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​The banking industry has grown leaps and bounds in terms of making their services digitally available. This not only makes the banking process efficient but also very convenient for their customers. Along with all these benefits, there are also times when the banks face threats such as online banking fraud. But due to the increased demand in mobile apps for banking facilities, there are ways in which mobile apps are being more flexible and proactive in their customer’s life.  

Digitalized banking services are no longer an option but an essential function of the bank. It is a revenue generator, cost saver and a productive play. Let’s take a look at how the rise of mobile banking is shaping the banking industry.

Rise of Mobile Banking in Canada
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Mobile banking started a long time ago, but the customers started to use mobile banking gradually. For instance, in Canada except their financial providers to deliver the customer experience value at the same time as other mobile app services. Even though their expectations are really high, all the banks are trying their best to satisfy their customers by offering the bank’s digital experience.
Let’s take a look at the statistics of mobile banking users in Canada; as per the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA):

• 398 million mobile banking transactions were recorded in the top six Canadian banks in 2017.
• 90% of Canadians believe that digital banking or mobile banking is more convenient and efficient.
• There is a 26% rise in mobile banking in Canada.
• 17% of customers claim to be ‘digital-only’ customers, i.e. they do not visit the branch in person at all.

Source: https://www.cba.ca/fast-facts-the-canadian-banking-system
Some more statistics offered by the Canadian retail bank are as follows:

​Advantages of Mobile Banking

Mobile Payments are more important than ever. The number of banking app transactions is going up by 57% with more than 30 customer transactions every second.
There are more tasks performed by customers with time. They now have access to savings, credit cards and mortgage/investment accounts.
The number of times the customer visits the bank branches have reduced to almost half since the rise of mobile banking services.

Setbacks of Mobile Banking
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One of the greatest setbacks of mobile banking is the security breach. Customers who wish to adopt mobile banking are a little wary because a breach in data or software could lead to a leak of their financial data in the wrong hands. Due to this reason, many customers do not find safe inputting their bank details on their smartphones.
This setback is being handled by all banks. They are ensuring that the best security system has been updated. They are vigilant about their customer’s account 24*7. They have invested more than 80 million dollars towards security systems.
Aside from the security setback, the customers should be able to access their bank details on various platforms, i.e. the iOS, Android and Microsoft. This will give mobile banking true flexibility and deliver optimum customer experience.
Further, mobile banking has to keep in trend of the different digital innovations and platforms. One of them includes, Blockchain. 
Even though customers are able to check their account balances, book FDs, perform transfers, receive notification, etc., mobile banking needs to create a more hyper personalised customer journeys. 

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Ways to Improve Mobile Banking
Banks need to constantly come up with mobile banking strategies to promote it and encourage customers to use it. They need to level with the current trends, and step up the game or they will be lost in the current market competition.

Plan the future: Now that most of the banking systems have invested in security, it is time that they look into the future of banking. They need to look at a long term vision and embrace new technologies and platforms like Blockchain and integrate them in mobile banking.

Customer-focused solutions: FinTech start-ups are successful because they find the customer’s pain point and eliminate it. The ‘digital customers’ expect the bank to stay in sync with the current trends and continue to evolve with the growing market. The key to customer-focus solutions is personalization, i.e. targeting offerings.

Partnering and Collaborating: If Banks needs to keep in line with the technological advances in the market, they need to rethink their processes, partnership and collaboration. Keeping mutually beneficial partnerships and other forms of investment with FinTech companies could be largely beneficial for mobile banking.
The best strategy that they can adopt is to partner with experts in the mobile app development space to help transform organizational thinking and get products to market as internal operations transition.

A few key points to keep in mind are:

• Addressing customers’ financial needs rather than focusing on product profits and loss.
• Finding ways to solve the customer’s problems and eliminating them.
• Placing the customer in the centre of all the operations that need to be conducted
• Ensuring that the customer benefits as much as the bank by introducing mobile banking services

Ideally speaking, the bank’s business model should be based on principles of customer centricity, transparency, fairness and ease of use.
To create a mobile app or strategies for mobile banking, you can contact the App Scoop mobile app developers: https://app-scoop.com/contact-us.html
 

​Once you have thought of an idea for your app, the next thing that pops up in your head is, “What is it going to cost me to develop this app?” The cost of your app is going to be dependent on the project size and its technical complexity. 

Project Scope

There are generally three categories of apps: small, medium and large apps.
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Small Apps are typically:

• Built for a single platform
• Have limited functionality
• Have fewer screens

They ideally do not require a login or a user authentication. For example, a weather application comes under the category of small apps. 

Medium Apps are typically:

• Either a single platform with more features and user flows or
• Two platforms with less complex functionalities

For example, Netflix would be a medium app.

Large Apps are typically:  

• Complex
• Require a lot of backend development
• Offer more features

For example, e-commerce platforms such as Uber, an app that require separate interfaces for employees and customers.

Platform
The two most commonly used platforms to make apps are iOS and Android. If you wish to increase the app’s popularity, the best advice is to make it available on both these platforms. But with that choice, the cost of building the app also increases.
Tip: The most cost effective method is to build a multi-platform app that only requires minimum changes to get adapted on either platform.

Device
It may not strike you as a huge factor affecting the cost, but devices also play a huge role while budgeting for an app. For instance, if you need to make an app for old devices with older operating systems, then the time to develop will increase, thereby increasing the cost of production and resources. On the other hand, if you are building apps for smart devices such as smart phones, smart TVs, tablets, etc. it will be much cheaper and faster.
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Backend Infrastructure
Backend infrastructure includes things like user authentication, business integrations such as booking appointments, any notifications, messages, etc. There are two options when it comes to building a backend infrastructure for an application:

1. Purchase an existing app infrastructure and modify it to suit your app.
2. Build a backend infrastructure from scratch.

If you are going to purchase an existing backend infrastructure, and only modify it according to your needs, then the costs to build your app will be much cheaper. The only drawback is that the modifications will be limited. You will not have the authority to make any kind of changes and if any changes are required, you will need to depend upon the original app developers to make them.
The second option, i.e. building a backend infrastructure from scratch will definitely cost more, in terms of cost and resources. But the advantage here is that the system will be completely under your control. Any changes that need to be done as per the market demand can be handled by the backend team. This also makes it an exclusive app in the market, thereby, increasing its probability to scaling new heights in the app world. 

