mobile application development requires use of specialized integrated development

environments. Mobile apps are first tested within the development environment using
emulators and later subjected to field testing. Emulators provide an inexpensive way to test
applications on mobile phones to which developers may not have physical access.[citation needed]
Mobile user interface (UI) Design is also essential. Mobile UI considers constraints and
contexts, screen, input and mobility as outlines for design. The user is often the focus of
interaction with their device, and the interface entails components of both hardware and
software. User input allows for the users to manipulate a system, and device's output allows
the system to indicate the effects of the users' manipulation. Mobile UI design constraints
include limited attention and form factors, such as a mobile device's screen size for a user's
hand. Mobile UI contexts signal cues from user activity, such as location and scheduling that
can be shown from user interactions within a mobile application. Overall, mobile UI design's
goal is primarily for an understandable, user-friendly interface.

Mobile UIs, or front-ends, rely on mobile back-ends to support access to enterprise systems.
The mobile back-end facilitates data routing, security, authentication, authorization, working
off-line, and service orchestration. This functionality is supported by a mix of middleware
components including mobile app servers, Mobile Backend as a service (MBaaS), and SOA
infrastructure.

Conversational interfaces display the computer interface and present interactions through text
instead of graphic elements. They emulate conversations with real humans.[12] There are two
main types of conversational interfaces: voice assistants (like the Amazon Echo) and
chatbots.[12]

Conversational interfaces are growing particularly practical as users are starting to feel
overwhelmed with mobile apps (a term known as “app fatigue”).[13][14]

David Limp, Amazon’s senior vice president of devices, says in an interview with
Bloomberg, “We believe the next big platform is voice.”[15]

Distribution
See also: List of mobile software distribution platforms

The two biggest app stores are Google Play for Android and App Store for iOS.

Google Play

Main article: Google Play

Google Play (formerly known as the Android Market) is an international online software store
developed by Google for Android devices. It opened in October 2008.[16] In July 2013, the
number of apps downloaded via the Google Play Store surpassed 50 billion, of the over 1
million apps available.[17] As of September 2016, according to Statista the number of apps
available exceeded 2.4 million. The store generated a revenue of 6 billion U.S. dollars in
2015.

App Store

Main article: App Store (iOS)

Apple's App Store for iOS was not the first app distribution service, but it ignited the mobile
revolution and was opened on July 10, 2008, and as of September 2016, reported over
140 billion downloads. The original AppStore was first demonstrated to Steve Jobs in 1993
by Jesse Tayler at NeXTWorld Expo[18] As of June 6, 2011, there were 425,000 apps
available, which had been downloaded by 200 million iOS users.[19][20] During Apple's 2012
Worldwide Developers Conference, CEO Tim Cook announced that the App Store has
650,000 available apps to download as well as 30 billion apps downloaded from the app store
until that date.[21] From an alternative perspective, figures seen in July 2013 by the BBC from
tracking service Adeven indicate over two-thirds of apps in the store are "zombies", barely
ever installed by consumers.[22]

Others

 Amazon Appstore is an alternative application store for the Android operating system.
It was opened in March 2011 and as of June 2015, the app store has nearly 334,000
apps.[23] The Amazon Appstore's Android Apps can also be installed and run on
BlackBerry 10 devices.
 BlackBerry World is the application store for BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry OS
devices. It opened in April 2009 as BlackBerry App World.
 Ovi (Nokia) for Nokia phones was launched internationally in May 2009. In May
2011, Nokia announced plans to rebrand its Ovi product line under the Nokia brand[24]
and Ovi Store was renamed Nokia Store in October 2011.[25] Nokia Store will no
longer allow developers to publish new apps or app updates for its legacy Symbian
and MeeGo operating systems from January 2014.[26]
 Windows Phone Store was introduced by Microsoft for its Windows Phone platform,
which was launched in October 2010. As of October 2012, it has over 120,000 apps
available.[27]
 Windows Store was introduced by Microsoft for its Windows 8 and Windows RT
platforms. While it can also carry listings for traditional desktop programs certified for
compatibility with Windows 8, it is primarily used to distribute "Windows Store
apps"—which are primarily built for use on tablets and other touch-based devices (but
can still be used with a keyboard and mouse, and on desktop computers and
laptops).[28][29]
 Samsung Apps was introduced in September 2009.[30] As of October 2011, Samsung
Apps reached 10 million downloads. The store is available in 125 countries and it
offers apps for Windows Mobile, Android and Bada platforms.
 The Electronic AppWrapper was the first electronic distribution service to collectively
provide encryption and purchasing electronically[31]
 F-Droid — Free and open Source Android app repository.
 There are numerous other independent app stores for Android devices.

Enterprise management
Main article: Mobile application management

Mobile application management (MAM) describes software and services responsible for
provisioning and controlling access to internally developed and commercially available
mobile apps used in business settings. The strategy is meant to off-set the security risk of a
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) work strategy. When an employee brings a personal device
into an enterprise setting, mobile application management enables the corporate IT staff to
transfer required applications, control access to business data, and remove locally cached
business data from the device if it is lost, or when its owner no longer works with the
company. Containerization is an alternate BYOD security solution. Rather than controlling an
employees entire device, containerization apps create isolated and secure pockets separate
from all personal data. Company control of the device only extends to that separate
container.[32]

App wrapping vs. native app management

Especially when employees "bring your own device", mobile apps can be a significant
security risk for businesses, because they transfer unprotected sensitive data to the Internet
without knowledge and consent of the users. Reports of stolen corporate data show how
quickly corporate and personal data can fall into the wrong hands. Data theft is not just the
loss of confidential information, but makes companies vulnerable to attack and blackmail.[33]

Professional mobile application management helps companies protect their data. One option
for securing corporate data is app wrapping. But there also are some disadvantages like
copyright infringement or the loss of warranty rights. Functionality, productivity and user
experience are particularly limited under app wrapping. The policies of a wrapped app can't
be changed. If required, it must be recreated from scratch, adding cost.[34][35] An app wrapper
is a mobile app made wholly from an existing website or platform,[36] with few or no changes
made to the underlying application. The "wrapper" is essentially a new management layer that
allows developers to set up usage policies appropriate for app use.[36] Examples of these
policies include whether or not authentication is required, allowing data to be stored on the
device, and enabling/disabling file sharing between users.[37][38] Because most app wrappers
are often websites first, they often do not align with iOS or Android Developer guidelines.

Alternatively, it is possible to offer native apps securely through enterprise mobility

management without limiting the native user experience. This enables more flexible IT
management as apps can be easily implemented and policies adjusted at any time.[39]

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https://www.liikennevirasto.fi/web/en/transport-system/maas
maas.global/what-is-mobility-as-a-service-maas/