Let’s get one thing straight – smartphones and apps aren't just for consumers. Professional organisations, including police, fire fighters and paramedics, are using apps.
But which apps are they using and what would they like to use more of?
The second Airbus Mobile App Survey provides some of the answers.
As with last year, it was no surprise that messaging was again most popular with the 129 people who responded – it’s being used daily by 44% of respondents. Internet services such as searching and social media are being used by around 35% of respondents.
Meanwhile, multimedia sharing of content, such as videos and images, was being used by almost one in three of the respondents. This is no surprise either, as when it comes to accessories, still and video cameras were the most popular, with around 38% of respondents using them.
Yet, take a look at the situation in 2017 – when the annual professional apps survey asked about the apps in use, only three people mentioned video. You can see this for yourself if you download the Mobile Apps Survey report 2017:
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You may be interested in the latest survey results. Download the report: Professional app trends 2022.
Where are the apps that let users easily shoot, store and share video? Connecting and integrating video feeds from bodycams, vehicle mounted cameras, phone cameras, drones and CCTV, it could give despatchers and mission commanders a complete picture of an event incident, putting them on the spot remotely like never before.
This could be a gap in the market, a ripe opportunity for developers who can offer effective apps that can help organisations take advantage of the benefits of video.
Or if apps like this do exist, why are they not more widely used by all those professionals linking video cameras to their rugged phones?
Apart from the features, what are people looking for in an app?
As last year, we asked, what are the stand-out characteristics of mobile apps that professional users value the most? The results are:
- Security and ownership of data - control in own hands 65% (56% last year)
- High reliability and availability of the service 63% (54% last year)
- Easy to use 59% (50% last year)
- Solutions integrated with command and control rooms 34% (46% last year)
Professional users clearly value security and ownership of data, a requirement often not fulfilled by apps. Respondents are also ready to change their priorities - integration with command and control is losing ground while ease of use is gaining in importance.
Added to the original blog post on 28 Apr 2022: You can also download the report from 2022 - "Professional app trends 2022 - 37 things you wish you'd known earlier"
