Imagine wanting to book a flight while you are in a taxi without your smartphone.
It looks impossible.
That’s the impact of a mobile app in the current era!
Take an example of Apple’s iOS apps. It has significantly impacted mobile app usage with the next level of security and user experience it offers.
But if you are thinking of developing an iOS app for your business and making an impact, “Consider This!”
- You will have to design the app
- You have to hire an iOS developer
- You will have to test the app
- You will have to submit the app to the Apple App Store
- You will also have to maintain the app!
Looks overwhelming?
Fret not! There is another way- “An iOS app development company.” It takes care of all the development activities and app design while you focus on core business activities.
However, finding the right service provider becomes crucial, or you may lose money and customers.
So, how do you find the right iOS app development company?
This article presents a complete guide on why and how to select an iOS app development company. But first, let’s understand the market potential of iOS apps through revenue analysis.
An In-Depth Analysis of the iOS Mobile App Market Revenue
Why is iOS app development a goldmine for developers and businesses? The answer lies in the explosive revenue developers make by publishing apps on the Apple app store.
According to Apple, app store developers generated revenue of up to $1.1 trillion in 2022. This shows how iOS app development has been a profitable project for many developers and companies.
But let’s not jump to a conclusion!
Does the iOS app development have enough penetration?
The answer is a big yes!
Let’s understand some market statistics for clarity!
- iOS market share is 28.58%, the second-largest mobile OS platform after Android.
- Apple became the first company to reach a $3 billion market cap.
- iOS market share in the US is 60.77%, with Android in second place.
The above statistics clearly show the importance of iOS app development if you target a US audience. But before you start finding an iOS developer and creating an app, you need to consider some factors.
For example, if you are developing an iOS app to solve a specific problem. You will need custom business logic.
Ensuring these customizations fit well with your business logic to deliver a seamless experience requires an expert iOS app development company.
But that’s not all!
There are other reasons, too!
Why Should You Hire an iOS App Development Company?
Developing an iOS app can be challenging without the right expertise, strategic planning, and technical know-how. This is because the Apple app store has specific guidelines for each developer to publish.
1. Experience and Expertise
This is where you need an experienced iOS app development company. Companies with a proven track record in delivering native-specific iOS excellence can be helpful.
Some of the key metrics on which you can compare iOS development companies for experience and expertise are,
- Skills and knowledge of the team
- Case studies of successful projects
- Domain expertise for app development
- Niche-specific acumen to create custom features
- Development methodologies used by the company
Assessing these aspects will help you understand the kind of expertise and experience an iOS app development company has.
2. Cost-efficiency
Cost efficiency is a major factor that drives the need for an iOS app development company.
If you are developing an iOS app by yourself, hiring developers, and executing everything, chances are you may lose more money.
Cost of developing an application is one of the significant expenses that you can minimize with an iOS app development company.
Another aspect that you need to keep in mind is to analyze the ratio of affordability to quality.
If you hire freelancers and create an app, you may save more money but user experience will be suboptimal.
At the same time, an iOS app development company helps you optimize costs through strategic development while maintaining quality.
Most importantly, these companies are aware of the intricacies to iOS app development.
So, when your business scales, an iOS app development company can help tackle such intricacies and help reduce costs.
A simple example is data protection and storage. Such companies have years of experience optimizing resources and maintaining security, which can otherwise cost you a fortune.
3. Focus on Core Business Activities
See, app development lifecycle is long and requires frequent monitoring. While you are not only responsible for building an app.
As an entrepreneur or business owner you need to focus on product development, conversions and operations management.
While you are doing that, monitoring the app development, hiring developers, tracking resources, and optimizing costs can be difficult.
This is where an iOS app development company can help you offload the entire technical execution.
Such companies offer all-in-one solutions where it manages everything from ideation, design, development, deployment, and maintenance.
4. Customized Solutions
Personalization has been crucial for businesses and is now more demanding than ever. Bespoke iOS applications can help you create a personalized experience and increase conversions.
According to Forbes, 80% of customers prefer brands that provide personalized experiences. You must focus on customized experiences; an iOS app development company can help.
5. Access to the latest tech stack
Working with an iOS app development company helps you get the latest tech stack and ensures your app stays ahead of the curve.
These companies invest heavily in keeping up with Apple’s changing requirements and innovations, from new hardware products to upgraded software programs.
Using the latest tech stack, you can build features that offer a seamless user experience and provide native functionality.
Take an example of Apple’s latest dynamic island feature with specific iPhones. With access to a specific tech stack, you can create notifications that appear on the dynamic island, offering interactive and immersive experiences for users.
