iOS app development is more popular than ever.
iOS is one of the two major app development platforms, the other one being android. The yearly updates and big changes made by Apple in the operating system have made the platform that much more popular.
In 2021 alone App and game revenues for iOS increased by 17.7% to $85.1 billion. iOS was responsible for 63% of total app revenue. In addition to this, iOS was responsible for 63% of total app revenue in 2021 which was around $133 billion.
So, it is clear that when it comes to revenue generation, iOS app development is much more prevalent than android app development and its hybrid counterpart. Now, this means a good thing for both clients and developers.
If you are a developer, iOS app development is something that can much you rich fast. However, to make a fast and secure iOS app, there are a number of things that you need to keep in mind. And in this blog, we shall be going through these exact things that need to be done before starting to write an iOS app.
While this is something that every developer should be familiar with, these things can also help clients get an insight the direction their project should be going. Therefore, there is something for everyone here.
With this being said, let’s get right into it starting with:
iOS App Development 101
.It is the operating system used by Apple Inc. One of the world’s largest tech giants.
Today, the iOS operating system has a few different variants and it is used in a number of devices. These are, as mentioned below:
- iPhone Range
- iPod Touch
- iPad
- iWatch
These are the different ranges of Apple Devices which run on iOS or one of its variations. Now, iOS App development services are known for being very strict and to the point as they don’t offer flexibility to the iOS app developers.
Moreover, to get an app approved at App Store, the developer to create an app that is strict to the guidelines provided by the platform.
Even to get an app successful on a very competitive platform like iOS an app should be well built. And as we all know, the real work starts even before development for both clients and developers.
Therefore, there is something that is to be done before starting the development. In the next section of the blog, we shall be discussing all of this in detail.
Things to Do Before You Develop an iOS App
If you are running a mobile app development company or a client contacting one, there is something that you should be sure to do before writing an iOS app.
So, what are these things? One can say these are preparations that need to be done before development to make sure everything goes as planned and there is no tangling later on.
Enough said we shall be discussing 7 of these points in this section. Let’s get started with the most basic one which is, as mentioned below:
1. Plan Out Everything
The first thing any iOS or Android app developer should plan things out.
Planning is the key to the successful execution of the development process which leads to market-leading apps.
Therefore, the team leader or project manager should sit down with the client and plan the entire development process from prototyping to deployment.
This will give both sides clear ideas of what they are expecting as the final product. This makes it the first and the biggest thing that has to be done before starting the iOS app development process.
Now, let’s look at the second one.
2. Create A Communication Channel Between the Client and Development Team
If you have been a developer for a long time, you know that it happens more often than not that due to lack of communication the product is not what the client wanted.
This is the reason before getting into the development process, the development team should create a clear communication channel with the client team.
We can’t stress this enough, this is an absolute necessity. Let people who are paying for the entire thing know what is going on with their changes. Plus, it also saves the development team a lot of trouble.
Therefore, do this before getting into more technical things and starting the development process for the iOS app.
3. Finalize App Architecture
App Development is a complex process and there are a lot of different components that go into it. And for this reason, it is absolutely necessary to finalize an app architecture before starting to write the app.
Now, with good architecture, the iOS app will be much more developer-friendly and will make the testing process much less worrisome. Moreover, it is also helpful for clients as it helps reduce the overall after-release maintenance cost.
Coming to the architecture itself, there are several popular options that you can go with like MVC, MVVM, VIPER, and so on, depending on the project. This is something that every iOS or even hybrid app development company should do before development.
4. Create a Coding Style Guide
For those who aren’t familiar with the term, a code style guide is a guideline of which style and conventions to follow in the coding process for the development team in the concerned language. (Swift for iOS development).
The guide covers things like whether to use tabs or spaces, how to name variables or some conventions specific to a language, whether to use Classes or Structs, etc.
While there are no correct or wrong styles of coding, it is a good thing if the style remains uniform throughout the project. This makes it easier for other developers to work with the code as it is more readable and uniform.
5. Build Folder Structure
If you are creating an iOS via reacting native app development or conventional iOS development, it would be a good idea to create a folder structure.
You see, the final stage with have hundreds or even thousands of source files in the same directory. With a folder structure, it is well much easier to navigate and sort the files.
Therefore, this is something that is a must for every small and large project.
6. Dependency Management
Just like any other development process, you will be using a number of third-party elements like libraries for the app. This is why it is important to sort dependency management, now; there are various ways in which you can do it.
However, it is always recommended that you can aid a dependency manager. There are several of these available in the market. CocoaPods is one big example of the same.
Nevertheless, there are other ways like Integrating third-party code by hand, Using Carthage as your dependency manager, and so on.
7. Setup a Schemes for iOS app
Last but not least, when you Hire dedicated developers ask them to create a scheme.
So, here is how this works, schemes tell the Xcode or any other code editor you are using, what will happen when you run the code or test it.
In other words, Schemes help map the actions to the intended target and build configurations. This makes everything a lot easier.
Conclusion
These are some things that every iOS app development company should do before they start the development project.
