IoT Wearable App Development: What are Benefits and Challenges

The wearable market is currently positioned to continue growing, providing consumers with both cutting-edge gadgets and highly functional wearable apps, thanks to a steadily growing wearable technology ecosystem and steadily rising consumer demand.

Wearables were a category of gadgets that were only utilized by the military, commercial enterprises, and medical professions until recently. However, they are now finally transitioning from a high-tech niche segment to the private consumer market, many years after the first smart wearable device was developed.

Wearable technology has the potential to play a significant role in consumer technology in the not-too-distant future, from tracking fitness activity to improving gaming experiences. This essay will go into great detail about wearable technology, covering everything from what it is and why we need it to the advantages and difficulties of developing wearable apps for various businesses. If you want to get Iot Wearable software development services, just get in touch with us.

Wearable technology: what is it?

Wearables, also known as wearable technology, are gadgets that, as the name implies, can be incorporated into clothing as part of the merger of textiles and technology, worn as accessories, or implanted directly into the user’s body. Smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smart glasses—a type of head-mounted display—are currently the most widely used wearable technology.

The fact that wearables typically take hundreds of thousands of measurements every day is one of their primary features. Strong smart sensors and microchips built into a wearable electronic gadget allow for the monitoring and measurement of a user’s personal information with their consent. Because of this, the advancement of this technology is directly linked to the expansion of tiny microprocessors, high-speed data transport, and mobile networks. Furthermore, it is well known that connecting wearables to cellular networks, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi only improves the user experience.

Why is wearable technology necessary?

When the Apple Watch was first released a few years ago, it was an item that told the time. However, it quickly evolved into a smart gadget that could perform a number of other more difficult technical jobs. Since then, wearable technology has been experiencing steady expansion due to persistent demand.

Benefits of wearables for different industries

Wearable technology, including smartwatches, continues to grow in popularity. However, one must first know where to look for this wave in order to ride it. When considering how to enter the global wearable technology industry, one must take into account three major industries: fashion, gaming, and healthcare.

1. Wearable devices in healthcare

Healthcare remains a major concern in 2024, and as a result, the sector continues to embrace technological advancements to enhance patient safety and service delivery.

The health sector has long used wireless medical sensors. In actuality, sensors have been employed in healthcare for many years in a variety of methods. Sensors can be found almost anywhere, from respiratory functions to heart rates, from body measures to sleep quality, and more. They interact with one another to form an ecosystem that houses all of an individual’s health-related information. As a result, people and their healthcare professionals are better equipped to manage their medical conditions and keep an eye on their health around-the-clock. However, there is no need for wearable apps to be directly linked to medical personnel as wearable technology becomes more and more ingrained in the lives of regular consumers.

Such apps will probably still provide alerts or recommended actions in response to the data that has been retrieved and examined. It can be fulfilling enough to receive praise, recognition, and reminders regarding one’s fitness and health objectives.

2. Wearable gaming technology

Technology and gaming go hand in hand. Furthermore, there is always a desire to advance and accomplish more in the game production industry because consumer demands frequently match new advancements in the area.

One of those innovations that has received a lot of attention recently is wearable gaming technology. They are nothing new, and they will only get bigger in 2022. The earliest models of contemporary VR headsets were created decades ago. One of the most popular types of wearable technology in the gaming sector nowadays is virtual reality gear. However, as previously said, consumers expect their gaming experiences to improve with every new product, making wearable haptic devices an ideal fit.

VR wearables: The first wearables used for gaming were virtual reality headsets. VR goggles and headsets allow players to fully immerse themselves in the game.

Because of this, the VR gaming attachment that consumers wear on their heads is currently the most crucial. From basic VR goggles that show the simulated 3D game world to sophisticated motion-control VR headsets that can record and transmit the user’s entire head and eye motions, the range of wearable VR gaming devices is sufficiently broad to accommodate any budget.

Haptic gadgets: Tactile input is an additional aspect of gaming engagement that wearables can offer. The science of haptics is used to engage touch in games. Although haptics has been used in video game controllers for about 20 years, the next attainable milestone is the integration of this technology into wearable technologies.

3. Wearables in fashion

Like the gaming business, the fashion industry is open to new ideas and innovations. Since trends change, when something new and interesting is about to happen, it must be embraced to become a fashion statement.

The fashion business has been dominated by wearable smart devices, which don’t seem to be going away. Intelligent fashion, which blends practical technology with style and aesthetics, now includes smart clothing and accessories. The fashion industry is already using wearables in a lot of different ways. For example, your purse may activate internal lights each time you open it, your smart bag can charge your phone or other USB devices, and your smart accessories can change color to match any of your outfits.

