How to develop iPhone apps

Taking a look at the App Store on your iPhone, you realized that there are many, indeed many applications for all tastes and needs, but one is missing that corresponds to the idea, valid in your opinion, that you had. in the last period. You are therefore seriously considering the idea of ​​creating the app in question and trying the path of programming, but you do not know where to start.

How do you say? Are things exactly like this? Well then let me help you learn how to develop iPhone apps. If you want, in the following lines you will find indicated which are the tools you can turn to succeed in your intent and the procedures to follow to publish the apps on the Apple store. Clearly, keep in mind that in addition to a good basic idea, a great deal of study and commitment is required to complete such a feat.

However, by putting yourself at a good pace and doing what a little experiment, you are sure to get some results. Maybe not immediately exciting, but you will learn something for sure and, over time, you will be able to reach your goal. That said, I would suggest that you don’t delay any longer and get to work immediately. Happy reading and good luck for everything!

Index

• Preliminary information
• How to develop a free iPhone app
  • Xcode (macOS)
  • Swift Playgrounds (macOS / iPadOS)
  • Solar 2D (Windows / macOS)
  • Other solutions to create a free iPhone app
• How to develop iPhone apps without programming

Preliminary information

Before getting to the heart of the tutorial, going to explain how to develop iPhone apps, there is some preliminary information that it is my duty to provide you to allow you to have perfectly clear ideas about it.

To begin with, know that, as I said at the beginning, if you want to develop apps for iOS or iPadOS (i.e. the operating systems of the iPhone and iPad, which share the same bases), you need to know some programming languages: the most popular ones at currently are Swift (language launched by Apple in 2014) and Objective-C (historical language on which iOS / iPadOS apps have been based since the beginning).

If you want to learn more, you can refer to my tutorials focused on how to start programming and how to create a program; You also get other useful information by doing some research on Google and visiting specialized sites on the subject, such as HTML.it. Furthermore, I strongly recommend that you take a look at the online (or even offline) programming courses available in Italy, naturally verifying the degree of reliability and the concrete results obtained by those who hold them.

After having learned the programming languages, you can use them for the development of your apps, using software used for the purpose, such as those that you find reported in this guide, which are divided into two categories: the SDK (acronym for “Software Development Kit “) and independent commercial solutions.

The former are made available directly by the operating system developers (in this specific case Apple) and allow you to take advantage of the reference platform at 100%, guaranteeing a rather detailed management and allowing you to carry out multiple tests, while the latter are released by companies third-party, are generally quite easy to use, allow you to develop apps within an integrated environment and, depending on the license held, allow you to create a project compatible with multiple platforms.

Once the development of an app has been completed, in order to publish it on the App Store (the digital store of iOS / iPadOS devices), it is necessary to have an Apple developer account. The operation costs $ 99 per year and must be performed through the appropriate web page of the Apple Developer Program website.

The process of publishing the developed app requires the use of Xcode (which I will talk about in more detail in the following lines ) and App Store Connect. The first is the software that allows you to develop apps and that allows you to send them to App Store Connect. The latter is Apple’s web platform to enter all the information on the app which will then go online on the App Store.

The monetization discourse must also be addressed. The developed apps can be made available completely free of charge, but they can also become a source of income: making them available for a fee, allowing free download with advertisements or, again, proposing in-app purchases to unlock additional content. For further details, I refer you to the consultation of the website dedicated to the Apple Developer Program.

How to develop a free iPhone app

At this point, I’d say we’re there: we can finally take action and find out how to create a free iPhone app. Below, therefore, you will find the programs that you can use to do so and the relative instructions for use.

Xcode (macOS)

The first tool I suggest you consider is obviously Xcode. This is the software made available directly by Apple for the development of apps for its mobile devices. It is therefore part of the SDK category, it is free and only works on macOS. It also integrates an emulator with which it is possible to check the operation of applications and Internet sites by simulating the working environment of iOS / iPadOS.

To download and install Xcode on Mac, visit the relevant section of the Mac App Store and click the Get and Install buttons. If necessary, authorize the download with your Apple ID password or Touch ID (if the Mac you are using supports the above technology). Next, start the program by clicking on the Open button that appeared on the screen or by selecting the Xcode icon added to the Launchpad.

Once the Xcode screen appears, press the Agree button, enter the Mac administration password and wait for the installation of the components necessary for the software to work. Then choose the option Create a new Xcode project, select the template you intend to use and type the name of the project.

After completing the above steps, you will finally find yourself in the presence of the program editor, which is organized as follows: on the left is the project structure, in the center the section to insert the code, on the right the viewer and at the top and bottom are buttons and menus with other functions and commands that may be useful.

At the end of the work, save the project by clicking on the File menu at the top left and selecting the appropriate item from the latter. For more information, I suggest you consult the web page dedicated to Xcode on the Apple website.