Content Management System
The most important costing that you must consider for your app has to be the Content Management Systems (CMS). This includes content for app settings, menu details, images and text content. 

Marketing Your App
Marketing is what makes or breaks your app. In today’s competitive world, it is imperative to invest in marketing the application correctly. If your end user, isn’t aware of your app, its functions or its USPs then the app is not going to be a success.
Some other reasons that the app could fail include lack of product definition or market viability, a lack of a clear business, monetization, or marketing strategy, or simply because there isn’t a strong product release plan set in place.
Running an awareness of the app is necessary from the time the app is in progress. This includes sending out teasers, early pages to sign up, press kits, marketing on social media channels, paid advertising, through website or landing pages and blog content.
Marketing is also an on-going project; hence, you must consider the same in costing. A yearly marketing strategy would help you gauge the costing for marketing on your app. Some of the factors that you need to consider are marketing for driving downloads, user acquisition and keeping the user retention rate high.

Post Maintenance Cost
Once the app has been rolled out in the market, you must consider the post maintenance cost of the app – i.e. supporting and sustaining the app. For this, you will need to invest in business functions such as IT, engineering, marketing and sales.
IT and engineering play an important role while budgeting the post maintenance cost. The backend needs to be constantly updated and the app needs to go through upgrades to add more features and fix issues/bugs that are logged by the users. If you have purchased a third party app, even then you will need resources to be involved and also pay them the post maintenance cost.
A long-term product vision that accounts for user demands, roll out product improvements or new features, and remain relevant in an increasingly competitive market are things that you need to remember even while developing an app. Many companies don’t account for this in their initial budgeting plans; however, it’s critical that you forecast the six month, 1-year, and even 2-year costs associated with maintaining and improving your product.

Conclusion
A long term strategy with a product roadmap and a phase-wise approach will give you an idea of the resources required pre, during and post the application is developed. The following checklist should help you budget your app correctly:

• Knowing the right distinction between the apps and websites and understanding the requirements of an app correctly
• Paying attention to the costs involved in backend development and infrastructure needs
• Ensuring that you consider the cross department involvement that is required for delivery and on-going success
• Taking into account the marketing budget to promote and educate customers about the mobile application
• Updating the app as per user feedback and post launch of the app

​To understand the costs involved while getting your app developed, you can contact the App Scoop development team: https://app-scoop.com/contact-us.html

The new features on the iPhone are supported with the new iOS 12 software. iOS 12 is designed to make the iPhone and iPad experience even faster, more responsive and more delightful.
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Performance
 
iOS has been enhanced for a faster and more responsive experience all around. Common features, like launching Camera and typing with the keyboard happen faster than ever. And there are even more significant improvements when multiple apps are being used together.

Face Time & Camera Effects
 
FaceTime now supports video calls with up to 32 people. This is a feature iPhone’s have been missing for a long time, and have lead to popular substitute app’s to be created.
Amongst businesses, Skype, Slack and Google Hangouts are used. For more casual conversations, apps like HouseParty have been created.
Now with the support for multi-person FaceTime conversation, these apps are at risk of becoming replaced. 

Memoji allows users to create their own personalized characters, much like the popular app BitMoji.
There are new Animoji animals as well as support for more intricate face actions like winking.
iMessage now supports the quick use of features like Animoji, Memoji, stickers, snapshots from camera, and text effects. ​

Augmented Reality for iOS
 
With the new A12 bionic chips, Augmented Reality is going to be more popular than ever. Apple has been promoting their AR Kit for development purposes to produce more applications that iPhone users can benefit from. 

Work

GE has developed an application that enables service workers to visualize industrial equipment and repair it with greater efficiency

​Home

AR helps with the use of placing furniture to allow users to visualize how furniture looks in their house without actually purchasing it.

Navigation

American Airlines has created an app that overlays real-time information on an iPhone surroundings at airport terminals using the camera. It helps users effortlessly find coffee, restrooms, restaurants, shops, and the departing gate.

Education

Children can see a detailed breakdown of bodies, animals, and other objects to see how they look in three dimensions right in front of their eyes.
They can also model real life geographical models to explore new areas and see them as if they were standing right there. 

Games
 
The mobile gaming industry is growing at an extremely fast rate, and with improvements in the iPhone processor and iOS, playing with AR is now easier than ever. One major issue with AR has always been that the as take up a lot of battery percentage, however, with the development of ARKit2, apps are now more efficient and use phone energy more efficiently. Apple also allows AR games to be played in multiplayer, allowing two different devices to see the same view of the game from different perspectives. 

Shortcuts

With mobile assistants like Siri becoming more popular each day, it is important to keep them easy to use while also ensuring they perform complex tasks with simple commands. Apple has managed to achieve exactly this with the creation of the shortcuts application on iOS 12. Users can see suggested custom shortcuts such as “play my pop playlist on Spotify” or they can create completely custom ones such as “provide me with transit directions home”. The actions followed can be set by the user, and can span across multiple applications, allowing you to perform complex tasks like creating multiple calendar invites and messaging and emailing each participant. After the specific actions are set, a custom voice action can be recorded in the users voice, letting Siri know when to activate that action. This adds another layer of customization and personalization to the application.
This is a large step in the right direction for Apple as people want to be more mindful about how long they spend on their devices, and also enforce strict quotas when required.

Screen Time
 
As mobile devices have more functionality, the amount of time each person uses them will increase.
Parents and other adults are worried about how much time they or their children spend on these devices, as it takes away from other real-life experiences.
Apple has is trying to solve this with the release of Screen Time, where users can see detailed statistics of how long they can use an application.
There are also limits that can be set for specific applications of categories, allowing users to limit their usage of their device.
 
Conclusion
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Apple’s new software update provides a variety of new updates to iPhone users. While some of the features like CoreML and improved performance may not be directly noticeable, features like screen time and shortcuts will definitely help iOS users. Developers are also more inclined to use these new technologies in apps as devices are now more optimized. 

