The usage of mobile apps and the development and launch of new apps to the market both have witnessed a rising trend in the last decade. There are millions of apps available on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Windows Store, and Amazon Appstore. This indicates that mobile apps are a big part of our lives today and more and more people rely on different mobile apps for their daily tasks, socializing, education and entertainment. New apps are added to the app store each day as Android and iOS app developers try to upload and update apps that cater to the demands of the customers. Let’s find out about the iOS App Development Process here.
According to recent research, the Apple App Store is the second largest app marketplace in 2021 with a total of 2.2 million apps available. These apps are divided into the following categories:
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You can imagine the scope of the iOS app market and the potential for new innovative ideas by looking at the long list of categories. The possibilities are endless for app owners. Therefore, an increasing number of entrepreneurs are seeking ways to enter the market with their own iOS app ideas.
If you are an entrepreneur looking to launch your app on the Apple App Store, this is the ultimate guide for you. We will outline the iOS app development process so you know how to get started, how to find the best iOS app development company, and what steps to take in order to launch a successful app.
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Step-by-Step iOS App Development Process
The development process doesn’t only refer to the process of creating the mobile application. It entails a long process of planning and research that takes place before the real development work begins. As an app owner, you need to plan and decide on the following three aspects before you can kickstart the development process:
- A precise app idea: A clear app idea is an important thing to get started with. Before anything else, you need to decide what kind of app you want to get developed. What will be the purpose of the app? What will the users achieve with the app? Who will be the target audience of the app? All of these questions will help you come up with a precise app idea and thorough market research is a way to achieve it.
- Funding: Finances should be sorted out before you begin the development process. iOS app development services are expensive and you need to budget your finance accordingly. If you plan to acquire funding from other sources, you should only begin development once your funding is secured.
- Development team: Who will create the app for you? If you are an app developer yourself then it might not be a concern for you but chances are you might need an experienced development team to bring your idea to life in the form of an app. You can recruit an in-house development team or outsource your development work to an iPhone app development company. To find out more about it, see https://www.goodcore.co.uk/services/mobile-app-development/ios/.
Once you have a precise idea, adequate funding and an experienced development team, you can begin the real development work. Following are the phases of development that your app will go through. Some of these steps are where the team of iOS app developers will require your input as an app owner. Especially in the early stages of the process where they gather requirements and plan the development and design strategy. Whereas, some stages are where the majority of the work is technical in nature will be handled by the development team exclusively.
1. Requirement Gathering and Analysis
The first stage of the development process is where the development team gathers the requirements and prepare requirement and specification documents. You collaborate with the development team closely to come up with a precise list of technical requirements, features and functionalities. The technical team helps you determine the requirements that are realistic to achieve and work out a tech stack that will be used to create your app.
2. Reviewing Apple’s Guidelines
Before designing the app, the team of iOS developers must review the latest Apple App Store guidelines. A good iPhone application development company would always give due importance to this step before creating the app. These will help them build an app that conforms to the development, security and quality standards specified by Apple.
3. Finalize App Design
This is the stage where the UI/UX designers visualize your app idea with the help of wireframes, sketches, and different prototypes. These help you get a realistic idea of what the app will look and feel like once it is developed. You can request specific design changes to make the app design correspond with the brand image.
4. Development
Once the design is finalized, it is time to begin the development stage. This is where the developers write the code for the application. They develop the backend and the frontend of the app and integrate the required software APIs. This is how your app takes form. For example, if you plan on integrating BLE fitness devices into an app, then this is where you will develop the initial foundations for this integration. The development stage is concluded when the code is complete and the application is ready to be tested and launched.
5. App Testing
The mobile app testing process is performed throughout the development process. After deploying the application code, it got tested by the quality assurance engineers via the ios app testing tool. They performed testing on the app for bugs and errors. And report back to the development team to get them fixed. The apps got tested for user experience and security as well.
6. Launch to the App Store
Only when the app is tested for quality and security standards, it is ready to be launched to the app store. To prepare your app for submission on the app store, an app store listing needs to be created. Once the listing is created, the next steps are to make app screenshots, publish your app, and submit your app for review. Once the app is successfully launched it is available for download to the general public.
However, this isn’t where the development process ends necessarily. Many app owners gather market feedback and begin the process of updating and enhancing the application further.
