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Machine Learning for iOS App Development

With mankind generating an extensive amount of data with literally every passing minute, it only made sense that the need for a tool to help us leverage this goldmine was felt. And then came along with artificial intelligence and machine learning. It enables unprecedented change and growth in all aspects. Of course, machine learning has made inroads into the world of mobile apps and their developments, considering just how vital it is to businesses' daily functioning. The impact has been especially pronounced when it comes to iOS app development; for starters, machine learning has greatly eased the development process of much smarter and far more capable apps.

black iphone 5 on brown wooden table

Don't worry; it has a world of benefits to offer for businesses that develop and bring these apps to the market. The fact that machine learning has aided developers' and experts' efforts to identify quicker and more efficient means to build iOS mobile apps. This advanced technology has also helped companies better understand their users, i.e., their usage patterns, their requirements, their demands, and plenty of other such factors. This knowledge is invaluable for creating apps that are primed to deliver high-quality experiences to users.

Suffice it to say that plenty more machine learning brings to the table when it comes to iOS app development. Some of these benefits have been discussed in detail below.

1. Better search capabilities: One of the most common uses of mobile devices is, of course, looking things up on the internet. To "Google it", if you will. But to enable significant search capabilities, especially as technologies continue to evolve, can be challenging — but not with machine learning. Of course, there's that bit about it being able to deal with a staggering amount of data relatively quickly. But what sets it apart is that it helps deliver personalized results since it empowers apps to understand better customers' patterns, location and more to deliver results.

2. Prevent fraud: Today, most mobile app users frequently use apps to execute transactions, send money, make payments, etc. This means sharing and storing sensitive data on these apps. It is a top priority to ensure that fraudsters cannot gain access to such information. Machine learning helps in this regard by learning and understanding patterns and then sending alerts whenever a deviation is detected. So, say, if an unauthorized person attempts to execute a transaction, systems enforced with machine-learning can better recognize such attempts and raise red flags accordingly.

3. Better quality of predictive analytics: Any business that intends to survive and thrive in the cut-throat market must leverage predictive analytics. Machine learning helps in this regard by assisting companies to gain a much deeper understanding of all factors that affect their businesses. Then, with access to all the customer data and external factors that affect the business, such as market trends, the system can make substantially more informed predictions, analysis, and recommendations.

Machine learning may seem like a complicated endeavor on the outset. However, any seeming hiccups are far outweighed by the benefits it has to offer. Plus, with the assistance of a qualified service provider for iphone application development, integrating ML can be rendered seamless.

5 Tips To Ensure Robust Security Of Your Mobile App

The increasing usage of mobile apps has opened up many opportunities for enterprises. But along with the opportunities come inherent security risks that the enterprises should never overlook or underestimate. Gartner predicts that "By 2017, 75% of mobile security breaches will result from mobile app misconfiguration.

Considering the consequences of security attacks, developers must take right measures to defend their applications against them. As no mobile device or operating system offers complete safety, a single mistake can result in critical data leakage, which can even bring down a business in no time. So, go through the following tips to prepare your mobile app for the evolving mobile app threats on the horizon.



Tips To Safeguard Apps From Mobile Security Threats:

  1. Encrypt your Source Code:
Bugs and vulnerabilities within your mobile app’s source code may lead to a security attack. With the help of malicious code, attackers often repackage the ‘Popular Apps’ into ‘Rogue Apps’ and then publish them. This can ultimately infect a million devices at any given time. This is why encrypting your app source code is important. If your application is built on a language which is easy to read, obfuscate it to make it difficult for attackers to read or interpret. However, encrypting it will assure that your source code remains inaccessible. In case of iOS, Apple already provides built-in encryption for building custom iOS application. But you can even implement other available encryption techniques in iOS to encrypt the user data.

  1. Understand Platform Specific Limitations:
If you are developing an app to work on multiple mobile operating systems, make sure you understand security features and restrictions specific to each platform. Consider various use case scenarios, password support, encryption support, and geo-location support for each operating system to control and distribute your app on the chosen platforms appropriately.

  1. Make Provisions for Data Security:
When an application accesses the confidential data of an enterprise, the unstructured information is usually stored in the device storage. Use mobile data encryption to effectively secure the data in the storage with SQLite Database Encryption Modules or file-level encryption across multiple mobile operating systems.

  1. Secure the Backend:
Most of the backend APIs (Application Programming Interface) assume that an app which has been written to access it can only interact with it. But to safeguard the app against malicious attacks, backend servers must have security measures in place. However, as API authentication and transport mechanisms differ from platform-to-platform, you must ensure that all the APIs are verified on the basis of the operating systems you choose to code for.

  1. Perform In-depth QA & Security Check:
Before deploying your application, test it against the randomly generated security scenarios. You can even take help of a hacker to identify the security backdoors within your application. Microsoft and Google put up Hackathons where hundreds and thousands of hackers participate and find out the security issues in an application for a prize money. But if you develop apps independently, you must go through the documentation in detail and if required seek help from an outsider to find out the hidden backdoors within your app.

Implementing these tips can secure your app against mobile malware and lead to end-user satisfaction driving better business prospects for you. What techniques do you implement to secure your mobile app? Share with us using the comment box below.