Mobile Apps in Daily Life a Blessing or Curse?

“Technology makes what was once impossible possible. The design makes it real.” – Michael Gagliano
 

In today's digital world, mobile applications have become an important part of our lives. We rely on mobile applications for various duties and activities, from getting up in the morning to resting at night. These little software applications have transformed how we interact, work, enjoy ourselves, and manage our health and finance. Mobile applications have entirely changed our lives by simplifying everyday activities and providing complicated features. 

What is a Mobile App or Application?

It is a software program designed for a particular purpose that you can download onto a mobile phone, tablet, or watch. The purpose of the applications is to run functions in a device like a calculator, alarm, camera, or messages.
 

The Evolution of Technology:

The advancement of mobile applications technology from 2000 to 2024 has been revolutionary, resulting in a significant shift in how we engage with digital information. In the early 2000s, mobile apps could have been more sophisticated, offering calendars, calculators, and simple games. The debut of smartphones in the late 2000s, particularly the release of the iPhone in 2007 and Android in 2008, fueled a rapid proliferation of mobile apps. By the early 2010s, app stores have evolved into dynamic markets with apps for practically every imaginable purpose, ranging from social networking and multimedia consumption to productivity and navigation. 

By 2020, mobile applications had been integrated into daily life, with billions of users worldwide relying on them for communication, information access, entertainment, and commercial transactions. 

UPI Mobile Application: - 
UPI has altered how people do financial transactions by offering a smooth, quick, secure payment option via a smartphone app. One of the main advantages of UPI is its simplicity and easy-to-use interface. Users link their bank accounts to UPI-enabled mobile apps such as ‘GooglePay’, ‘PhonePe’, ‘Paytm’, ‘Cred Pay’, and ‘Whatsapp Pay’ to transfer money immediately to anybody having a bank account. UPI is popular for its 24x7 availability. Transactions can be done at any time of day, including weekends and holidays, unlike banking hours.  
 

UPI applications allow users to pay bills, make online purchases, and recharge mobile phones. Security is the most important aspect of UPI. Each transaction needs verification using a UPI PIN which is generated by the user, which adds an extra protection. Furthermore, UPI transactions are end-to-end encrypted, guaranteeing that sensitive financial information is protected throughout transmission.
 

Food Ordering Applications: - 
In recent years, India's food delivery sector has seen tremendous upheaval. Nowadays, most people order food rather than go to restaurants because of the quick delivery and offers. The most popular food delivery applications include ‘Swiggy’, ‘Zomato’, ‘Uber Eats’, ‘Foodpanda’, and ‘Amazon Meal’. 

These mobile applications stand out as the best technological evolution, offering features like live tracking, sealed and hot food, and quick refunds. If there are any issues with the order, the person receives a refund within minutes, underscoring the app's reliability and commitment to customer satisfaction. 
 

Another amazing feature is that people can even order food from a different state or country for their family and be assured that the food will be delivered on time. A few restaurants deliver food from different states via aeroplane, such as the Legends mini app in Zomato (this feature is only available to Zomato Gold members). 
 

Shopping Mobile Applications:-
Nowadays, people don't have to buy anything outside their homes. With mobile shopping mobile apps like ‘Amazon’, ‘Flipkart’, ‘Myntra’, ‘Ajio’, ‘TATACliq’, ‘Meesho’, and ‘Shopify’, people buy clothes, tools, hardware, utensils, and much more without leaving their homes. There is even a return or replacement feature if a person doesn't like it or the product is damaged. Diwali or any festival shopping has become much more accessible and handy; rather than going to the market in a crowd, lifting heavy bags, bargaining, and whatnot, now all the shopping can be done from anywhere by using these mobile applications. With the discounts and festival bonuses, there is no need for bargaining; online shopping saves more money than regular shopping. 
 

Now, there is a new feature where a person can upload their photo and try on outfits digitally to make the perfect choice, not just with clothes but also with furniture and appliances.
 

Grocery Mobile Applications:-
The Last-minute applications, often called grocery mobile applications, have saved us from traffic, parking troubles, locating a store at unusual hours, and worries about getting what we want. You can order groceries, crayons, vegetables, and other items anytime. Mobile applications like ‘Zepto’, ‘Blink it’, ‘Swiggy Instamart’, and ‘Groffers’ have revolutionised the grocery buying experience. Because of these applications, you don’t have to stand in long queues, lift heavy bags, or find a proper store; it saves you time, energy, and money. These mobile applications have live tracking features, offers like “BOGO”, and loyalty features. If a person is loyal to the app, it will give extra offers, discounts, and free delivery. You can even schedule the delivery time for your order at your convenience. These applications are premised to deliver groceries and other items within 15 minutes of ordering. Indeed, these applications have become a part of our lives; life would be much more difficult without them. 

