Mobile phones have become leaps and bounds more impressive in terms of their capabilities, which is why mobile users around the world hold higher expectations from developers than ever before. It’s not enough to simply have a website or an app. You need to really consider what it is that users want out of platforms like yours, to ensure you deliver. This is the bare minimum as well. It’s always essential to consider how you can help your brand stand out by considering what rare features users are desperate for.
That’s why you need to know these top mobile features that users expect from modern entertainment platforms in 2026:
1. Heightened Privacy and Security
AI has supercharged fraud and cyber attacks. Add in how common AI bots are as well as AI content, and users are becoming increasingly wary of new brands, which could easily be a fraudulent platform. That’s why it’s essential that every mobile app or browser-based developer goes above and beyond to improve privacy and security settings, and use those as a highlight.
Some industries are really leading the way with this, like the online casino industry at the forefront. As one of the more heavily regulated industries in the world, publishers like River Belle have long used SSL encryption, secure banking, data protection, and auditing to ensure that every element from login to play is secure, so that their players can have fun with peace of mind.
2. Unified Cross-Platform Experience
There is no excuse for your app, browser, and mobile site not to be seamlessly unified across the board to offer a robust cross-platform experience. Every touchpoint available must instantly update across all devices to ensure a seamless experience for your users.
3. Offline Functionality
More users expect games and other apps to continue working (to an extent) without internet. While more subway systems around the world are adding Wi-Fi or cell service, this isn’t always available. Users may only have signal at the stop itself, and not during transit.
That’s why more users expect apps, in particular, to have offline functionality and edge computing. This essentially preloads content or processes data on the phone. These features allow users to scroll through their email app, play a game even when the service cuts out, and, in general, allow them to continue to enjoy a seamless experience no matter how patchy the internet is.
4. Proactive Assistance
There is a fine line for proactive assistance. With a user’s permission, your app can help streamline their experience. For example, your app could automatically adjust the home page based on what features and pages your customers use. You could alternatively allow them to customize what they see manually to ensure that their experience with your platform is personalized and streamlined for how they specifically use it.
Other examples of proactive assistance include:
· A travel app that automatically fetches transport data when you wake up, to notify you of any delays or recommended changes in route to work.
· Pre-filled forms to make it easier to approve, buy, or sign up for a service.
· A calendar file that allows users to quickly and seamlessly add an event to their calendar app.
· A home page that shows top game recommendations based on preferences and previous play behaviour.
It is important to allow customers to stay in control. That’s why you should always allow them to set preferences for how much personalization they want, and even allow them to manually set up shortcuts, menus, and more as an optional feature.