​If you are going to invest in a mobile application project, there are going to be a few hiccups that you will face during the development phase. It depends on the project, the kind of risks that you may encounter while developing the app. There are five types of development risks that you could face: 

1. The risk of overshooting the budget that was planned during the initial stages of development. This could delay or at times even be the reason that application never makes it to the market.
2. The risk of losing or absence of human resources. If the team that is assigned is not punctual or take too many leaves, it results with the app being delayed which in return leaves a cascading effect on other factors such as time, budget and productivity.
3. The risk of limited knowledge exchange and miscommunication within the team. When certain app technicians do not want to share knowledge or the codes that they are working on, they create a knowledge vacuum which will affect the development of the app.
4. The risk of low productivity can be predicted in long term projects. When there are no deadline crunches, there is no urgency of work – this leads to the resources working on the app to not put in as much effort or work time as required.
5. The risk of overshooting deadlines due to lack of time management. This is ideally the result of poor planning, unrealistic timelines or inability of catching up with the changing product requirements. 

 
The agile methodology touches upon various risks. That said, there are a lot of instances where agile environments are not able to overcome these risk factors, mainly due to, mistakes made by team members, errors made in the planning stage and unexpected changes if the product evolves.
Let’s take a look at each software development risk and how it can be managed to mitigate delays, mistakes and other barriers to releasing a successful application.

Risk: Overshooting the Budget

Solution: Rolling Wave Plan

During the production of the app, you cannot be firm on the assumptions that you’ve made. This means that as the app development progresses, the objectives or the goals of the app may change or the product may need to pivot as per the market demands.
Rolling wave planning is the solution to this issue. Ideally, during the planning stage, the team makes basic product decisions at that particular time rather than making very detailed plans at the beginning of the project. Hence, the project can evolve at its own pace keeping into account the feedback received from various sources. This means that as per the new knowledge received, the product can be developed – saving time and resources required for re-planning.
The rolling wave planning hence, keeps the budget in check. Although, you must remember that it is absolutely essential to make a budgeting plan for the entire scope of the project. It is important to have a clear understanding of what the app is going to offer and the entire cost involved in supporting that functionality.

Risk: Losing or Absence of Human Resources and Limited Knowledge Exchange

Solution: Squad-based Development

A squad is a group of 10-12 people who are co-located teams that are involved in planning the app, sharing knowledge, completing code reviews and working together. This squad sticks together from the beginning of the project till the app is released in the market.
Squad based development eliminates the risk of knowledge silos as there is an open flow of knowledge. So even if a resource is absent or leaves the project, the other team member can take on the task, thus, avoiding the vacuum that gets created otherwise.

Risk: Low Productivity

Solution: Sprint Based Development

Scrum, as we know, is a specialised agile method that uses the term Sprint for its iterations. Basically, one development cycle in scrum is called a sprint. So, sprints are iterative development phases that are created to produce a demo version of the product within a particular timeframe, i.e. mostly two-three weeks.
This means that if there is a long term project, this method can avoid low productivity by giving the team members of the app a short term goal. This adds a sense of urgency, thereby, maintaining velocity by diving work into smaller and manageable tasks.

Risk: Overshooting Deadlines (Time)

Solution: Process

The risk of overshooting deadlines generally occurs if the team is constantly looking for “perfection”, gaps in the project management plan or a rigid development process. Keeping the process flexible is best way of dealing with time risk.
It is important that the team is flexible so that they can adapt to the changing needs of the product, complete each stage faster with a frequent delivery schedule and planning resources efficiently to ensure that the project does not surpass the deadline.

Conclusion

As the agile methodology is being widely used by most companies, its stance on risk management remains questionable in some companies/organisations. But in today’s time the agile methodology has come up with solutions for the risks in an app development project. These challenges are being found and integrated into agile methodologies and project practices.
If you need more information on how to handle development risks in an agile environment, you can contact the App-Scoop app developers. App-Scoop app development team can help you by managing risks that your app might encounter during the development process and help you curb them with appropriate solutions.
Contact app-scoop app developers- https://app-scoop.com/contact-us.html
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Recently, there has been an economic downturn in the mining industry, companies are looking to be as efficient as possible. This means there is a need for innovation to increase efficiency and lower operating costs. Companies are looking into various technologies that could help them improve their processes. 

Augmented Reality (AR) was identified as a technology, along with Virtual Reality to help solve this issue. Companies are looking to merge the real and virtual word, in a space called Mixed Reality (MR). All aspects of the real and virtual environments are encompassed in this MR, as pictured on the right.
 
While companies researched into Augmented Reality, they thought of conceptual applications of this technology in the mining environment. There was a great focus on applications that would optimize the mining process by reducing costs, improving efficiencies, increasing productivity, and enhancing safety. Another factor was how easily these technologies could be incorporated into current working environments such that there were minimal amount of human resistance and implementation costs. 

Augmented Reality in Drilling

​The accuracy and efficiency of drilling can be significantly increased through visual guidance assistance through AR. This visual technology can further be improved by displaying real-time location and orientation of the drill below the surface or the rock the machine is currently drilling.
Technologies such as low-frequency electro-magnetic location transmitting systems used in the oil and gas industry would allow for the exact location of the drill bit to be displayed. This would allow for a faster reaction and adjustment time by drill operators, allowing them to improve accuracy.
 
When AR is paired with other technologies such as directional drilling, which allows for control over the drill head during the drilling process, the drill can be steered in real-time to follow the exact path laid out in the plan. This improved accuracy leads to reduced wastage in resources and also reduces the potential damage of equipment as unknown hazardous objects can be avoided.

Navigation Aid and Operator Assistance

Mining on the surface with poor weather conditions like rain, dust, or sand, could significantly slow down the rate at which work is completed. AR can help by developing an application that allows miners to see hazardous objects and scenarios. The use of virtual information on top of the miner’s real-world view can help identify key points of data such as:

• Road Boundaries
• Approaching Vehicles
• Distance from Vehicles
• Distance to reverse to a particular site
• Video feeds of blind spots of a vehicle

​Other useful virtual overlays could include information on remaining fuel capacity, current load, estimated duration until next refueling, vehicle speed, GPS guidance system, or real time location of key locations on a map.