OTT Mobile Applications: - 
The days of TV channels are gone, and OTT mobile apps have changed the whole image of entertainment in our lives; with this, people don't have to sit in front of the TV searching through different channels to watch shows, hoping we have access to that channel. Now, with the OTT mobile applications, you can watch any series, movie, or show without missing out on the show while taking breaks. People can watch shows anytime, play from any part, and use any language and subtitles. With only one subscription, the whole family can access their mobiles. The OTT applications include ‘Netflix’, ‘Amazon Prime’, ‘Disney's Hotstar’, ‘Jio Cinema’, ‘SonyLiv’, and ‘ZEE5’. With these applications, you no longer have to buy channel subscriptions; with just one subscription to an application, you can enjoy your shows anytime and anywhere.
 

Cab Mobile Applications: - 
The saviour of commuting is people don't have to search for Cabs or Rickshaws; they can now book Cabs and Rickshaws from anywhere, and they come to you rather than you going and searching for them in heat, rain, and cold. Mobile applications like ‘Uber’, ‘Ola’, and ‘Rapido’ have become part of our lives; now, we don't have to drive in traffic or search for cabs which will take us to our destination. We now use these applications if we have to go to jobs, markets, airports, stations, colleges, or anywhere else. We use these mobile applications to save time and energy and even get discounts while booking cabs.
 

Your app has a live navigation feature to help you select your desired route. This is a fantastic feature for females; they don't have to be afraid. You also have a wallet function, so you don't have to give physical money and wait for changes; the payment is automatically made after the trip. Because of all this, travelling has become much more fun and more accessible.

Healthcare Mobile Applications: - 
You can say goodbyes to the long wait at the doctor's clinic and the long queues at medical shops and laboratories. You can order food, groceries, clothes, physical tests, medicines, and consultations. With mobile apps like ‘1mg’, ‘Pharmeasy’, ‘Netmeds’, ‘Practo’, and ‘Apollo Diagnostics’, people don't have to go to Labs on an empty stomach to do tests; a person comes to your home at your convenience time to collect blood for the tests; this is not just with tests, but with consultation, now you can book doctor's consultation online, resting in your bed, you can video chat with the doctor and take their consultation, of course in some cases you must visit doctor's clinic, but not when you buy medicines and do tests. In local medical shops, there are always a few medicines which are not available. People have to wait a few days, but in these applications, a person can buy any medicine they want without waiting for days. These applications offer discounts and free consultation, so now people don't have to go to hospitals when they are sick or want to buy medicines but don't have time to go to shops; these are the best applications for anyone.
 

Investment Mobile Applications: -
We talked a lot about spending money; let's talk about earning money. Yes, we are doing jobs and businesses, but we need more in this competitive era, so we are now investing money in mobile applications like ‘Groww’, ‘Than’, ‘Dream 11’, and ‘Online Gold’. We invest money to get more money; it is a part of our lives and bodies, and yes, sometimes we earn, and sometimes we learn; there are more than 87 Million Indians who are investing their money in the stock market.
 

Music and Entertainment Application:-
Applications have also taken music and entertainment; people don't have to collect CDs or Cassettes; all songs in the world now come in single applications; mobile apps like ‘Spotify’, ‘Gaana’, ‘Saavn’, and ‘iTunes’ have songs in all genres and languages so that people can enjoy music to their tastes; these applications also have lyrics feature, where a person can read lyrics while listening to the music, even the translation of the songs and lyrics are available for many songs for better understanding of the song, there are also features like playlist so that people can collect songs genre-wise and mood-wise, you can also download the songs so you can enjoy even when there is no network connectivity.  People use these mobile applications for around 20-70 hours a month. Without music, we don't start cars or travel anywhere; our lives are incomplete. 

Social Networking Applications: -
Music is part of our lives, and Social Media is part of our souls. Communication, being in touch with the world, and following every trend have been accessible with ‘Instagram’, ‘Whatsapp’, ‘Facebook’, and ‘X’. On average, a person spends 90 - 300 hours monthly on social networking. Now people don't have to write letters and wait for more than one week to get a reply, with this, you can chat with anyone at any time, instantly. Also, sharing memories has become so easy; now, you don't need to send postcards. You can upload images and videos to these applications, and all your friends can see and connect with your happiness. It has become a part of our lives; we are entirely disconnected from the world without social media.
 

Home Service Mobile Applications:-
Finding a maid and services has been a great pain and tiring task; with the beautiful enhancements in technology, there are mobile apps like ‘Urban Company’, ‘Merry Maids’, ‘Housejoy’, ‘Timesaverz’, and ‘TaskRabbit’. People can hire a maid or book services like A.C cleaning, house cleaning, electrical appliance repair and whatnot. These applications have features like time slots, service alteration, personalised services, and maintenance, so you can get help precisely as you wish. The time of going to the market to find a person and talking to ten people for suggestions is gone. With these applications, all can be done in a single application on mobile, and the work is done. 
 

