Technological advancements change many aspects of our lives. Sometimes technology can have a global impact. Most of the time, when we think about world-changing technology, we aren’t talking about the planet. Maybe we should. The path to a solution for some of our climate change challenges may reside with advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI).

 Science and climate technology experienced significant advances over the last few decades. With these advances comes a massive amount of climate data. Climate scientists, meteorologists, and climatologists analyze this data to understand the impact of climate change better. They create advanced weather models and better prediction tools. However, leveraging AI and Machine Learning to aid this effort is a newer concept. 

 Some may still debate whether humans are responsible for significant changes in the global climate. However, it is hard to dispute the Earth’s changing climate. Disruptions to historical weather patterns, an uptick in dangerous weather, and melting glaciers are but a few data-proven climate changes. As a prominent Los Angeles iPhone app developer, we intimately understand the potentially devastating impact of climate change.

 No matter the side of the debate, we can leverage technology to understand climate change better and discover ways to reduce the impact of climate change.

AI and Climate Science

AI, and its subset of machine learning, have the power to analyze data and images at a speed and scale beyond human capabilities. From this analysis comes better prediction models and algorithms to detect patterns. These results help make informed decisions, find efficiencies, or solve complex problems. When applied to the challenges of climate change, AI and machine learning prove exceptionally beneficial. 

 Partnerships between data science and climate science create a new dynamic to combat climate change. Until recently, climate scientists relied on information collected from simulations and observations, which followed predetermined rules. With AI, and specifically machine learning, the data and imagery collected from around the planet feed into AI learning models. The process uses machine learning to ‘train’ algorithms using large amounts of climate-based datasets.

 Successful implementations of AI and climate change nationally include Japan and Brazil. Japan employs AI as an early warning against natural disasters. In the Amazon, AI monitors and predicts deforestation.

 When applied to climate change, advances in AI and machine learning create exciting opportunities for companies to innovate. Kayrros is one such example. They are a data analytics company that provides insight into climate risk by monitoring energy, natural resource, and industrial markets.

AI’s Use to Reduce Carbon Emissions

Of all the ways that AI could positively impact climate change, the goal of zero-carbon emissions may be the best bet. Many world governments and leaders across global economies pledged a goal of net-zero carbon emission by 2050. This pledge is a needed yet ambitious objective to bring global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions to a net-zero solution.

 The energy sector will have the most significant impact on the success or failure of this goal. Electric power produces 25% of greenhouse gases worldwide. Using AI to gain efficiencies by optimizing energy grids is a short-term application that could provide immediate benefits. AI can integrate and increase the use and efficiency of renewable energy sources combined with current energy grids.

 AI solutions return immediate benefits on a slightly smaller scale. The successful application of AI to operate commercial buildings’ heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is one such example. On average, nearly 50% of a commercial building’s energy usage comes from HVAC systems, with more than half going to waste. Large warehouses, factories, or industrial centers see significant cost savings and emissions reduction from AI-controlled HVAC operations.

Potential Diminishing Returns Using AI

The energy and carbon emissions to power AI on the scale needed could be counterintuitive. Some analysis predicts that the data centers used to power AI could consume upwards of 25% of the world’s electricity.

 However, large tech companies are aware, and some have taken steps to mitigate the impact.  Google successfully deployed AI to mitigate excessive heat loss. Partnering with DeepMind to develop an AI recommendation system, AI systems control data center cooling. The results produced a near-immediate 30% energy savings.

Conclusion

Applying AI and machine learning could be a turning point against climate change. The collaboration of data science and climate science is still in the early stages. However, the positive impact already felt by AI’s use to run the heating and cooling of commercial buildings is a reality today. 

 AI and machine learning applications focused on combating climate change that impacts the environment are a field brimming with opportunities. If you or your company have a climate-focused idea for an AI or machine learning application, Dogtown Media is your partner to develop and deploy it. Take advantage of our free consultation to see how we can partner together to positively impact the environment.

We’re pleased to announce that earlier this month, Dogtown Media has been featured as one of the top recognized organizations in the category of Los Angeles app developers by industry-respected software and application review platform, Techreviewer! First and foremost, we’d like to give a huge thank you to all of our clients who have given us the opportunity to turn their mobile application ideas into a reality. Without your trust in our ability to turn your unique app ideas into a reality, none of this would be possible!

We also want to give a huge shoutout and thank you to our dedicated team. Spread across three continents and twelve time zones, we’ve built a dynamic and diverse team of highly skilled individuals who over the past ten years have turned this organization into a top-tier development organization. We couldn’t be more appreciative of this prestigious award and the team who have helped make this possible.

