Each week, we hear from one of the Sonin team about what gadgets, tech news or mobile stories they’re excited about. As well as the latest projects they’ve been working on. In the first few weeks already, we’ve covered a wide range of topics, from emerging technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) to industry insights like finance app encryption. This month, we spoke to our mobile developer Elena, our <mobile developer Manj and our web developer Leon.

To get the latest in the ThursdayThoughts series, you can follow us on Twitter at @soninapps. But we’ll also be doing a monthly roundup here on the Sonin Industry Insights blog. To get the best of our insights straight to your inbox, subscribe to the Sonin newsletter. Here are the quick links to this month’s ThursdayThoughts:

This page was last updated on 25/05/2018

Weekly Mobile and Tech Insights from the Sonin Team

Elena – iOS Developer

“I’ve never listened to so much music since getting the HomePod! The sound quality is one reason but definitely not the only. Having an assistant for those little repetitive tasks like checking the weather forecast, setting a timer when I cook or sending a text is super handy. The HomePod uses Siri to interact with its environment and the sweet part is that it does this without me having to shout or lock myself in a silent space.

Despite Apple being the first to work on a voice assistant, though, it’s clear Siri can’t compete with Alexa or Google Assistant just yet. But with iOS 11 and SiriKit especially, Apple has shown they’re eager to change! And I’m looking forward to what’s next for the Homepod with multiple language handling as the first stop. Because it’s a disaster every time I want to play a song with a French title!”

Manj – Mobile Developer

“Security is always my topmost priority for every project. Especially at the moment, since I’m working on several different financial and user-data-sensitive apps.

In my opinion, app security should be dealt not only in-device but throughout the entire ecosystem including the network, extensions and key internet services. I mainly focus on system security i.e. integration of services, hardware and software on iOS devices. This way, I can ensure that each component is trusted as part of the system as a whole. By using Apple’s core APIs and the best approach to integrate different frameworks, we can prevent unauthorised access.

Thanks to my research into mobile data encryption and file protection, I’ve been able to secure the core-data and other important files, using keychain and an extra layer of encryption. App security is always going to be a challenge, but by keeping up-to-date with technology, I can continue delivering the best possible products for the users.”

Leon – Web Developer

“One of the things that is really important for me as a developer is staying on top of the tech I use to develop with. By this of course I mean joining in online discussions, on Github or Stackoverflow, about problems other developers have with their code to either help them out or to simply learn new ways of approaching a certain task that many of us find ourselves doing at one point in time.

If I’m not joining online discussions, then I make sure that I’m making use of the many tutorials from around the web.”

Alex – Mobile Developer

“As a developer, there is a vast array of tools I can leverage to assist with different parts of the development cycle. One of my favourite tools at the moment to use is Postman which is used for API development. It allows me to create complete API libraries and quickly distribute the documentation about the API with the team.”

Recent Posts from Sonin App Development

We bring you the latest mobile and technology news on our Sonin Mobile Insights Blog, here are some featured articles from May 2018:

App vs Web: Why you should develop a mobile app Developing a mobile app just for the sake of it won’t provide you with an ROI. But understanding exactly what your users need to achieve helps you to prove the value an app can bring to your business. But this also often means completely new competition from app-first companies.

Minimum Desirable Product (MDP) Approach for App Development At this point, it’s been ingrained in many of our brains that the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is best practice for new products. After all, it ticks all your business requirements. But what about your users? In today’s digital world, who wants the minimum any more?

Android Instant Apps: What Do They Mean for Your Business? Instant Apps are all about helping your users get their tasks done ASAP. By giving your users access to the features they want the most, straight away. So, how you can take advantage of them to enhance your user experience, encourage engagement or boost business performance?

What is Android Jetpack? And what does it mean for app development? Since Google I/O, our Android team have been busy playing with all the new features and releases. One of which is improved functionality for Android Jetpack. Our Android developer Martha explains what Jetpack means for us and our clients.

Every month, we send out articles like these in our Sonin Newsletter. Sign up now to make sure you get the latest insights in an industry where no two months are the same.