Real-time information sharing between different operators and vehicles will improve feel efficiency, help with feel management, and improve communication and response times. All of these uses will help reduce costs, prevent accidents, and improve worker productivity.
 
 Maintenance and Repair
 
General repair and maintenance of machines can be done more efficiently through the use of AR. Essential information about the machine being repaired could be displayed when the appropriate part breaks down. This can also include a step by step interactive process that allows operators to see how to fix the particular part. Key points of data to assist with the repair such as how much pressure to apply when adding a part, or how much torque to use when fastening a piece of equipment, can also be shown to minimize errors. 

​With the power of networks, a live virtual chat can be engaged with the manufacturer of the device in case further assistance is required. All key points of data about the machine will automatically be sent to the manufacturer, and they can virtually point out what particular steps to take or which parts of the machine to operate on.

AR will help reduce repair time greatly and will also ensure the repairs and maintenance are done properly, so that the machine can operate longer before having to come back for servicing.

Augmented Reality in Industrial Manufacturing
 
Similar to mining, AR can help improve efficiencies in the manufacturing industry as well. The more common device that will be used here is AR headsets, which are expected to reach sales of approximately 20 million by 2021. Some of the core areas to improve, such as safety, improved logistics, and maintenance are quite similar to the mining industry, however, the way the technology is applied differs in both industries.
 
Hands-On Training 

​In the manufacturing industry, there are high training costs as new workers need to learn how to use specialized and complex machinery, where the cost of making is mistake is quite high. The use of this machines is often complicated and can lead to safety issues. Through the use of AR, workers can know exactly which steps to follow in any situation, which will allow them to perform virtual steps in front of their eyes instead of recalling them from memory.
 
This also reduces the barriers to entry to the industry, as lesser technical experience is required to operate the machines. This will help improve labor quality and satisfaction as workers will now have on-demand access to assistance without fear of breaking or damaging machinery or harming themselves.
 
Streamlined Logistics
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In order fulfillment and warehouse locations, there are high amounts of moving parts in the factory. Workers must be able to multi-task and be aware of the status of multiple deliveries or orders to be able to work efficiently. Workers also have to be in constant communication with each other to relay information about orders. This can lead to a day being extremely hectic and tedious for workers.
AR can allow these workers to pull information from a database and view what they need instantly without having to move to another location or communicate with another employee. They can check on order statutes, invoice numbers, time of departure of the next shipping truck, and other key points of data from where they are working. This can allow them to work significantly more efficiently as they no longer need to find the right person to get information they need and can do so independently and instantly. 

Product Design and Communication
 
Typical product design procedures require large amounts of drawing and communication between different parties. This can often be a lengthy and resource-intensive process.
 
AR can reduce the time spent during this process by allowing multiple people to view a real time projection of drawings and designs in front of them.  This way, meetings can be held virtually, and communication can be done significant faster versus emailing designs and consolidating feedback from multiple replies. 

Furthermore, 3D models od designs can be made, allowing people to see another perspective of these designs right in front of their eyes. This will help them think of unique ideas or identify issues they would not have been able to if the drawings were done on paper or digitally in two dimensions.
 
Conclusion
There are multiple advantages of augmented reality in both the mining and industrial manufacturing industries. Since both of these industries involve the use of highly complex machinery to preform specific tasks some of the common areas of improvements include higher efficiency when using machinery through AR navigation and guidance, improved maintenance through virtual instructions, and better communication and modelling through virtual conferences and sharing of information.
 
Sources
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314838396_Potential_Augmented_Reality_Applications_in_the_Mining_Industry
https://blog.thomasnet.com/augmented-reality-manufacturing?utm_content=76098134&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin

​Blockchain technology has taken over the world with its unique features of safety and a shared public ledger that doesn’t involve the third party. There have been more than a million transactions on the Blockchain platform from all over the world. Corporations are now looking at adopting the Blockchain in one of the biggest industries, i.e. the supply chain. But you might think why would a well established supply chain look to adopt a new technology like Blockchain? Well the answer to that is for better coordination among various organisations. 

Let’s take a look at how Blockchain can be incorporated into the supply chain and make a difference to this mammoth industry.

What is a Supply Chain?
Before diving into the crux of the matter, first let’s understand the meaning of supply chain. When human and industrial resources come together to deliver the product from the supplier to the consumers, it is called a supply chain. The supply chain amalgamates natural resources, raw materials and components into finished products that are delivered to the end customer. There are a lot of steps and processes that are conducted between getting the raw material and shipping the final good.
The major drawback in the supply chain is weak communication between different organisations involved in the process. Ideally, these supply chains need to work on trust but in a huge organisation where there are several people working, it gets difficult to factor trust. This is exactly where Blockchain can help.

Example of Integration of Blockchain in the Supply Chain
With the help of Blockchain the supply chain can record each and every step of the process. Let’s understand this with the help of an example. Consider the supply chain of an exhibition. There are so many stages and processes involved from the time of deciding an event to execute it. It is a complicated process where different teams are assigned different responsibilities. But what happens when there are delays in the project output? The company loses a lot of money. Here is where the deployment of Blockchain would help.
The Blockchain platform can help coordinate delays in one process or another and adjust future processing in real time. Corporations estimate saving billions of rupees if there are able to install and use this technology.
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The Function of a Blockchain in a Supply Chain
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So how does a Blockchain exactly function and keep records in the supply chain? Every transaction done in the supply chain is recorded on a block. This block is converted across multiple copies in the ledger, which are distributed over many nodes (computers). All the supply chain processes recorded in the Blockchain would be transparent and highly secure since every block links to the one before it and after it.
There is no central authority over the Blockchain, it’s extremely efficient and scalable. Chain of command is essential for many things, and blockchain has the chain of command built in. Since, all entities on the chain have the same version of the ledger there is no dispute. Everyone on the Blockchain can see the chain of ownership for an asset on the platform. The records on Blockchain cannot be erased and hence, is reliable and important for a transparent supply chain.