Offering verified ratings, reviews, and feedback of development firms, Techreviewer is an industry-recognized B2B service platform dedicated to helping businesses identify high-quality development organizations that match the unique financial and technical qualifications they seek in a technology partner.

From healthcare app development, to quality assurance and software testing, Techreviewer aims to provide information and rating on a wide array of development companies acting as a one-stop-shop review platform. Whether you’re looking to develop the next best IoT application or to expand on your mHealth application offering, Techreviewer can be a great place to help find the right technology partner that meets your unique qualifications. 

Throughout the year, Techreviewer provides a variety of evaluations of development companies based on segment, geographical location, development niche, and other factors. Their team of dedicated industry experts examines qualities such as client feedback, demonstrated success and expertise in the space, market adoption, quality of service, and other critical factors to determine the verified Techreviewer rating. 

In this process, hundreds of organizations are reviewed and only a select few make it into the list of top app developers in Los Angeles, so we are truly appreciative of this award! Backed by this recognition and other industry-recognized awards, we are determined to continue to provide top-tier app development services for our clients and hope to continue to receive esteemed recognitions in the future!

About TechReviewer.co
Techreviewer is an industry-trusted tech rating and review platform that compiles lists of top development, design, and marketing companies. The sim of the Techreviewer platform is to help organizations find the best development companies that align with their unique technical requirements. Companies trust Techreviewer based on their focus on providing accurate, research-backed information regarding the organization they are reviewing.

2021 may have just begun, but it’s already shaping up to be a promising year for Dogtown Media. We were recently recognized as one of the best iPhone app developers by Digital.com! Thanks to our clients, team, and community for your support — we couldn’t have done this without you!

iPhone App Development to Meet Your Unique Needs

Mobile app development is a fast-growing and rapidly-changing industry. Whether they’re trying to reach new customers, improve user experience, or engage with an existing audience, businesses from a variety of sectors turn to iPhone app developers to deliver a product that lets them stand out from the crowd.

Since Apple’s App Store launched in 2008, development companies have sprung up all over the world. Each offer their own unique features and services. With such stiff competition, it’s an absolute honor for us to be featured as the best of the best by Digital.com. Let’s take a moment to learn more about their meticulous evaluation process for this prestigious award.

How Digital.com Digs Deep for Insights

Originally founded in 2015 as Review Squirrel, Digital.com has quickly become a trusted source of information for small businesses to find the best tools and services to solve their needs. By analyzing public sentiment through social media and scoring companies’ products and services, the website has established a solid reputation for finding unique insights into what would work best for small businesses across a multitude of industries.

Digital.com’s list of 2021’s best iPhone app developers originally had 160 candidates for consideration! To narrow it down to the top 15 companies, Digital.com’s team spent 40 hours researching and analyzing companies with gleaming reviews on the internet. During this time, Digital.com evaluated three criteria: the service lines offered by each company, the sizes of firms they’ve worked with, and the industries they focused on.

Each candidate had to be capable of providing a wide range of services such as mobile app development, marketing, and design. Candidates also had to demonstrate a consistent track record of successfully helping both large and small businesses. Last but not least, each development firm had to be versatile — that is, could they help businesses in a variety of sectors? With Dogtown’s previous work ranging from machine learning to the Internet of Things (IoT), Digital.com knew that we were a top contender.

Above all else, Digital.com emphasized firms who made the complex capabilities of emerging technologies easily accessible: “Making your service or software accessible to iPhone users requires an efficient and expert iPhone app developer,” says Christelle Feniza, Communications Manager of Digital.com. “This review guide was designed to help small business owners find top firms that can tailor services to meet their industry and needs.”

Thank You for Your Support!

Besides being recognized as one of the best iPhone app developers of 2021, we’re also grateful to have been recognized as a top mobile app developer in Los Angeles by Digital.com! These awards come off the tail of recently being featured as one of the Clutch 1000 List of Best B2B Service Providers for the third year in a row, so we couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come in this new year.

Thanks so much to Digital.com for awarding Dogtown Media with this prestigious honor. And we’d also like to take a moment to thank our clients, team, and community again. We’ll continue to work our hardest to make you proud!

ABOUT DIGITAL.COM

Founded in 2015, Digital.com reviews and compares the best products, services, and software for running or growing a small business website or online shop. The platform collects twitter comments and uses sentiment analysis to score companies and their products.

