The Rise of Wearable App Technology – Trends and Challenges

13 Mar, 2024

7 min read

Which one is your favorite wearable device? This is one of the most asked questions in the wearable technology circles today. People worldwide were initially drawn to wearable devices because of the advantages that smart wearable technology offers. Would you believe the number of users today in wearable devices are over 1 billion in 2024?

Thanks to tech giants for breathing new life into wearable app development services, these smart devices are currently gaining huge popularity worldwide because of their small size, ease of mobility, and the new world of experiences they bring along. The latest display of this wearable wonder is Apple’s Vision Pro, which is bringing people from across the world under its fanbase with its awe-inspiring capabilities. However, the rise of wearable technology, like any other tech thing, is subject to its fair share of challenges.

This article is for you if you are a tech enthusiast who would love to remain updated with the latest trends in this field or a business owner considering acquiring a wearable app development service for your product. Read on to understand more about the wearable app designs that make it such a promising field and the challenges associated with it to this date.

Why is Wearable Technology Trending?

The seamless experience of using wearable devices, whether from the Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch, or many other wearable devices, has led to the rising trend of this technology. The desktop computer’s size reduction paved the way for extraordinary interconnectedness, but it was cumbersome because a laptop provided portability but required sitting down to use. However, the smartphone has evolved into the modern, connected human, and the smartwatch was a window to that phone, a companion device with a plethora of health insights all shrunk down to your wrist. What happened next?

AR/VR and innovations like VisionPro opened a new world of experiences. Some people think these latest AR/VR glasses and hyper-realistic headset devices would change things, yet all they do is shift the screens, putting more distance between you and the outside world and the future.

Worldwide, the number of wearables with connectivity is increasing significantly between 2019 and 2022, from 929 million in the previous year to around 1.1 billion in 2022.

Let’s talk about a few advantages of wearable app technology:

With cloud storage and instant connectivity, wearables support the upkeep of our data and assist in keeping it current.
By tracking their health, the wearable can assist in both diagnosing and treating medical issues.
Wearables are utilized in your day-to-day activities and job to increase productivity. Ability to keep track of fitness levels, track a location quickly, and view messages quickly.
The best part is most of the devices that allow us to do this are hand-free and portable, eliminating the need to take our devices out of our pockets.
Wearable technology in business revolutionizing workforce automation from smartwatches to virtual reality (VR) handsets.

How Wearable Technology is Transforming Different Industries

Wearable app design and development are changing how we work and stay connected, and this is just the beginning. Smart glasses and augmented reality headsets are making inroads into the industry. Today, three big industries are being transformed by wearable app development services; let’s dive into the major categories:

1) Wearable Devices in Sports

In the world of sports, wearable app integration offers precise data on exercise intensity in sports; wearables have some sensors that can track detailed information about the small, constant movement of your body. Athletes can also participate in VR training sessions on their TVs. However, they only need to add a sensor in their room and on their feet.

Heart Rate Monitor Track Wearable Device: These apps allow you to measure vital signs like a person’s heart rate through wearable devices while exercising or playing indoor or outdoor games.

Track Location in Wearable Device: You can keep track of a user’s whereabouts through the location feature for health and safety reasons. The app will tell where the user is playing through the wearable app integration.

Tweak Your Data in Training Program: Wearable apps allow you to keep your data safe for training on your skills or improve it for your performance through the wearable app design that you are using.

2) Wearable Devices in Healthcare

Although Fitbit was the first company to deploy wearables for its customers in 2006, these devices didn’t receive huge acceptance until the year 2014 was recognized as the “year of wearable technology.” It was due to the increasing popularity of health purposes, gadgets like wearable devices used to track activity and fitness, quality of sleep, and tools to measure current health data.

From the world of Fitbit, wearables in healthcare have traveled a long way. Thanks to wearable app development companies in healthcare, the technologies present in today’s world of healthcare do much more than help one detect and manage medical disorders. Instead, they monitor a person’s health.

One of the most fascinating industries in today’s world is health technology. Every day, new innovations are created to improve the quality of life for those receiving medical care. In fact, health technology has made it the best means for people to keep in touch with loved ones, help them check on their health situation, remind them to take medicines, and, if in any case or situation, they are apart, they can even have a consultation to doctors through cyberspace.