How Blockchain Can Help the Supply Chain?
Using the same example (planning an exhibition) we used earlier; let’s illustrate how Blockchain could better the supply chain. One way to ensure that the supply chain process is smooth is to know every step as it is being carried out in real time. For instance, ‘Has the material for the exhibition stall arrived?’, ‘Has the material been shipped from a foreign country?’ etc. Additionally, companies can examine sources, investigate industry certifications, track restricted or dangerous components, and discover storage condition anomalies. This allows for planning for untimely delays in the process.
For example, the delay in an outdoor exhibition during pre-production due to bad weather, issues between the labour force and the client, etc. can be factored into the final product. If a company knows that a particular task is incomplete or is likely to get delayed, they can immediately look for ways to remedy the situation. They can look for alternate sources or pass the information further down the chain as they find necessary.
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Since every transaction is recorded on a block and across multiple copies of the ledger that are distributed over many nodes (computers), it is highly transparent. It’s also highly secure since every block links to the one before it and after it. There is not one central authority over the blockchain, and it’s extremely efficient and scalable. Ultimately, blockchain can increase the efficiency and transparency of supply chains and positively impact everything from warehousing to delivery to payment. Chain of command is essential for many things, and blockchain has the chain of command built in.
Blockchain provides consensus—there is no dispute in the chain regarding transactions because all entities on the chain have the same version of the ledger. Everyone on the blockchain can see the chain of ownership for an asset on the blockchain. Records on the blockchain cannot be erased which is important for a transparent supply chain.

Curbing Fraud with Blockchain

In today’s times a lot of companies are tampering with product quality or fake products to earn a little cash on the side. The supply chain doesn’t have any way to guarantee the authenticity of the product from start to finish. The fraud could occur at any stage and by any team, and the end consumer would have to bear the brunt for the same. This is specially seen in the food industry.
From switching high quality raw materials to cheap substitutes or switching the end product with a duplicate one is a classic example of fraud that could occur. Blockchains can help curb fraudulent behaviour by providing authentic records for every batch of raw material. Blockchain can store all the relevant information such as factory conditions, batch numbers, expiration dates, storage and shipping data for every batch of food items supplied by the company. Hence, when the final product is shipped to the end customer, it would have its entire origination history in the Blockchain system.

Making a Difference in the Supply Chain with Blockchain
With the advent of Blockchain, third parties that consolidate and resell goods will become redundant. Their exclusion from the whole supply chain process would make a lot of processes easier, curd fraud and become more transparent. Involving third parties that are situated around the globe can complicate the process, thereby making you lose track in the supply chain process.
Also, instead of using track changes and contracts (checked by different parties), the Blockchain platform provides all the changes made at different stages. All the important information or notes can be stored in the system and be viewed at any time by different parties.
In recent times, Accenture (a global consultancy) developed a Blockchain solution for an international shipping supply chain. The platform could save the entire process, thereby, saving the freight and logistics sector billions of dollars.

If you wish to create a Blockchain technology that could fill the gaps in your supply chain, you can contact the App Scoop development team – https://app-scoop.com/contact-us.html
 

​Over the past few years, there has been a significant amount of development in the Internet of Things (IoT), which is essentially a group of interconnected devices functioning together. While there has been a lot of growth in the consumer facing side, which is IoT, there has also been a significant amount of growth in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), which is more manufacturing focused.

IIoT had a worldwide value of $295 million in 2015, an this expected to grow to a value of $1.6 billion by 2021 with a CAGR of 33%. Furthermore, IIoT is expected to have an economic impact of approximately $6 trillion by 2025, out of which $1.3 trillion will be for the electricity industry1.
 
While there is a large potential for this technology, it will take time for IIoT to be a standard as there are high costs to implement the system and make older manufacturing models compatible with IIoT.
 
What is IIoT

​The Industrial Internet of Things is similar to the Internet of Things, in the sense that multiple devices and sensors work together on the same network to collect and analyze data. The main difference is that IIoT uses these sensors to collect large amounts of data and analyze it to improve and even automate current processes, making the manufacturing experience more efficient. IIoT is already growing in demand as large companies are in the process of rolling out IIoT solutions such as IBM’s Watson. GE’s Predix, and Honeywell’s Sentience. 

Current Demand for IIoT

​A survey by PwC revealed the current interest for IIoT and digital factories. Approximately 90% of respondents and investing in digital factories, but only 6% consider their manufacturing processes to be completely digitized. Almost majority of respondents chose to invest in digital factories to better server customer preferences and improve the manufacturing process efficiency. The expected ROI for an investment in a digital factory is at around 50%, making it an attractive investment. Furthermore, companies are expected to see an improvement in efficiency by more than 10% over the next five years as they roll out IIoT implementations in their factories.

Almost 50% of respondents expect IIoT to increase employee productivity, improve asset optimization, and reduce costs However, some potential barriers include poor communication of infrastructure requirements and high capital costs. Furthermore, 40% of companies said lack of government support makes it more difficult to implement IIoT in their factories and around 20% said there is insufficient technical knowledge in the workforce to truly benefit from IIoT being implemented.

Trends in IIoT

Data Analytics
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There are multiple companies that are brining data analytics to manufacturing. Companies are expecting to invest in digital literacy rather than infrastructure as IIoT becomes more popular1. There is no more of a focus on how to collect data and use it in a valuable way to improve processes. This is where IIoT plays a large role, as multiple sensors can ready key inputs from multiple machines and analyze this data to make meaningful conclusions about how a factory process is running. Factories are now looking at hiring non-traditional roles such as data scientists and engineers to leverage this data to make smart predictions. Companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google are already looking into how to allow such analytics to be used at scale with low costs. 

Application Development
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While there will be a large focus on using the data, there will also be increase in application development that will use this data to provide a user experience where factory managers can read the data in meaningful ways such as visual reports. Factory asset management can also be done through these apps as sensors can provide key points of data such as what level of efficiency a machine is running at, when the last maintenance was done, and real time location of machines and vehicles on the factory floor1. The application can also have functionality for factory managers to perform actions remotely such as powering machines, requesting maintenance, and other functions. 

Energy Harvesting
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As costs of fuels increase, companies are looking into more energy efficient technology that are cheaper such as solar, thermal, and wind energy. Capturing this energy efficiently and monitoring how much energy is captured so that it can efficiency be distributed based on factors like the current workload. A machine that currently requires larger amounts of electricity as it is performing a heavier task can have power rerouted from idle machines that do not need it at the moment. This will help energy be utilized better, reducing wastage and costs.