Wireless technology has transformed how we interact with the world around us. But what does the future with 5G look like? It can be hard to fathom. Luckily, ACT | The App Association aims to elucidate this with a special public webinar featuring FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. And Marc Fischer, Dogtown Media’s very own Co-Founder and CEO, has been invited to join in on the conversation!

Scheduled to be held this Thursday, May 28th, at 1 PM ET, “A Conversation with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr on Commission Priorities for 5G and the New 5G Upgrade Order” is an event you won’t want to miss. In this virtual seminar, we’ll get the chance to learn more about the FCC’s views and priorities for 5G.

Valued at $1.7 trillion and employing almost 6 million Americans, the mobile app economy has grown to be an invaluable pillar of the tech industry. And the current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted just how valuable this sector really is; remote work, distance learning, and telemedicine have all experienced a rapid increase in usage during this pandemic.

For the webinar, Commissioner Brendan Carr will be representing the FCC. He’s committed to rapidly advancing 5G in order to enable more innovation in mobile app development. Carr has supported various FCC policy changes to promote the development of 5G networks.

Most recently, he announced a new 5G Upgrade Order. This multi-year endeavor would simplify and expedite equipment upgrades for existing cellular towers. Scheduled for a June vote by Congress, the 5G Upgrade Order will be a central discussion point of ACT’s event.

ACT | The App Association is a Washington, D.C.-based public policy organization that represents more than 5,000 app companies and information technology firms leading the mobile economy. While we’re located on the other side of the continent in Los Angeles, ACT has been a dear friend throughout the years. Its advocation for an environment that drives smart innovation and regulation in the tech industry has been invaluable.

The live event will begin with a conversation between Carr and ACT President Morgan Reed. Following this, a live panel discussion featuring Carr, Marc, Andrew Savitz of Canned Spinach, and Vishal Singh of Quantified Ag will take place. It will delve into the 5G Upgrade Order and examine potential use cases that the new generation of wireless connectivity will enable.

“A Conversation with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr on Commission Priorities for 5G and the New 5G Upgrade Order” has an all-star panel lined up and a number of hot topics to touch upon. If you want to see the future of mobile technology, don’t miss this event! For more information, visit here.

The Internet of Things (IoT) allows us to send, receive, and act upon data in myriad ways by connecting physical objects. Cellular IoT is a way of connecting these physical things through the same mobile networks that smartphones utilize. Its infrastructural elegance and the arrival of 5G mean that cellular IoT will play an integral role in the future of IoT development and innovation.

Cellular Networks Empower IoT Innovation

The world runs on cellular technology. Whether you’re looking for directions on Google Maps, checking your email, or posting to Instagram, cellular networks are responsible for getting your data where it needs to go. But we’re no longer just using these modern technological capabilities for only connecting with friends and family.

The advent of IoT has opened up society’s eyes to the vast value of connecting physical objects around us. Whether it’s streetlights and parking meters, heart rate monitors and hospital asset management tools, or tractors and assembly lines, IoT connectivity offers the ability to enhance numerous industries and sectors.

The same cellular technology empowering your smartphone is driving the next wave of IoT innovation. Stockholm-based telecom company Ericsson projects that amount of devices connecting to cellular IoT networks will expand at a combined annual growth rate of 19% until 2023. Essentially, this means that more than 3.5 billion of the 20+ billion IoT devices connected by 2023 will be cellular.

So, What’s Cellular IoT, and Why’s It Expanding So Much?

Simply put, cellular IoT is a way of connecting physical objects, like IoT devices and sensors, to the internet through the same means that your smartphone uses. Rather than necessitating a new private network for your IoT devices, they can instead piggyback on mobile networks.

This is especially important for devices that require a wide range of coverage. Cellular IoT is basically an alternative to low-power, wide-area (LPWAN) networks.

Because the infrastructure to support cellular technology is already in place, we don’t need to build any new systems for cellular IoT. The networks are already there, and as we each know from our smartphone use, they’re capable of facilitating massive flows of data.

Now, you may be wondering, if this has been available for a while, why haven’t we leveraged it before? Great question! For a long time, cellular IoT devices consumed a gargantuan amount of power. This limited their usefulness and versatility for applications.

Today, cellular sensors can collect and transmit data across considerable distances without expending too much energy. And when you couple this with the addition of 5G, cellular IoT’s future couldn’t look brighter.

LTE-M or NB-IoT?

Nearly every cellular IoT application today relies on one of two technologies: LTE-M or NB-IoT. Each option possesses unique advantages that could be more appropriate for specific applications. But, generally speaking, cellular IoT device users usually depend on whichever one is the standard of their region. For instance, the North American continent, from Toronto to Los Angeles, relies on LTE coverage, whereas Eastern Europe and Africa utilize GSM.