Travel Booking Applications: - 
In this digital era, you can do anything without stepping out of your home; remember when we had to stand in long queues to book tickets for trains, flights, buses and whatnot? Even standing in long queues, we couldn't book the tickets because of fewer seats, well that was then; now it is different; with the 5g internet and mobile applications like ‘Make My Trip’, ‘IRCTC’, and ‘State SRTC’, we book tickets with the tips of our fingertips. We even get discounts and coupons. With these applications we can book the exact seat which we want, the type of transport, travel insurance, 24X7 helpline, snack booking, all these can now be done with only one application, without stepping out of home, standing in long queues, and doing different booking for everything. So, indeed, this is the best evolution of technology.

Educational mobile Applications: -
The application evolution has been broader than food, groceries, or entertainment; it has even been in the education sector. In education, many suitable mobile apps like Udemy, Google Classroom, Khan Academy, and My Study Life have different features and benefits. ‘Udemy’ offers a variety of courses and self-paced learning; you even get certification at the end of the course. ‘Google Classroom’ is interconnected with Google services, allowing easy class administration, collaboration, and real-time feedback. ‘Khan Academy’ provides extensive, free educational resources for all grades on various topics and subjects. ‘My Study Life’ uses cross-platform accessibility and synchronisation to help students organise tasks, manage timetables, and stay on top of deadlines. 
 

Creative mobile Applications: - 
Even in the field of creativity, mobile applications have so many benefits and features for a person to create something different, new, unique and excellent. There are so many amazing mobile applications like; FaceApp, KineMaster, Canva, and Pinterest, having multiple features and uniqueness like:- ‘FaceApp’, provides interesting picture editing features, including AI-powered features that change faces in photographs, making playing with different looks and ages enjoyable. ‘KineMaster’ stands out for its advanced mobile video editing features, which enable users to quickly produce professional-quality videos with multi-layer support, effects, and audio control. ‘Canva’ offers a wide range of visual design platforms with multiple templates and an easy-to-use interface for generating everything from social media images to presentations. ‘Pinterest’ shines as a visual discovery and inspiration tool, allowing users to organise ideas, save inspirations, and collaborate on themed boards. It also encourages creativity and community involvement with its extensive library of photos and videos. These applications make our life so easy and interesting that we can’t live without it.
 

Advantages and Disadvantages of daily use of Mobile Applications: -

Conclusion: - 
Mobile applications have become necessary in today's era, transforming how we live our everyday lives. These digital innovations have made tough tasks simple, from making payments with UPI to enjoying shows on OTT platforms. Mobile applications have transformed simplicity and connection, whether it's buying groceries, buying medicines, or staying in contact with family and friends via social media. However, this convenience has disadvantages, including concerns about privacy and the need for constant online access. Nonetheless, the ongoing expansion of mobile applications promises to improve our daily lives by giving new ways to participate, create, and communicate in a rapidly changing digital world.
 

FAQs
 

1. What are some popular mobile applications?
   Some popular mobile applications include social networking apps like WhatsApp and Facebook, entertainment apps like Netflix and Spotify, e-commerce apps like Amazon and Flipkart, financial apps like Google Pay and Paytm, and utility apps like Uber and Ola for transportation.
    
2. Are there any disadvantages to using mobile applications?
   Potential drawbacks include dependency on internet connectivity and smartphone availability, privacy risks related to data security and personal information, and cost implications, such as service fees or delivery charges. Quality concerns, addiction or over-reliance, and service limitations during peak times are also factors to consider.
    
3. How do mobile applications improve productivity and daily life?
   Mobile applications enhance productivity by streamlining communication, organisation, and task management. They simplify everyday tasks such as shopping, banking, entertainment, and travel booking, thereby improving efficiency and convenience in our daily lives.
    
4. What are some factors to consider while utilising mobile applications for personal or corporate purposes?
   Before using mobile applications for personal or business activities, users should examine app dependability, privacy policies, data security measures, customer help availability, and user reviews. 
    
5. What are the three 3 types of mobile applications?
   Native, Web, or Hybrid, are 3 types of mobile applications.
    
6. What is the importance of mobile applications?
   The Importance of Mobile Applications in Everyday Life is a simplification of tasks. One of the most significant contributions of mobile apps is simplifying everyday tasks. From banking transactions to online shopping, applications provide a platform that offers convenience, speed, and efficiency.
    
7. How To Make an Application?

• Create an App Concept. 
• Determine Monetisation.
• Decide on the Features. 
• Create User Journeys & Wireframes.
• Design the User Interface.
• Create an App in a Test Environment.
• Test Every Feature.
• Send App to App Stores.
   

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