Predictive Maintenance

The factory machine maintenance industry has nearly 20 million field technicians that maintain a variety of difference machinery1. Maintaining these machines is extremely expensive, and not efficient now. Machines that need maintenance are being used without factories aware, which leads to more expensive breakdowns and down time. On the other hand, machines that are functioning better than expected are receiving maintenance. Through the use of IIoT sensors, data can be collected on machine usage and uploaded to the cloud. This data can be analyzed to determine what input factors, like machine hours used, type of equipment worked on, or others impact a machine the most by plotting this data to find correlations using regression. Furthermore, based on usage, a general point of maintenance can be determined that is significantly more accurate than time-based maintenance. For instance, a machine can be maintained once every 10,000 hours of usage versus once every year1. This allows factors that actually impact the machine to be used to determine when a machine is maintained, allowing machines that need the maintenance to be repaired first.

Security

Like in IoT, security will be a key factor in IIoT as well. Devices will now have longer usage cycles, and its important to keep the software up to date and secure throughout this entire process. Nearly 96% of security professionals in organizations are expecting an increase in cyber-attacks on IIoT infrastructure3. Many factories currently do not feel prepared for such attacks as they can cripple an entire factories ability to produce items. It is extremely important to take the appropriate security measures to ensure data is transmitted securely and machines have the proper authentication in place.

Automation
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As IIoT becomes more popular, there will be an increase in autonomous capabilities. As more data gets collected, machines can start to make key decisions autonomously, such as when to request a repair if a particular part is not running efficiently1. Furthermore, through the use of more sensors, the manufacturing process can have more machines involved to streamline production.

Data Centers

While not limited to just IIoT, Data Centers will transform to become more autonomous. IoT and AI will enable data centers to self diagnose issues to find their root cause and diagnose the problem immediately. There will also be preventive measures taken if a data center predicts an issue will arise. This is extremely important as data is at the heart of IIoT, and if a data center is down, it will have a large impact on operations. There will also be reduced costs as data center administrators will not be needed as often to fix these issues. Further technologies will allow data center administrators to manage data servers remotely and monitor status and progresses, allowing an administrator to work on an issue upon a company’s request regardless of where they are.

Leveraging AR and VR

One of the most important aspects of manufacturing is ensuring workers are using the machinery as intended. Improper usage can lead to worker injuries or damage the machine. In the case of managing large or expensive to use equipment, training can become quite expensive as new employees learn how to use the machine2. In this sort of scenario, both Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have a large potential to improve current processes. Employees can use VR to try using the machine without fear of hurting themselves or breaking the equipment. Once they have mastered the machine virtually, they can use useful tools with AR to receive visual instructions that overlay on top of the equipment, so they know exactly what to do. AR can also help experienced employees as real time data can be displayed in front of the employee and they can make decisions based on that.

Simulation Testing

As new equipment gets produced, manufactures will have to test them out in production before deploying them full scale. Here, a digital replicate of the machine can be created and using sensors a predictive analysis can be done to understand how the machine performs. This helps prevent expensive implementations of machines that may not be required. It also helps prevent downtime for new machines as the factory knows exactly how to use it when they deploy it.

​Robotics impact on Labor

According to the International Federation of Robotics, 2.6 million robots are expected to be deployed by 2019, and China will account for 40% of the sale of industrial robots. The robotics market is expected to grow by 13% annually until 20193. The growth in demand for robotics clearly indicates the importance of automation in key markets like China. There is some fear that robotics result in large amounts of lost jobs, however, there is research that says that the impact will not be as large as some predict. The use of robots in factories will lead to large amounts of cost savings, which can allow for the increase of labor demand to offset the loss of jobs. This is an important issue as the use of robots and automation becomes more popular.  

Conclusion
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The IIoT is a large and growing sector. There is large demand for smart machines and sensors that allow manufacturers to leverage data and make trends. This will help them produce more efficiently by saving costs in areas like energy, maintenance, and training. However, with the growing trend of automation and use of robotics, there are potential ethical issues that arise as these technologies start to replace manual labor.
 
 
Sources

1. https://www.cmswire.com/internet-of-things/industrial-iot-what-it-is-and-the-trends-driving-it-in-2018/
2. https://shoplogix.com/blog/industrial-iot-statistics-trends/
3. https://hackernoon.com/iiot-trends-to-watch-out-for-in-2017-96c498d39017

If an old song is remixed into a dance number by adding a few extra beats, would you call it new? Think about it. This is the exact difference between a white label application and a custom-built app. Let’s take a look at some of the risks that come with white label application and the reasons that you should go for a custom-built app.

​What Are White Label Applications?
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The term ‘white label’ came about when vinyl records were given out to DJs before the songs were released to the public. White label applications are basically applications that are originally developed by and for a company and that are licensed to other companies for use. To put it more simply, the backend system of an old application is used to customize a new application, i.e. the branding, colours, logo and the content is tweaked.
There are two ways to build a white label application: one is to change the frontend app and the other is to create a multi tenant application where the app is the same but each tenant has a slightly different set of features. 

White label applications do have their benefits but they also have flaws that might limit your brand from growing.

Reasons for Customization of Apps

Go Straight To Market

One of the biggest reasons white label applications are in demand is because they can go straight to market. Customizing an already built-in app is much faster than making one from scratch. The bug fixing and testing is already done by the old app. Also, if one is using the same backend features, it becomes easy to gauge the user’s reactions.

Why Customize Your App?

On the other hand, the new app that already has the old features need to compete in the market with similar apps. Hence, it has direct competition with the original, as well as the other apps that have licensed the backend functionality.
For example, if Uber licensed its backend functionality to another company offering the same services, it might go to market right away but will the app have potential users. Unless, the new app offers better deals than the old one, there will be minimum downloads by user. This also becomes a classic example of solving a problem that is already solved with no striking difference in functionality.

Monetary Investment

A lot of companies prefer to invest in a white label application because it is much cheaper than producing one right from the start. It also saves the company man power – they would just need to hire a business analyst to understand the set of core features for your app and who understands your product positioning.

Why Customize Your App?

On one hand white labels save you the initial monetary investment but on the other hand, it limits customization, gives you no control over the code quality and creates a ‘vendor-locked’ situation.