It’s worth noting that LTE is likely to overtake GSM for cellular IoT applications. LTE-M (Long Term Evolution for Machines) is a network standard that lets IoT devices readily use existing cell networks. With one simple software update, LTE-M-enabled devices can communicate with the cloud. They’re also better-suited for “mission-critical” applications where real-time data transfer is imperative, such as autonomous vehicles or emergency devices.

NB-IoT (Narrowband-IoT) can support regions without great LTE coverage or applications that only need to transfer small amounts of data. Examples include an energy usage monitor in a smart building or a soil sensor on a farm. As its name implies, NB-IoT only leverages a narrow sliver of the total bandwidth that cell towers project. If you foresee that you’ll only need to send small amounts of information or are in an area where GSM is the standard, NB-IoT may be the better option for you right now.

5G’s Fueling Cellular IoT’s Future

There’s no shortage of hype surrounding 5G, the fifth generation of cellular technology, and for good reason — it’s poised to transform emerging technologies like IoT. It’s likely that 5G will operate alongside LTE and GSM cell networks well into the better part of this decade, though.

For industrial applications, 5G will be able to provide ultra-secure, hyper-fast capabilities that can support thousands (if not millions) of devices in manufacturing plants or logistics centers. These networks will operate at ten times the speed of what we have available today.

On the consumer side of things, 5G will give self-driving vehicles more autonomy and enhance virtual and augmented reality to the point that they’re truly immersive.

It’s honestly difficult to predict or comprehend the changes that 5G-fueled cellular IoT will bring. It’s unprecedented, to say the least. But one thing is certain: Cellular IoT will usher in a new wave of innovation, one that will be tangible and visible to everyone. And the world will never be the same.

What do you think about cellular IoT? What do you think the future technological landscape looks like with 5G added into the mix? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

When it comes to technology, maintenance is always better than repair. This is especially true with iPhone app development; failing to stay up-to-date means you risk losing your user base and becoming obsolete.

On the other hand, updating your mobile app pays off in spades. By delivering a faster, optimized experience, you’ll keep your audience coming back for more and future-proof your initial investment so more users can discover your product.

Apple recently released iOS 13 for iPhone and iPod touch. With a plethora of new features and capabilities, this iOS update has something to offer everyone, whether they’re a consumer or enterprise. Read on to see why you should upgrade to iOS 13 as soon as possible.

iOS 13 Is Already Taking Over the World

If there’s one thing to know about iOS users, it’s that they love embracing new technology. Each iOS update sees faster adoption rates than the previous iteration. Case in point: By September 3rd, 2018, 85% of active Apple devices were using iOS 11. Less than a year later, on August 6th, 2019, Apple revealed that 88% of users were running iOS 12.

iOS 13 is no exception to this rule. Although it was only released on September 19th this year, it has taken over the lion’s share of iPhone users: 50% of all iPhone devices are already using iOS 13!

While this ratio is certainly impressive, it’s really just the beginning for iOS 13. This update is compatible with 15 Apple devices (iPhone 6S or iPhone SE or newer). On top of this, Apple’s reach has been consistently growing across both consumers and enterprise organizations. So you can expect to see iOS 13’s adoption metrics grow rapidly over the next few months.

New Features, Limitless Possibilities

We’ve been tinkering with iOS 13’s new features at our Los Angeles-based development HQ for quite some time leading up to its release. Here are some of our favorite features!

Faster Speed, Better Battery Life

Perhaps the first thing you’ll notice after installing iOS 13 is how fast it is. Apps should launch approximately twice as fast as before! That’s due to app downloads and updates being optimized to become 50% and 60% smaller, respectively.

Unlocking with Face ID is also roughly 30% faster and more seamless. This feature’s field of view is now wider, so you can even unlock your iPhone while it’s on your desk without ever having to lift it up.

Because the new iOS 13 platform is smarter at charging (it curtails power input at the right times), you should also notice better battery life for your phone.

“Picture Perfect” Is the Standard for iOS 13

Apple’s Camera and Photos apps both received a ton of new features in iOS 13.

Portrait mode in the Camera app now offers more customizable lighting effects so you can increase or decrease lighting intensity. There’s also a new “High Key Mono” mode available.