Swift Playgrounds (macOS / iPadOS)

Swift Playgrounds is another tool made available directly by Apple that presents itself as a convenient and simple solution to learn how to program applications for iPhone, iPad and Mac with the Swift language, in a fun way, as if you were playing a video game. Obviously, it also integrates an editor and a whole series of templates to proceed with the “real” development of the apps. It is free and suitable for beginners. On a computer, it can only be used on macOS, but eventually it is also available in a version for iPadOS (but only with iPadOS 15 and later it is possible to upload apps to the App Store).

When viewing the main screen of Swift Playground, if you want to try your hand at developing your app, click on the Complete List item located at the bottom right, locate the model you want to use among those in the Models section and click on the relevant Get button.

Afterwards, open the chosen template by double-clicking on its preview visible in the main screen of the program and use the sections attached to the editor that appears to develop your app: on the left you will find the section in which to write the code and add new elements, while on the right there is the section to analyze and execute the inserted code, as well as to preview the final result.

Any changes made to the app are automatically saved. However, if you wish, you can also export everything by clicking on the menu Export at the top left and selecting the option you prefer from the menu that appears.

Please note that since Swift Playground is an application also designed to learn the Swift programming language, you can use it for the purpose in question by selecting one of the playgrounds that you find at the bottom of the main program screen.

Solar 2D (Windows / macOS)

Solar 2D is an excellent third-party program that allows you to create apps for iPhone (as well as for iPad and Android devices), offering its users all the tools and functions necessary to succeed in the business. It falls into the category of standalone commercial solutions and is free. The only thing to take into consideration is that to develop apps for iOS / iPadOS you must necessarily use a Mac, on which Xcode must also be installed.

To download the program on your computer, visit its website and click on the Download button located in the center of the page, then select the link for macOS (eg. Solar2D-macOS- [version] .dmg ) that you find in next page, to get the program version for Mac.

When the download is complete, open the .dmg package obtained and, in the window that opens, press the Agree button, then move the program folder to the Mac Applications folder and click on the Corona Simulator icon that has just been added to the Launchpad, in order to start the program.

Now that you see the Corona SDK window, start the creation of a new project by pressing the New Project button and, in the new screen displayed, type the name you want to assign to the app, specify the template you want to use, the folder in which to save the project and define the other settings related to the screen and orientation, then press the OK button.

To proceed with the development of the apps, type the lines of code in the console window, while in the window shaped like an iPhone you will be shown the final result in preview. All changes made are automatically saved. For further information, consult the official program guides.

Other solutions to develop a free iPhone app

There are also other solutions you can rely on to create iPhone apps, such as the ones I have reported to you in the following list.

• Unity( Windows / macOS ) – it is a software designed primarily to create 3D and 2D simulations, so rather than being used to create applications it is used for creating games. It works with Windows and macOS and is free (as long as the legal entity representing those who use it does not generate earnings or fundraisers over $ 100,000, otherwise you must use one of the paid versions, with prices starting at $ 25 / month ). For further information, you can read my tutorial on how to use Unity.
• Visual Studio( Windows / macOS ) – is a free program from Microsoft, compatible with both Windows and macOS, which allows you to develop applications by choosing between various programming languages ​​and intended for various operating systems, not only iOS and not only for mobile devices.

For more details about the solutions I have just reported to you and to find out what other tools you can possibly use to develop apps for iOS, consult my review dedicated to programs for programming.

How to develop iPhone apps without programming

Knowing programming languages ​​is essential to develop apps for iOS, this is true, but there are also less demanding tools with which you can develop iPhone apps without programming.

This is the case of Appy Pie‘s App Builder, an online service that allows you to create native applications for iPhone (as well as for iPad, Android and other devices and platforms) automatically, starting from any website or online content, also offering the ability to easily update apps already published on the stores. To use it you need to take out a subscription (at the basic cost of 14 euros/month), but you can try it for free for 7 days.

If you want to use AppsBuilder, go to the service’s website and click on the Get Started button located in the center of the screen. Subsequently, specify your name, the category of belonging of the apps you intend to develop, the theme you want to apply to the editor and choose the iPhone as the target device, then press the Save & Continue button, enter the email address and password that you want to use to login or make use of the Google account and register for the service.

Once logged in, use the visual editor proposed to define the characteristics of the app, the design, the fonts to use, the icon, the background, etc. using the options and menus on the left, while on the right you can preview the final result.

Once the development of the app is finished, save it by pressing the Save & Continue button located at the top right, then activate the trial version of the service by clicking on the Try it button and providing the required data, so that you can then possibly proceed with its export and publication on the App Store. For more information, see the section of the App Builder website dedicated to FAQs and the community.

 

 

 

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