• Even though customization is possible with white label apps, it is very limited. White label apps provide a basic set of features that is used for the functionality of the app. Hence, it is impossible to customize the app if your business needs are more complex.

 

• When you hire a white label app, there is absolutely no way that you get control over the backend technology and the codes. There is no way to evaluate the code quality which means that you need to comply rely on the white label app provider’s backend system.

 

• White label apps are basically taken up on a subscription basis. This means that these apps need to transfer the data on cloud and give away the user’s data. This creates a situation where the vendor is locked and needs to put in all the trust on the backend server of the original app. The user’s data could also get comprised in this process which doesn’t make the app look very secure.

Post Release Maintenance

Companies that provide Software as a Service (SaaS) or the functionality of the white label apps provide maintenance and support post their release. Here, the advantage is that the maintenance is taken care of by professionals rather than employing an entire development operations team.

Why Customize Your App?

On the other hand, once the app is released, there will be a huge hindrance in the scalability of the app. For instance, if there is a sudden load of users using the app, the white label app providers should have the capability of providing service and keeping the servers updated.  
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Filling the Void by Customizing the Apps
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Most companies that want to develop revolutionary apps keep in mind the main aspect that is solve a problem for the user. If an app already exists that does that, it is almost futile to build another one with a same backend system and the same features.

Making an app from scratch does take a look more effort in terms of manpower and monetarily but the end product is worth the investment if done right. Customizing an app allows the developer to build unique features, regularly update the app and update the software as required and building their own unique user base. Custom based apps are also built on the robust cloud to offer high scalability as per the business requirements of the company.
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Hence, even though white label solutions seem like they solve an issue or make it simpler for the developer to roll out an app in the market, the right way is customizing and building a unique app.
If you have an idea and wish to build a customized app that is a success in the market contact the App-Scoop team. App-Scoop app developers helps companies create their own apps from scratch and offer support to clients at every stage. They also ensure support post the release of the app and offer maintenance of the same.
Contact app-scoop team – https://app-scoop.com/contact-us.html
 

Technology is evolving at a much faster rate than we could have imagined in the past. With the advent of new software applications, we want all services delivered to us at the click of a button. Another change that has been noticed is that people are no longer working on desktops and browser based applications but switching to web applications on the mobile.
So what is a significant change that is taking place on websites? The one significant change seen on websites is that they look more and more like applications with various interaction possibilities rather than static pages. In today’s times, the user wants more and more information available at a single browse rather than clicking various tabs to view it. On the other hand, the website owners want to provide a better interface to the user.
If you are planning to create an application of your choice then you will be presented with two options: multi-page application (traditional way) and single-page application (modern way) 

Multiple Page Application (MPA)

A multi-page application consists of many pages with static information such as text, images, etc. They also have links on the page that connects with other pages. For example, if you click on a button ‘Know more…’, the rest of the content will appear on the page but it reload the entire content of the page, including the header and the footer of that page. This will mean that the user will have to wait every time he/she clicks a link.
The technology used for a multi page application is HTML and CSS.

Pros of Multi Page Applications
This type of application allows the user to see the visual map and let them decide what they wish to read on the website. Designing the menu application in detail is one of the most important aspects of MPA.
MPAs can be handled fantastically well with proper SEO management. Different key words can be ranked in order and optimised for one keyword per page.

Cons of Multi Page Applications
The development of MPA is tedious because the frontend and backend development needs to be tightly coupled. Further, it takes longer to develop because the developer has to use frameworks for either the client’s or the server’s side.

Best Approach for Multi Page Applications
Sometimes MPAs can become very complex – at this point of time you can start creating your own framework to maintain the UI on a back end. You need to divide your back end and front end with REST API and they will communicate in a specific language of queries. Now at this stage, one will require front-end solutions. Because of these issues, many companies have realised that they need to keep a source of their project open. Here, they provide a community with the platform and the community accelerates the evolution of the solution. It basically turns into a win-win situation.     
Another code base that can be used is the Node Package Manager (NPM), where one finds solutions for almost all the problems. Hence, with the help of the community and its ecosystem, you can create an MPA that is dynamic, easy to fix and which can be integrated into MPA websites.
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Single Page Application (SPA)

A single page application consists only of one page where the content is dynamic and keeps changing. Only a chunk of the information that you perform an action on changes, and the rest of the interface remains the same. Due to this reason, the website is much faster than a multi page application.
Generally, when you build a SPA, you need to use a solid mature ecosystem. It is the other way around in a MPA, where you integrate interactive elements in the app. Unlike an MPA, single page applications the front-end and back-end are separated and they don’t interfere with one another.
Some of the examples of SPAs are: Google, Gmail, Facebook, GitLab.   

Pros of Single Page Applications

Speed and Responsiveness: With SPAs, a server doesn’t need to reload the content with every interaction. Only the new data is downloaded from the server so they have a lighter server payload. Hence, applications run faster since the data processing is removed from the server to the browser.

Adaptability: The backend code of the SPA can be used from a web based app and be directly integrated in the mobile. This saves a lot of time and effort.

Flexible UI: The front-end of a SPA can be rewritten with no influence to the server except for a few static resource files.

Offline Support and Caching: SPAs can cache local storage – it sends a request to the server and stores all the data it receives. The SPA can operate offline as it can use this data, unlike an MPA where you can’t see the data if you are not connected.

Separation of Data and UI: SPAs can distinguish between data and the UI. This helps to streamline the app – only the data that needs to be added or edited is touched and the rest of the functionalities of the UI would remain the same.

Debugging in Chrome: It is easy to debug SPA in Chrome as it can monitor network operations, investigate page elements and the data associated with it.

Cons of Single Page Applications

Issues with SEO: In SPAs, you can only put one keyword per page which affects the SEO rates.

Memory Leaks: The loss of computer memory happens due to event listeners. Sometimes events can be organized incorrectly. For instance, an HTML element can be bound to an event. The event handler stays in the memory if you modify the HTML content. Hence, you can no longer execute it.

Security: It is easy to attack and exploit a web page with XSS. The attackers can use their own client-side code which delivers a malicious script to a victim’s browser.