The Photos app upgrade brings a mix of robust editing tools that allow you to tweak aspects like contrast, noise reduction, and shadows. These editing capabilities also work for video (which you can now rotate!), and you can even edit photos without replacing or destroying your Live Photo properties.

iOS 13 makes it easier to navigate through your photos. By leveraging machine learning, the Photos app can automatically declutter your photos and remove duplicates. The Photos app also has a new “Photos” tab which gives you a new way to browse your images. You can scrub by years, months, and days to find thumbnails of your images and videos organized by events and time.

iOS 13 is Easy on the Eyes with Dark Mode

Dark Mode has finally arrived with iOS 13. By inverting white and light colors for black and dark grays, it’s much less eye-straining than the standard presentation. Dynamic Dark Mode allows you to change between light and dark in accordance with the sun rising and setting.

Not only can dynamic wallpapers change according to the time of day, but widgets do as well. Native iOS apps like Messages, Photos, and Notes all come with built-in support for this new feature.

Reminders Gets a Revamp

Reminders received a huge overhaul with iOS 13. Now, as you type reminders, it will try to guess when to remind you. Siri will also try to identify which words you want to make actionable. If your reminders contain any names, it will remind you about these in Messages. Lastly, Reminders now allows for attachments and can sort much better than before.

Prioritizing Privacy and Rock-Solid Security

Numerous new privacy and security features come with iOS 13. Users with the new update can now employ system-wide location tracking protection. You also now have the capability to give an app permission to use location “just once.” Alternatively, if you permit an app to always use location, iOS will now provide detailed reports on this activity.

Apple also added “Sign in with Apple,” which utilizes Face ID to start a new account with revealing personal information. You can now hide information like email thanks to this feature. Apple will create a random email that forwards any received messages to your actual email address. Of course, you can always disable these random emails if need be.

Shortcuts to Automation

Instead of having you download the Shortcuts app, it now comes built-in to every device running iOS 13. The Shortcuts app now has an Automation tab which allows you to create both personal and home automation sequences based on triggers. For example, you can set up an Automation to tell you the day’s weather when you turn off your alarm after waking up.

Adapt and Get Ahead With iOS 13

We hope you’ve enjoyed this rundown of some of our favorite iOS 13 features. Don’t let your app languish and fall behind. Business is all about adaptability. At Dogtown Media, we pride ourselves on building the mobile future. Work with us to make your iOS app a part of it!

This list of new features barely scratches the surface of iOS 13’s potential — covering all of the new capabilities ranging from a smoother-sounding Siri to new Memojis would take quite a few more blog posts. If you have questions about specific aspects or benefits, contact our team of hardened techies today for a free consultation!

Welcome to the final entry in our two-part series on figuring out just how much an app costs to build!

In the first part of this series, we covered the stages of the mobile app development process and other crucial factors to keep in mind that can greatly impact your cost calculations. In case you missed it or would like a chance to review, you can find the article here.

For this entry, we’ll be going over the different routes you can take to make your app as well as what you can expect in terms of post-launch endeavors and marketing. Ready to get started? Let’s jump right in!

Before We Begin

Before we proceed, there are a few pertinent questions you should answer:

1. Who’s your target audience?
2. What problem will your app solve for your audience?
3. What are the core features of your mobile app that solves the problem?

We know that answering these questions can be tough. But doing so will save you tremendous amounts of time (and possibly money) down the line. If you need help figuring these out, reference the first post of this series to guide you.

Choose Your Own App Adventure

How much does it cost to build an app will greatly vary depending on the type of product you want to build. But one thing many first-time app entrepreneurs forget is that costs are also dependent on the size and type of agency you choose to work with.

Mobile App Development Is an Investment

Cheaper shops can certainly sound alluring. But smaller companies offering end-to-end app development for a price that seems too good to be true usually carry some caveats to be aware of.

If the entire mobile app development process costs less than $50,000, it’s safe to assume that the company you’re working with is probably offering more limited services than a more built-out agency. When it comes to app development, you often get what you pay for.

When you increase your investment, what you’re really paying for is tried-and-tested experience as well as specialized expertise. It’s important to keep in mind that while the whole process of creating an app is lumped under “mobile app development,” hard-coding your product is actually one piece of the puzzle.

Cutting Corners Doesn’t Mean Cutting Costs

Cutting corners to save on costs in the early stages of the app development process usually backfires in the long run.

Remember the $50,000 price tag and limited services we mentioned earlier? This can usually be attributed to an agency taking a “lean” approach—basically, they’ll code an app for you, but they won’t have expert designers and strategists on-hand to help ensure it’s a success.