Wearable Fitness Tracker: These days, it seems like pretty much everyone has smart fitness tracking devices like (Fitbit, Jawbone, Garmin, etc.) and intelligent rings (oura, oumij, motiv, etc.).

Smart Health Watches: Collect data on your health and tell you about your health condition, pulse rate, and heartbeat rate. This could be a lifesaver in otherwise urgent situations.

Body-Mounted Sensors: A highly advanced data-gathering system for monitoring your biological data for healthcare purposes. In this, you have your body movement, your physical activities track, and all other aspects related to your body.

According to Statistica, about 340 million earwear units were shipped in 2023. However, in the same year, the smartwatches and health and fitness trackers reached under 160 million.

3) Wearable Devices in Fashion

Everybody utilizes clothing to express who they are, but today, wearable smart technologies have revolutionized the fashion business. Smart clothing and accessories are now a component of intelligent fashion, which blends function technology with style and aesthetics. Additionally, your clothing may contain something called AI printing.

Temperature-adaptive clothing is one of the items that wearable technology has evolved to offer. According to Statista, the worldwide smart clothing market is expected to grow significantly between 2008 and 2025, reaching a valuation of over $5 billion US.

Challenges and Solutions on Wearable Devices

1) User Interface

The first challenge that is continually faced by people who are using wearable devices is the screen size of that device, which is too small for older people; the icons of the device convey the message properly. A wearable app development service is incomplete without a good app assistant; another challenge people face is black and white because of older people. Here is the solution we will keep in mind while making it for people of any age.

Solution: The solution is that the displayed content must be relevant to the users according to the needs of the content. App development must emphasize color and fast and seamless interaction between the user and the device.

2) Battery Usage and Memory Space

One of the challenging aspects of every device, whether it is a VR headset or smartwatch, is the battery; the problem with the battery is that in any technology, the user wants a device that can consume less battery and have a longer time of sustainability, another challenge that people face under the umbrella of battery life is that the wearables are usually small in size but still consuming a lot of battery.

Solution: The solution is to make a wearable device that can consume the battery in a balanced manner, a wearable device that is simple and implies necessary options, and create a device without feeding too much more the number of features because it consumes more battery than you think.

3) Right Platform

Another challenge that wearable devices can face is supporting the right platform for the device; there are several technologies in the market, such as Android and Apple, and choosing the right one is a difficult task; another challenge is that the app does not run in a specific device also its critical for to select the appropriate platform based on their requirements.

Solution: The best solution is to make a wearable device that is strictly stuck in one platform, either for Android or for Apple, and choose the best SDK platform for the start; the developers can solve this compatibility issue by keeping themselves updated with the standard platform and follow the protocols as well.

4) Tethering

With the limited functionality and smaller screens, the interaction with wearable devices is becoming tethered; they rely on other devices for the features and functionality; if they are attached to a smartphone or tablet or have a low battery, they are nearly worthless. Or it can rely on Bluetooth for smooth working.

Solution: It is up to developers to solve this issue until wearables function autonomously. They should consider the consequences of a smartphone battery becoming low when a wearable goes out of Bluetooth range.

5) Privacy and Security

Wearable technology is still in its infancy because not many people use it. Data security is a major concern today when everyone wants their privacy protected in every way with their smartphones or smartwatches. According to a study by Rackspace, 51% of users hesitate to use wearable devices because of security concerns. Another problem people face is that a lot of wearable apps fall victim to data privacy attacks daily. As a result, companies should pay more attention to user data privacy.

Solution: The security approach is what wearable app developers need to follow to boost consumer confidence. A secure device can increase users’ confidence. The software ought to be outfitted with astute security measures that safeguard confidential user data and receive frequent updates.

Getting Started With Your Wearable App Development

Today’s wearable technology is robust and expanding, with all the ingredients for sustained success. Because each wearable app is unique in functionality and technology, wearables can be extremely important in your life. This technology offers many benefits, but there are also big associated challenges. Wearable technology will undoubtedly simplify people’s lives when the proper hardware and software are combined.

If you have a wearable app design idea and want to revolutionize it, this technology has a lot of potential to serve in different business verticals like sports, gaming, health care, and fashion. Cubix offers innovative wearable app development services with a world-class team that is skilled at embracing new technologies, staying up to date, and developing bespoke solutions that pave the way for the future of innovation for industries.

Visit Cubix today and let our experts help you bring your wearable app idea to life!