Detailed Overview of iOS App Development Tutorial

Sep 10, 2020 | Entertainment

Detailed Overview of iOS App Development Tutorial

 

Meta Desc:From basics to programming language selection, this tutorial will provide a detailed overview of the iOS app development 

 

Planning to start an iOS mobile app development company but are second-guessing? Start by identifying key developer requirements, pick the appropriate programming language; and lastly, for best results, go for cloud-based resources.

 

What is iOS app development?

iOS (iPhone OS) is an operating system of iPhone created and developed by Apple Inc. and is distributed exclusively for Apple hardware.The operating system presently is powering many mobile devices like iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

The application software is developed for personal digital assistants, or enterprise digital assistants or mobile phones, etc. These applications can come pre-installed on phones or delivered as a web application using client-side processing or side-server like JavaScript to give an application-like experience.

Application software developers also have to consider hardware specifications, a lengthy array of screen sizes, and configurations. The iOS user interface is based on direct manipulation and using multi-touch gestures. Interface control elements comprises sliders, buttons, and switches. The interaction with the OS including gestures such as swipe, tap, pinch, and reverse pinch have specific definitions and multi-touch interface. 

Developer Requirements

While starting with the coding for an iOS app, please affirm the accessibility of the following:

  • A Macbook running the latest version of mac-OS
  • Xcode — IDE (the integrated development environment) for mac-OS
  • An active Apple Developer account

The active members of the Apple Developer Program are the only ones who can post a new app to the Apple App Store. Only Xcode signed and published apps are eligible for submission to the App Store. Xcode is accessible only on macOS. Thus, a Macbook running the latest version of mac-OS is required.

Select an iOS programing language

The selection of iOS programming language is easy as it could be either Objective-C and Swift. 

  • Objective-C: The programming language was developed in the 1980s; Objective-C has been used in Apple products for decades. The programming language is an object-oriented language-centered way to pass messages to different processes. The App Store accepts programs written in Objective-C programming language. 
  • Swift: Swift was introduced in 2014. The new official language of iOS has multiple similarities with Objective-C. Swift is particularly designed to use a simpler syntax and focuses more on security than its predecessor. Due to the running with Objective-C, incorporation of legacy code into updated apps becomes easy. Swift is relatively easy to learn, even for beginners.

 

APIs and Libraries

The major advantage of developing an iOS app is the vast collection of developer resources. Apple released native APIs and libraries as kits. They are stable, feasible, and feature-rich. They’ll help to integrate the app into Apple’s infrastructure.

These extensive kits give access to built-in iOS and integrate third-party apps. This increases the ease, access to social media, and many more features.

Expand into the cloud

iOS has proven itself as a powerful device. Offloading the stuff could calm the habit of multitasking. By syncing apps to cloud-based services via APIs, they could be put to storage. 

Testing the app is the key to success: 

The foremost rule after completing the coding process is testing. iOS is Apple’s entrepreneur’s mobile operating system. It runs only on iPhones. 

The first line of testing will take place in Xcode itself. Additionally, the standard unit tests get automated UI testing from Xcode. The tests are written to navigate through UI. The interaction of the app would locate any issues during the process. Ideally, UI testing does not use APIs to interact with the code; instead, it simulates real-time customer’s interaction with the app. As long as the developer customizes the written tests, they will cover every aspect required for app testing.. 

Apple allows testing by its Testflight app where friends, family, or user base can preview the app. Once Apple gives access to App Store review guidelines, the app can invite up to 10,000 users for testing the version. They will have to download the TestFlight app and follow a unique link to test the app. 

Publish your app to the App Store

After qualifying everything, you will need to submit the app to the Apple App Store. This could be done directly through Xcode. The app review process is relatively lengthy. Thus, patience is highly recommended. There could be a frequent requirement for multiple iterations. However, to achieve the final goal, these may be considered a few roadblocks that could be resolved.  

After getting all approvals, the next step is building an App Store page by using an App Store Connect. If the plan is to sell the app, then remember Apple deducts 30 percent of your sales, jointly with the $99 annual fee that they charge for participating in the Developer Program.

 

Conclusion

The tutorial description of iOS app development aims to solve the pounding question. We tried to cover the entire tutorial in the most descriptive yet easy manner. The development of iOS hasn’t remained as hard as it was considered a few years ago. The improvement in the technology world is considered radical and we are hoping the iOS app development comes up with a more relaxing method.