In these instances, it’s not unusual for app entrepreneurs to sink more money into the project later on to save face. By this point, you’re probably thinking, “Well, what does a complete mobile app development team look like, and how much would they cost?” We’re glad you asked!

It Takes Teamwork to Make the Dream Work

Let’s pretend that you’ve nailed down your mobile app vision; you want to release a polished product that meets a specific need of a specific market segment. It’s safe to assume you’d get a price quote of around $300,000 from both large agencies and mid-sized shops to deliver such a product.

At this point, you’re probably thinking, “Where are all these funds going?” You know, you are really asking all the right questions today! Although, the answer to this one is: It depends.

Many large agencies adhere to the “waterfall” development process. This basically means they will deliver on your original specifications after farming out much of the work to the lowest-common bidder. In contrast, many mid-sized agencies employ the “agile” development process. Agile software development is a methodology in which requirements and their solutions evolve through collaboration between a self-organized, cross-functional team and the customer.

Essentially, you get a more personal, hands-on approach and specialized expertise when you work with a team like this. What does this team look like? A versatile mobile app development team includes the following key players:

• UX/UI Designers: They create all of the visual content and imagery that will be coded into your app.
• Front-End Developers & Back-End Engineers: They optimize your product’s functionality for Android and iPhone devices.
• Product Managers: They oversee the app building process. Think of them as the director.
• Account Managers: They act as the liaison between the team and clients to ensure coordination is smooth.

This may sound like a lot of horsepower. But it takes a talented, coordinated team to create and launch a successful digital product in the competitive, overcrowded app marketplace.

We Have Liftoff!

So let’s say you’ve gone through the process with an awesome app development team as your partner, and you’re just about ready for launch. Congratulations! You’ve probably put in an incredible amount of hard work by this point.

But you can’t rest on your laurels just yet. You still have launch, marketing, and maintenance to attend to! We’ve already discussed maintenance in the first entry of this series, so let’s turn our attention to the other two.

A poorly structured launch and marketing plan will only serve to bring down your product before it can ever take off in the market. If your app development team is experienced, they’ll know the nuances between submitting to Apple’s App Store and Google Play. It really is an art form in itself.

Google Play submissions are usually available to the general public mere hours after submittal. On the other hand, Apple’s App Store can take upwards of 10 business days to approve (or reject) your app. Besides this longer review period, 30% of App Store submissions get rejected.

This can usually be chalked up to issues that could have been addressed beforehand. But rejections do happen due to other cases. Don’t fret; just take the feedback in stride and implement the recommendations and suggestions that the reviewers give. It will help you become a stronger contender in your niche when your app finally arrives in the market.

Alongside this, it’s important that you prepare all marketing material, graphics, and app assets so that you’re ready for public launch. We work closely with all of our clients to ensure that everything’s set to go when your app is ready to launch.

Ready to Get Started?

Regardless of whether you go with a mid-sized app developer in L.A. or a major agency in NYC, it’s important to remember that all apps that succeed on a large scale have three common factors: they start small, they have a detailed strategy, and they have passionate founders behind the product.

The sky is the limit for what’s possible with mobile app development. The first step takes incredible courage and investment, but the rewards can be well worth it.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series. if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out for a free consultation!

This year I started attending Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management (OPM) program. On my first day there, I didn’t know what to expect. Little did I know, this life event wasn’t only an opportunity to innovate with talented business leaders from around the world — it was a chance to step back from my day-in-day-out role at Dogtown Media, a mobile app development company, and examine my situation from a holistic perspective.

About the Program

Running a company is an all-encompassing endeavor that often leaves you with little time for personal growth. Fortunately, the folks at Harvard knew this; that’s why they established the OPM program more than 40 years ago. The program is designed to help business leaders realize their true potential.

“Through a unique and intensive learning format, OPM enables you to assess your strengths and weaknesses, identify and exploit emerging opportunities, and transform your company and your career.” According to Harvard University..

My class consisted of 160 founders and entrepreneurs from 41 different countries. Industries ranged from finance and marketing to tech, healthcare, and manufacturing. But regardless of our differences, we had one objective uniting us: to improve ourselves so we could improve our respective businesses.

Here are my 5 top takeaways from the program:

1. Cultivating Company Culture Is Crucial

Company culture can feel like a subtle aspect of your organization. But it’s integral to how your team operates. The OPM program strongly stressed the importance of examining and investing in your company culture. After all, its effects cascade through every other facet of your business.

To start this process yourself, begin with “Why?” Why is your company doing what it’s doing? Why would anyone want to join your team? Why should they care about your vision? Why do you care about your mission?

