App News Roundup 25 June 2019

As an app developer, keeping on top of the industry news is one of the best ways to stay at the forefront of the sector. We’ve scoured the web to collect a selection of some of the most important stories in app development from the past few weeks:

AI Becoming Must-Have App Feature

Artificial intelligence has formed the foundation of apps such as Netflix since their launch, but AI integration is now becoming a must-have feature of new apps being introduced to the marketplace. The concept of AI is behind the launch of the new ‘Trash’ app, which entered into closed beta earlier this week. Trash, from former Vine manager Hannah Donovan, uses AI to edit videos and create short snippets for sharing. The ‘computational cinematography’ technique uses smart systems which ‘look’ for aspects such as close ups and faces, using these trends to automate video editing.

Netflix Testing New Desktop App Feature

While Netflix is primarily known for its smart TV and mobile apps, the popular streaming service is understood to be placing more focus on its often overlooked desktop app, with some users reporting the addition of a new pop-out feature which has so far been enabled only on selected accounts. It is believed that Netflix is currently testing this feature, which sees videos opening in a pop-out window on desktop computers, before rolling out the update to all accounts. This is being noted as a significant reminder to app developers not to underestimate the importance of rich desktop functionality.

Harry Potter App Takes More Than $1 Million During First Weekend

The eagerly awaited Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, the wizarding world’s answer to Pokemon Go, was launched on 21st June. During the first weekend, the app became the most popular mobile download in 28 different countries, was downloaded by more than three million users, and took in upwards of $1.1 million. It is estimated that total spending will surpass $10 million at the close of the first month. What is interesting, however, is that the app has failed to beat Pokemon Go’s records, with the 2016 launch taking $28 million and reaching 24 million downloads in the 4 days following launch.

New Focus on App Security

A new study by the University of Sydney has found that there are more than 2000 ‘dangerous’ apps on the Google Play store, sparking a fresh round of concerns over app security. The study, which analysed data across a two year period, found that of the 1 million apps that can be downloaded from Google Play, 2040 were discovered to be fake, or were classed as being ‘high risk’. Positive Technologies also reports that around 75% of Android and iOS apps have significant security vulnerabilities, with app developers urged to prioritise safety and security when designing new software.