The number of applications that users install on their phones has decreased significantly over the past few years. Whereas users used to need to install a host of different applications, now they only need to install a small set of essential applications.
There are many reasons that led to this point, starting with the difference in the nature of users compared to the past and their orientations, as the current generation tends to be more inclined towards simplicity in using applications.
Smartphone manufacturers and those responsible for developing operating systems are also working hard to offer new products and innovations that further captivate users within their integrated software systems.
Companies usually do this by acquiring small external companies that users frequently turn to, or even by developing competing internal systems and software for their devices.
Integrating external applications into the operating system
Data from Sensor Tower, a website that tracks mobile app installations, indicates a clear difference between apps installed on users' devices today and apps that were installed years ago.
While AI and e-commerce apps dominate the lists of most installed apps in various stores, this was not the case several years ago when users installed basic apps for use such as advanced calculators, file management apps, and even apps that turned on the phone's flashlight as a light source, according to a report published by Android Authority in 2018.
But all or most of these services have become an integral part of the operating systems in the phone, and even iPhones have gained a better lighting control tool than previous generations.
The same applies to many different applications and features that you previously needed an external application to be able to take advantage of.
Samsung is killing personalization apps.
Perhaps the most obvious example of systems and companies that have killed small applications is what Samsung did with the Good Lock application.
Through this application, the company was able to eliminate a large category of applications that allowed users to customize the Android interface and system to suit them.
This includes the Nova Launcher app, which first appeared in 2011 and remained widely used until recent years when Samsung introduced the Good Lock feature, which allows for extensive and official phone customization by the company, according to a report from 9to5Google.
The "Good Lock" feature allows you to easily download and install external icon packs on your phone, with the ability to customize the phone's interface, change its colors, and change the lock screen's appearance – all features you would have needed an app like "Nova" to provide.
Goodbye to external calculators
Anyone who has used a smartphone in the past knows that the calculator apps that companies used to develop were not of the required quality and did not offer as many options as third-party apps.
However, recent years have seen a significant development in calculator applications, especially with Apple systems and iPhones.
iPhone is open in the calculator application and lies on the money. Cash in euros for payment or exchange. A man calculates his salary in euro banknotes
Apple introduced an update several years ago that made the calculator more powerful than before, enabling it to convert between different units, even convert currencies and perform complex calculations, instead of the simple interface that forced users to install external applications.
