How to Create an iPhone App the Right Way From the Very Start

An iPhone application can help you enhance the utility of your phone. A well-developed application can be very useful both for your personal needs as well as for your business. You can even sell these apps. A customized app is of great value and this is why you need to develop it yourself.

Before you get down to make an app for the iPhone, there are things you need to know, things you need to have, and there are things you need to do. All these require some organization. There must be a chronology of action. Here is a procedure on how to make an app for the iPhone.

(Right off the bat, we should mention that if you’re thinking about an app for your business, rather than for leisure, it’s much more cost-effective to trust professionals, like the APP Solutions team, who have experience in app development.)

Do Research Prior to Starting Your iPhone App Development

The process of developing an iPhone app begins with carrying out some market research. Just having an idea is not good enough. You need to do your research if you are to successfully create your app because there are so many apps out there already.

Identify who you’re building iPhone applications for. Is it yourself, your business, or for a particular audience? What are some of the things you want your app to do? What mistakes did others with similar ideas as yours go wrong?

These are very important questions to guide you in your research. You can help yourself further if you go through apps in your area of interest at the app store. Have a look at what people have to say about them. You can also attend forums were necessary to get more insight on various issues concerning building iPhone applications.

Requirements for Making iPhone Applications

The first thing you need to have is your iPhone. You also need to understand the product’s functionality. A computer is also very essential. You will need a Macintosh or a Mac Mini in order to build a great iPhone application. Macintosh PC will enable you to effectively utilize its available development tools.

Better still, a Macintosh or Mac Mini PC will be of great benefit for you to place your apps in the app store. Another important factor to consider is that you need to be an Apple developer before you can begin to put into use specific tools of the Mac – that is if you choose to use the Mac. It is much easier to sign up with Apple. Just give them the information they need, read their terms and conditions. If everything is okay then say yes to their agreements and you are good to go.

You will also need an OS X operating system. OS X 10.8 can do. If you can get the latest version the better. This will help you ensure that everything works efficiently.

Software Requirements for iPhone App Development

Developing an app requires software. First of all start by downloading Apple’s Software Development Kit (SDK). Once you have downloaded it, install it. It is one of the most important for the purpose of iPhone app development. Apple’s Software Development Kit (SDK) comes with numerous forms as well as test codes. It is vital for writing iPhone applications.

Some of the software that you will need to write iPhone apps are Cocos2d and Xcode editor. You can download these from Apple’s developer page. They are free. XCode is a very important software for programming iPhone apps. It is a completely functional IDE. It also has a very charming work-flow. This is important since it allows for the revision of the source program code. It also has debugging techniques integrated into it as well.

An iPhone Simulator is also essential for you to properly develop iPhone apps. This will help you to test your application during the entire process of app development. In the entire process, you will also need Objective C. Apple’s Software Development Kit has made Objective C very easy to use nowadays especially for creating iOS, iPod, and iPhone apps. Objective C needs the knowledge of C programming since it is considered a cousin to C+.

Set Up Your iPhone App Development Environment

Step one

Download install and test the Xcode. It is the development of your app environment. It is where all iPhone apps are built. Xcode has numerous APIs. These will allow you to build your new app. With this, iCloud integration and Touch ID are also possible.

One thing you will note is that the Swift language has substantial changes. Changes that you will have to be very much aware of as you code the app for iPhone. Nevertheless, there is no more code-breaking especially with regard to the Swift language.

Xcode is a powerful tool. With it, you can get to build a very good app. Nevertheless, before you can even open your Xcode, it is important that you should first have your plan well-thought-out. A good plan will help you get a good app.

Without a good plan, your work will be in vain. Think about the features of your app design them well before you can open your Xcode. Your plan can include such things as your design document. This is a document that sketches all of the functionality of your iPhone app.

Plans for your user interface as well as sketches of the flow between your screens need to be in place. For this to work out well you need to have a basic idea of the sorts of systems that you will require. Once you have your design well laid out, stick to it during the entire process of your app development.

Step two

Download and Install a good text editor. It is possible to code very easily within the Xcode, however, it will be easier if you can have a dedicated text editor. Get a text editor that is specialized in programming syntax. This will make the work much easier. You can try out TextMate or JEdit, they are some of the best text editors you can use to make an app for iPhone.

Step three

Next, you can install a vector graphics program. This is very important especially if you have plans on building for your app custom arts and design. A program that can create vector graphics will be very important. Vector graphics are very important for a good looking app. They can scale without losing clarity. Some of the best vector graphics that you can use to make an app for iPhone include:

• Xara Designer
• CorelDraw
• Adobe Illustrator
• Inkscape

DrawBerry is another important free vector graphics. It is not as powerful as the ones listed above but it’s still good especially if you are a first-timer. It is also good if you don’t want to spend money on vector graphics programs.

Alternative Options on How to Develop an App for iPhone

At times if you may not have an interest in learning Object C yourself (and often, this would be much less cost-effective than hiring someone else, who already knows the best practices). In such a case you can hire a programmer to handle this part for you. It is understandable, you may not have the knowledge of programming and moreover, you may not have the time to learn it.

The next step is to sketch the functionality of your app. This you ought to do before you can get down to create an iPhone app, consider how it will look, its flow, and how it will load. Think about the graphics as well as the sound. These are very important. Decide on the type of music to incorporate as well as the game to include. The most important thing to consider is your app’s practicality. It is best that you keep it simple.

The next and last step on how to build an iPhone app is very easy. Take time and create an iPhone app. You can use the templates at your disposal – those that you had earlier downloaded using Apple’s Software Development Kit.

You can also use Objective C to study the Cocoa software. Once you are done then make use of the iPhone Simulator to try out your app. With the Simulator, you can tell whether you have made a good app. This is how to make apps for the iPhone.

To wrap things up

The iPhone apps market has changed significantly. Many are making more apps and improving their businesses by coming up with practical apps. Success stories of those who have successfully developed iPhone apps are everywhere. You can join the league and become part of the movement.

Denys Vetriak

administrator