Challenges in wearable app development

Every coin has two sides, one way or another. In a similar vein, no cutting-edge technology would be without its difficulties. The market for wearable technology is no different. Let’s examine the most persistent issues that may come up when you choose to create a wearable application.

1. Battery issues

Anyone working in the wearable industry needs to consider how to extend the battery life of their devices. Because wearable technology is typically lightweight and compact, battery life has long been a major concern. Therefore, it is imperative that manufacturers of wearable technology create batteries that are effective, powerful, and long-lasting. However, when creating their goods, wearable app developers must also take this uniqueness into consideration.

The wearable app that uses excessive amounts of battery is unlikely to succeed in the already fiercely competitive market. Because the wearable gadget software is portable and almost always online, users are not required to recharge the device frequently. However, this software needs to be able to strike a balance between battery-saving features and essential functionality.

2. User interface

A wearable app should appear good on wearable devices and run properly without using up too much battery life. The largest obstacle in this situation is that wearable technology typically has screens that are far smaller than those of smartphones. Consequently, a wearable app’s user interface needs to be created with a few fundamental guidelines in mind:

To make the user interface more readable, clear out visual clutter.
Make your user interface simple and easy to understand because the UX/UI must effectively communicate messages.
The content that is shown needs to be appropriate for the user’s context.
The background should be sufficiently light to display the content.
Create a single, targeted activity that facilitates an effective flow.
Make user alerts useful and non-intrusive.
Because wearable user sessions are brief, interactions need to be as simple as possible.

3. Security and privacy

Any app provider must always choose to give its consumers better privacy and security, regardless of the industry or degree of sophistication.

In the first place, wearables are made to be always online and to facilitate data flow between devices. Although it improves the user experience, it also raises the possibility of data breaches. Nevertheless, it is the app provider’s duty to remove the risk and stop third parties from stealing data.

4. Usability

An excellent wearable gadget should have an interface that is visually appealing, simple, and easy to use. However, utility should never be sacrificed for aesthetics.

Actually, the more practical features a wearable gadget has, the better. Wearables should demonstrate their purpose and their ability to accomplish things that would be impossible without them in order to draw in and keep users. Features that might provide new advantages must be enabled by a wearable app. A wearable app that tracks your sleep might, for example, offer suggestions on how to improve the quality of your sleep based on your sleeping habits, rather than just telling you how long you slept or how frequently you moved during the night. For a wearable app’s capabilities to be justified, it must rely on customisation and personalization that are not possible with other devices.

5. Frequent updates

It is rare for an app to have all of its users be entirely content with the way it functions and appears. The likelihood that the majority of people will never be completely satisfied with an app’s services is really significantly higher.

All applications, even wearable ones, must be updated on a regular basis. The app will only be able to stay relevant and helpful with constant updates. Frequent updates aid in resolving quality-related concerns, and bug fixes and new features can only be implemented through new releases.

6. Multi-platform support

It seems sense that wearable technology has caused the lines between gadgets to become less distinct. Apps for wearable technology should ideally work on several platforms. However, the creation of multi-platform apps was subsequently hampered by this device fragmentation.

7. Tethered devices

Wearables must be able to communicate with other devices. Wearables are tethered, or connected, rather than standalone devices for a number of reasons, including their limited functionality and typically smaller screens. In order to meet performance standards, wearables must rely on larger electronics. More functionality can be accessed through this tethering, but there is a drawback as well.

The wearable itself loses its usefulness if the battery of that bigger gadget—a smartphone, tablet, etc.—died.

Operations become significantly less seamless or cease completely if the wearable’s connected device is outside of its Bluetooth connection range.

The likelihood of an app failing is doubled when it is controlled by two devices.

Therefore, while creating apps for wearables, developers shouldn’t consider them in a vacuum. Integrating wearable technology with the current gadgets in a user’s digital environment is practically required until a reliable solution is found that would allow the devices to operate flawlessly on their own. Furthermore, this needs to be done in order for all of the linked devices to gain from one another and give the consumer the most results. Examples of successful collaboration between a wearable and companion app include a smartwatch that tracks blood oxygen and heart rate and a smartphone that offers a thorough analysis of the data gathered.

In conclusion

The field of wearable technology is robust and expanding. It has all the necessary components now to succeed in the future and enable people who develop wearable technology and software for these devices to ultimately make a huge splash.

The advantages of wearable technology are numerous, but so are the associated difficulties. However, based on most estimates, the former will prevail over the latter since companies are willing to assist others in seeing the promising future of wearables. Wearables will undoubtedly succeed in enhancing people’s lives if the proper hardware and software are used together.

Use the contact form below to get in touch with us if you have an idea for a wearable app or would want more information about the current opportunities for wearable app development! Our advisors will make every effort to apply their technological know-how and experience in creating wearable applications.

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