A mobile app is a software application specifically designed for use on small, wireless computing devices, such as smartphones and tablets, rather than desktop or laptop computers.

They turn mobile devices into miniature powerhouses of function and fun. Some devices come preloaded with some mobile apps courtesy of their manufacturers or the mobile service providers with which they’re associated (for example, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.), but many more apps are available through device-specific app stores. For example, mobile apps for the iPad are supported by Apple’s iOS, but not Google’s Android. An Apple app can’t run on an Android phone, and vice versa. Often, developers create a version for each; for example, a mobile app in the Apple Store might have a counterpart in Google Play.

Many mobile apps have corresponding programs meant to run on desktop computers. Mobile apps have to work with different constraints than their desktop equivalents, however. Mobile devices have a wide range of screen sizes, memory capacities, processor capabilities, graphical interfaces, buttons, and touch functions, and developers must accommodate them all.

The beauty of these apps is that once they’re a part of a user’s lifestyle repertoire, they’re likely there for good. These are the apps that people turn to on a daily basis to help them find the next new song, restaurant, or destination. They’re the apps that help them find themselves, what they like and dislike, and where they’re heading next.

Utilities are the types of mobile apps that we may use most often without thinking about them as apps. Many of them come pre-installed on your device and serve a single function. The gaming and entertainment category are huge, and as such, very competitive. Games are one of the more obvious mobile app categories and need little explanation. While productivity may sound like one of the more boring types of mobile apps, it’s an incredibly popular category.As such, there is a wide variety of apps that fit into an increasingly vast array of categories. How many categories, you ask?