Don’t underestimate the power of “Why?” Your team is everything. The most important investment any business makes is in its people. And if you can answer “Why?” succinctly, everything else about company culture falls into place.  

Your team will understand why you exist and why you do what you do. This insight produces a vision that everyone can share. It allows you to move forward toward that vision, together.

2. Get Back to the Basics of Business

At first glance, it may seem counter-intuitive to gather business pioneers together to discuss the basic of business. But in retrospect, it makes sense — your fundamentals are your foundation. They are the building blocks for a better business.

Ask yourself, what business are you in? Who are your clients? Who are your competitors? Do you know why your clients choose you over your competitors? What about the inverse: why do you lose business to your competitors?

Digging deep into these questions yield unparalleled insight into your overall strategy. And this is the first step to making a shift to win more business. You start realizing the nuances of how your company differentiates itself and what you’re doing better or worse than competitors.

In turn, this enables you to become more customer-centric by aligning your long-term vision with the people you want to do business with. Speaking of alignment…

3. Align Your Finances With Your Vision of the Future

Is your business growing how you thought it would? Are you planning to execute a growth strategy soon, or are you content with where you’re at? And if you are intent on expanding, how will this affect pricing, cost control, cash flow, and numerous other aspects of your operations?

At the end of the day, business really isn’t all about your bottom line — it’s about how you use it to catapult yourself toward the future you envision. Ensure your strategy going forward is financially aligned with your fundamentals.

It’s not as simple as always having more cash flowing in than out. When you’re getting ready for growth, you must pay special attention to how you’re utilizing your current finances; it’s the only way to retain a great return on investment.

4. Know When to Hold on and When to Let Go

Are your duties discretely defined? Or are the lines blurred? When you’re growing a business, delegation becomes of paramount importance. Unfortunately, it’s a fact that many entrepreneurs have trouble accepting.

If you’re in charge of guiding a team towards success, you can’t be held back by the day-to-day grind. You’ve already got a vision, culture, and strategy to worry about. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Make sure you’re not biting off more than you can chew. This not only impedes progress but could actually be detrimental as well.

You’ve spent an inordinate amount of time gathering together your team. You know you’ve got the right people in the right places to make something special happen. So trust them. Empower your team to execute upon the strategy you’ve planned together.

5. You Don’t Have All the Answers. And That’s Okay.

This was my favorite insight to learn (and the hardest one to stomach). When you’re leading your business, you want to believe in yourself. You want to have all the right answers. After all, you’re often dealing with an onslaught of obstacles. So it makes sense that you’d want to trust in your abilities to handle them.

I came into the OPM program seeking answers to a plethora of questions. I wanted to learn from brilliant minds like Larry Culp, who, less than a week after the program’s end, went on to become the next CEO of General Electric.

And sure enough, I got answers. But not the ones I anticipated. As in other areas of life, business success depends on adaptability. And true adaptability begins with acceptance of the fact that you don’t have all the answers.

That’s okay. You don’t need all the answers right now. In life, we’re often faced with less-than-ideal situations where we don’t have all the information we think we need. But that doesn’t need to stop you from moving forward. You can figure out a way to move past each obstacle, no matter how insurmountable it seems. Just take it one step at a time.

Always Stay a Student

While this was my first day back to school in a while, it certainly won’t be my last. The lessons I learned at Harvard’s OPM program have given me an exceptional outlook on my role at Dogtown Media and how I can improve as a leader.

But above all else, this remains the most important insight:

Never stop learning.

Siri is steadily becoming more prominent each day, meaning iPhone app developers will want to keep Siri in mind when developing their apps. By doing so, developers can potentially increase their app’s retention and discoverability. Two ways of doing this are through Siri Shortcuts and deep linking.

1. Siri Shortcuts & SiriKit
2. Deep Linking
3. Getting Started with Siri Shortcuts & Deep Linking

Siri Shortcuts & SiriKit

Included in the iOS 12 release was Siri Shortcuts, which gives users the ability to create custom Siri voice commands. Siri Shortcuts present a slew of new opportunities for developers that can lead to increased retention, usage and rediscovery. With Siri Shortcuts, users can speed up common tasks like searching for music, booking an Uber and ordering a custom Starbucks coffee.

Using SiriKit, developers can build an extension within their app that integrates with the Shortcuts App, enabling custom shortcut capabilities. This is key for developers, as shortcuts increase ease of app usage and creates an overall better user experience. If they receive an improved experience, users are more likely to continue using an app. Finally, once a shortcut is enabled, users have the ability to quickly and constantly come back to the app by simply saying “Hey Siri…”

By integrating SiriKit and enabling Siri Shortcuts, developers can strengthen their app’s use. In addition to using Siri to grow an app’s usage, developers can also work with Siri to increase their app’s discoverability through deep linking.