Limiting Scalability: It becomes difficult to keep adding new content on a single page application because it takes a longer time to download the page. Sometimes the entire website needs to be redesigned if more content needs to be added to it.

Sharking a Link: When it is a SPA, one cannot share only a part of the information through a link. The user will have to download the entire contents of the page.

Back and Forward Browser Buttons: If the user wishes to use the back and forward browser, the same is not possible. The user will be taken to the previous page that the browser loaded but not to the prior state in the application.

Best Approach for Single Page Applications

You can leverage rich internal anchor text links, tags and meta-descriptions by using SPA. You can turn around the SEO issues by identifying the right word, since search engines give higher scores to domains devoted to one theme.
With MPAs you need to secure separate pages, but in the case of a SPA, you just need to secure your data end points. You can divide the downloadable JavaScript into several parts, so that the client doesn’t get access to all of the codes.
You can also solve the back and forward button with an HTML5 History API. Many modern SPA frameworks are fitted with this API.

SPA or MPA?
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There are a few factors that you need to be sure before you choose between SPA and MPA:

• What the website will entail
• Information that it will post and what type of information will be posted
• Designing of the website and its main elements
• Benefits of the content you offer to the user

​For instance, if you have a website like eBay with multiple products, the most rational decision is to make a multiple page application. On the other hand, a website like Facebook, where the user just wants to see updates, a single page application is the way to go.
Developers have gone into battles of words comparing SPAs with the traditional multiple-page approach. Since both, SPAs and MPAs have their pros and cons, the best way to decide the right kind of application is to look at the type and content of the website and choose accordingly.
App-Scoop mobile app developers can help you identify your need and help you guide and build a Multiple Page Application or Single Page Application based on your type of website.
Contact app-scoop team – https://app-scoop.com/contact-us.html

​Business operations are now not only carried out in a cabin or in the office. You could reply to your email sitting in a coffee house, while watching a movie or even when you are vacationing in Bali. This is possible with the advent of mobile apps. But with the convenience of a mobile app also comes the threat of your information getting targeted by hackers. Cybercrime includes costs that include damages due to loss of sensitive data, theft of intellectual property, fraud and interruption in business operations. 

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Apps Targeted by Hackers
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So what kinds of apps are targeted by hackers? Apps that are mostly targeted are the ones that have sensitive information and which can be used against other businesses. The most likely apps to be hacked are the ones that deal with economic transactions – ecommerce applications that are connected to banking software. Hackers assimilate data or disrupt services by disabling security, modifying and unlocking key features and stealing data. 

Along with enterprise and ecommerce apps – chatting apps are also vulnerable to hacking. Some of the most sensitive information is shared on chats – for example, the CEO of a company carrying out a huge assignment or carrying cash for transaction giving details of his whereabouts to his family or colleagues. If the hackers know his location and his whereabouts at a particular time, they could easily dupe and steal the information that they require.
So, how do you secure chat apps? Let’s find out.
 
Ensuring the Security of Messaging Apps

Messaging apps has two broad categories – enterprising messaging apps and consumer based messaging apps. Security risks for these apps include a secured integration with a payment statement, proper usage of a platform and ensuring legal regulations for healthcare or banking.
Now, let’s take a look at a few common ways of ensuring secured messaging apps.

Security of Data Storage and Data Transfer

Logically, the less data stored on the client’s side, the more secure the app. But there are instances where the app user would want to save their data. In that case, there are technical solutions that would keep that data secure. This can be done by use Realm Core. It uses OpenSSL when one supplies a 4-bit encryption key. Realm Core can be transparently encrypted and decrypted with AES-256 and can be verified with       SHA-2 HMAC hash.
For iOS two frameworks can be adopted – Realm iOS and CoreData for data protection. CoreData’s most popular local storage type is SQLite – it is an open source third-party library that provides 256-bit AES encryption. It is important to know that AES takes up a little bit of extra storage space, thereby decreasing the speed of the app.

Secure Communication Between the Client and the Server

It is important that all communication done between the client and the server is secure. Apps need to adhere to the standards set by the industry and regulatory requirements depending on the state and the industry.
For instance, a healthcare app needs to adhere to medical industry standards and should be compliant with HIPAA. The healthcare software application following HIPAA standards might have a few limitations that need to be addressed – such as disclosing certain medical information.
As we know all the information shared between a client and the server runs a risk of breach. The app developers need to make sure that they are properly set up with TLS/SSL. The app needs to have a trusted CA certificate with configured chains and attach or pin those to SSL.
Tip: Encrypt the sensitive data before pinning it to SSL to get an extra layer of security.

End-to-End Encryption and Reinforcing Encryption

​Encrypting the data would mean that even if it is hacked, the hacker will not be able to read it. Encryption of data is done by using special algorithms to scramble data. All messaging apps have some form of encryption data. One of the biggest reasons why messaging apps make themselves vulnerable to hackers is that they use some information to target users with advertisements.
The most secure apps with chat functionality use end-to-end encryption that lets only the sender and the receiver read a message. If the company does make an app with end-to-end encryption, they can archive the data and store all the messages on the server. These messages can be decrypted and read if necessary.
To increase security, the app developers can reinforce existing encryption mechanisms. What is reinforcing encryption? – It requires applying cryptographic standards by getting acquainted with cyber security guidelines. 
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Bottom Line
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To conclude, some typical features that need to be used for a secure mobile chat:

• A unique key should be generated for each session. This is called Session Level Security or SLS. By adopting SLS, all messages exchanged within the app can be only read by the sender and the recipient.

 

• Every message sent has its own key.

 

• The data stored by the user is encrypted by a separate key which is derived by the PIN entered by the user.

 

• Offline messaging support should be supported by the app. This means that if the user is on offline mode, the messages are stored at the backend. On switching on their network, the messages are delivered to the recipient.

​Enhancing security for apps is very important in today’s day and age. Privacy is an important aspect and the users need apps that do not disclose their personal information. Users are drifting towards apps that store very little personal information and use it sparingly for advertisements or their personal benefits.
App-Scoop app developers can help you build an app that has end-to-end encryption for maximum security of data and develop a secure chat for your mobile app.
Contact app-scoop team – https://app-scoop.com/contact-us.html
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