7 Mobile App Features That Won't Survive 2025 

High-performing mobile applications are one of the biggest ecosystems in the business world, where every entrepreneur strives to stay competitive. Almost every business owner from various industry verticals is inclined towards crafting scalable, secure, and highly intuitive apps with a flawless UI/UX.

But, here’s one thing you need to know – what used to be in trend five years ago might not be relevant in the present day. We are living in a fast-changing digital landscape, where one bad user experience can break your app.  

In today’s time, the user behaviour has shifted towards personalization, seamless user experience, and speed. The rise of AI-powered tools, minimalistic designs, and data privacy regulations has become a thing. In fact, top mobile app development services are in favour of integrating only the necessary features.  

In this post, we’ll uncover seven mobile app features that are unlikely to survive 2025 and why businesses must rethink their app strategies to avoid falling behind.

Top 7 Mobile App Features That Have Become Obsolete in 2025 and Beyond

Here is a list of 7 common features that business owners must avoid integrating into their app if they truly want to stay relevant in the market:

1.    Overload Menus and Complex Navigation

Do you remember, there used to be a time when users liked to see everything right in front of their eyes in the menu? Well, it’s not like that anymore; in fact, overloaded menus make them feel overwhelmed. In the present time, users are much more interested in engaging with apps that have a clear interface with less complicated pathways. That being said, by the end of 2025, mobile applications with complex navigation will be abandoned.

2.    Excessive Push Notifications 

Receiving important notifications is one thing, and getting notified every half an hour is a bit over the top. Excessive push notifications might have started as a clever engagement tool, but now it is one of the major reasons why people uninstall apps. If you think you are keeping your users interacting with your mobile app by sending notifications constantly, you are just pushing them away. The future of a successful mobile app is sending fewer but context-aware notifications.

3.     Overreliance on Social Media Logins

Earlier, it was a good idea to log in using Facebook or X (Twitter at that time) as it was just convenient enough, but no sooner did the privacy issues start to grow than the users no longer wanted to share their details so easily. If you genuinely want your users to spend more time, rather than requiring them to log in through their social media account details, just require them to share OTPs, emails, or biometric logins.

4.    Mandatory Sign-Ups Even Before Exploring

Do you think forcing users to register before they even get familiar with your application is the right thing to do? Absolutely not! There are so many options available in the market, and there is a chance you might lose potential users by asking them to fill out the form. Instead of this, you can allow for guest access or frictionless onboarding to give your targeted audience a taste of your app before they fully invest their time.

5.    Generic In-App Ads 

You might earn money by integrating ads into your app, but you’re not realizing that your users are getting frustrated, especially with unskippable ads. Chances are higher that this feature will also become outdated. In today’s time, users' preferences are subtle, and personalized ad formats that will not hamper their experience. So, if you want to generate a higher ROI or maintain the retention rate, embrace the power of simple yet creative ads.

6.    Too Many Features in the App 

If you think that integrating every possible feature into your app will deliver a smooth user experience, remember that it will just kill the performance of your app. Mobile applications that are stuffed with too many features often lag or crash. In the future, the speed and performance of the app will always matter more than the integration of unnecessary features.

7.    Non-Adaptive Interfaces

Static designs that look the same on every device are losing ground fast. Users now expect adaptive interfaces that adjust to screen sizes, modes, and even accessibility needs. Outdated UIs won’t just look old, they’ll drive users away. So, invest in responsive and adaptive UI design, interfaces that will not only function across all devices but also offer personalized experiences for every user. 

Major Mobile App Development Trends in 2025: Defining the Future of Apps

Mobile app development is a great idea. You can leverage the current app development trends in 2025 to create a future-proof app that allows you to make something that can stand out against others. The future of mobile app development is heading for a revolution with the inclusion of AI-based personalization, AR/VR integrations, IoT, and various other innovative technologies.  

These trends are creating a new standard for companies to develop mobile apps. Here are these trends to help you understand them in detail.

●       AI-driven Personalization: What if your app is able to personalize the content and user experience based on users' habits, interaction patterns, and interests? While it isn't new in apps, adding AI-driven personalization to your app has the potential to make it stand out from other apps. This allows your app to gather and learn users' data, such as search history, usage patterns, and more, to provide them with a personalized experience.

●       Privacy and Security by Design: Trust is the foundation for brand engagement. Users will leave your app if they don’t feel safe sharing their information. Security and privacy must be an integral part that must be implemented right at the design level.

●       Adaptive & Accessible UIs: accessibility needs, screen sizes, and devices. You're designing for inclusion, not convenience, if your app can adapt smoothly and make everyone feel comfortable.

●       Performance-First Development: Nobody can tolerate a slow or glitchy app, let's face it. What sustains users' interest is quickness, reliability, and hassle-free performance. Users will be more inclined to revisit your application if it is quick and runs smoothly.

●       Augmented and Virtual Reality: AR and VR technology will be a necessary aspect in most apps in the near future. Education, healthcare, real estate, and retail sectors are experiencing better user experiences through augmented reality. AR is revolutionizing the way individuals engage, from designing home furnishings to trying on fashion in virtual reality.

●       IoT-Mobile Apps: As trillions of devices get connected across the globe, the Internet of Things (IoT) keeps growing. In 2025 and beyond, the primary mode of controlling and monitoring all these devices will be through mobile apps. Mobile applications are being utilized to operate industrial equipment, wearable tech, smart homes, and even farming equipment. Users, for instance, may utilize their smartphones to track factory sensors, monitor fitness metrics, and regulate thermostats.

●       Blockchain Integration: Blockchain is revolutionizing how mobile apps manage identity, data protection, and transactions. Although blockchain is best known for cryptocurrencies, here are all the applications it will have by 2025. Decentralized applications, or dApps, are becoming more and more popular because they provide transparency and improved control over data in a variety of areas, including supply chain, healthcare, and finance.

●       Cloud-Based Mobile Apps: With cloud computing, mobile apps have become scalable, always-on platforms. Cloud apps will be the dominant ones in the near future due to their reliability, performance, and responsiveness. Additionally, cloud integration has made it possible for mobile apps to accommodate demanding tasks like heavy processing of data, AI models, and even video storage without bogging down the local resources of a device.

Concluding Words

If you are planning to create a mobile app, you need to think of a strategy and an approach to remain current in 2025 and beyond. To retain your targeted audience, incorporating features, nice-looking icons, or flashy alerts will not get you anywhere.

Users now incline more towards apps that present them with a mix of customization along with ease of use, security, and speed. Everyone should now understand that holding onto obsolete features is unlikely to propel your work forward. You will have to concentrate on the possible revenue of the mobile application. Keep a balance among user-centric design, business performance, and imagination.

In conclusion, the modern trend in mobile app development is visionary and extremely empathetic. It appreciates, unlike most of its contemporaries, the need to move from archaic elements to features that enhance usability and engagement while also promoting security. Only one of the apps that succeed in maintaining relevance in the app economy is ever-changing.