Deep Linking, Spotlight Search & App Packs

Deep linking is the process of specifying keywords within an app’s content. When users are searching via Siri Search Suggestions (Spotlight), links to relevant apps appear. For example, searching “coupon” yields apps that are targeting “coupon” in their build. Apps already installed on users’ phones containing relevant deep linked keywords appear as well.

In addition to this, deep linked apps can also appear in Google Search within App Packs, which is a content block containing apps relevant to the search query in Google’s online search results.

This is important to note because when users are searching via Siri, it provides both an opportunity to discover and rediscover your app. To ensure that developers are maximizing their discoverability potential and App Store Optimization strategy, deep linking is highly recommended.

Getting Started with Siri Shortcuts & Deep Linking

As Siri becomes further prominent in the Apple ecosystem, so will it in users’ lives. It is important that developers take this into consideration when developing their apps, as Siri can potentially increase app discoverability and usage. With Siri Shortcuts, developers are able to create extensions that make their app’s functions easier to navigate via Siri. Additionally, by deep linking searchable keywords in an app’s build, they are made easier to discover via Siri. Overall, iOS 12 and Apple present new methods for developers to create better experiences for their users. By taking advantage of Siri’s integration, developers will be increasing their user retention and discoverability.

For information on how Dogtown Media can help with designing and developing your app, talk with their mobile app development team. To learn more about app store optimization and Gummicube visit https://www.gummicube.com.

In this fourth and final feature of our special series about Apple’s broadest iOS update yet, we’ll talk about why enterprises everywhere should update to iOS 12.

Why Does it Matter?

Apple’s iOS 12 update is coming to 23 Apple devices, making it the most backward-compatible upgrade yet. This means you’ll be able to reach more users than ever before. Updating to the newest API and removing deprecated code will make your app bug-free and faster.

If you still haven’t updated from iOS 10 to iOS 11, your app may not work anymore when iOS 12 rolls around. iOS 11 required an update from 32-bit to 64-bit apps, and if you put this on hold, you can’t afford to wait any longer! Any app still running on iOS 10 code desperately needs a codebase update, and it will certainly eventually lead to user count stagnating or decreasing.

Keeping code quality optimized and up-to-date with industry and Apple standards is the best measure your enterprise can take to remain trustworthy to consumers. Keep your initial investment working for you; update your app’s code ASAP to avoid Apple threatening to retire your app.

If your app uses augmented reality, machine learning, or artificial intelligence, you’ll especially want to upgrade your codebase because Apple is giving those development toolkits some serious revamping.

Users Adopt Quickly

Users take only a few months to reach high adoption rates for the newest iOS version, so updating your app to comply with iOS 12 code will avoid any hiccups and keep things running smoothly. For example, here are Apple’s official stats of iOS distributions in December 2017:

And here it is again in May 2018:

In less than half a year, the number of iOS 11 users grew by nearly 25%!

In 2016, of 300 IT professionals interviewed, 91% said their organization is using Macs, and 99% said their organization uses iPhones or iPads. In Q1 of 2017, 72% of all enterprise smartphones activated were iPhones, and iPads were activated in 81% of all enterprise tablet activations.

Apple’s reach is undoubtedly huge across consumers and enterprises alike, and you’ll increase your app’s reach when you take care to upgrade to iOS 12.

Maintenance Is Better Than Repair!

Prioritize maintenance over repair; don’t let your app have any downtime, risking user loss or customer frustration. It’s a similar situation to car maintenance. If you don’t update to iOS 12, will your car still run? Probably. But will it run with the highest efficiency and performance? Definitely not. And it will eventually stop working if it’s not taken care of!

If you wouldn’t skimp out on improving operations, updating cybersecurity protocols, or investing in salesmen, why miss a huge opportunity to grow your user base, reach more consumers, and deliver a superior user experience?

Don’t fall behind. Business is all about adaptability. We want you to be more than ready when September rolls around. Reach out to Dogtown Media today through this link for a free tech consultation! Our main iPhone app development HQ is in Los Angeles, but we’ve got offices in NYC, Toronto, Dallas, and even London — wherever you are, let’s make your app dreams come true by partnering with one of the top enterprise software development companies worldwide!

Want to know how to update your app to iOS 12? Click here for a Free Consultation.