6. Robust Maintenance and Support Services
Beyond the initial development, iOS app development companies offer comprehensive maintenance and support services to ensure your app remains functional and up-to-date.
With each new iOS release, there is a new set of compatibility requirements and security threats.
Such companies offer regular updates and patches to safeguard your app against security vulnerabilities and compatibility issues.
These companies’ dedicated support teams promptly address any technical glitches.
Whether you want to fix performance issues, implement feature enhancements, or need reliable maintenance and support services, an iOS app development company covers it all.
How to Choose the Best Mobile App Development Company? Proven Tips
From experience to understanding the costing structure to the reputation of an iOS app development company, you need to evaluate several factors before choosing one.
1. Check Experience
Evaluating the experience of an iOS app development company allows you to understand whether or not it is the ideal choice.
If you aim at enterprise-grade app development, you must review how experienced the company is.
Here are some tips that you can follow to evaluate your experience:
- Look for projects completed by the company that are similar to your concept.
- Evaluate the design, user interface, and overall quality of apps created by the company.
- Contact the company’s past clients to assess communication, adherence to timelines, and the quality of the final product.
- Check if the iOS app development company stays updated with Apple’s latest changes and knows how to use the latest tech stack.
- Evaluate project management methodologies and their handling of potential challenges during the development lifecycle.
- Check the company’s approach to post-launch support, including their responsiveness to bug fixes, updates, and ongoing maintenance.
2. Study the Company’s Portfolio
Evaluating the company’s portfolio is a part of checking on the experience. This process allows you to understand how successful the company is in developing reliable and scalable iOS apps.
Some important things to look for in the portfolio are
- Range and complexity of apps developed.
- Relevancy of past projects.
- Past projects need to align with your industry.
- Frameworks and tools used in the projects.
- Timelines within which projects were delivered.
3. Assess their Familiarity with App Security
Apple has a specific set of security guidelines for publishing an app on the Apple app store.
So, if you want your app published, you need an iOS development company that is well-versed in Apple security guidelines.
Further, check the below aspects.
- Security tools and frameworks that the company uses.
- Knowledge of OWASP MASVS, MobSF, and CryptoKit.
- Check the secure coding practices employed by the iOS company.
- Evaluate the level of encryptions used.
- Ensure API security and authorization mechanisms are used.
- Check if the iOS app development company leverages extensive testing.
4. Understand their Knowledge of Trending Technologies
The company you evaluate needs the knowledge and expertise to integrate the latest technologies, such as AI, ML, and NLP.
While this may seem like an accessory feature to look for, it becomes crucial with Apple’s focus on AI integration in the upcoming iOS 18.
Using AI integration, your app will have advanced generative capabilities, enhancing automation and user experience.
So, there is no denying that you must evaluate the infrastructure, expertise, and knowledge of the iOS app development company in AI integrations.
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5. Analyze the Reputation of the Company
Choosing a reputable company is essential to developing a trustworthy app that users can use without worrying about data security.
So, how can you check it?
For starters, you can study their case studies to understand what type of customer success ratio the company offers. A reputable company ensures customer success.
You can also assess the customer feedback on GoodFirms or Clutch. You can also look for reviews on G2 or other such websites.
Quick hack- “Check social media handles and other platforms like Reddit or LinkedIn to know what customers say about the company.”
6. Analyze their App Costing Structure
App development budget is quintessential for your project, and if you don’t compare pricing structure, it may cost you dearly. Ask your iOS app development company to provide a breakdown of the total cost of ownership.
This must include,
1. Design cost
- App design research
- UX design
- UI design
- Branding
- Animation and illustration
2. Development costs
- Hours required for UI/UX development
- Hours for app platform development
- Hourly rates of the development team
3. Backend and infrastructure costs
- Data storage
- Content Delivery Network (CDN)
- Server hosting and maintenance
4. Miscellaneous costs
- App Store submission fee ($99/year)
- Annual iOS updates and compatibility maintenance
- Ongoing monitoring and app maintenance
7. Examine App Support and Maintenance Service
Launching your application is not the final destination, as you have to constantly ensure high performance.
So, if you are choosing an iOS app development company, make sure you evaluate the kind of ongoing support and maintenance services it offers.
Ensure that the app remains responsive and up-to-date with industry trends by choosing a service provider capable of continuous improvement.
Also, check if the company focuses on regular security checks and updates secure policies to make sure your apps are protected against new cyber threats.
8. Consider their Commitment to the Delivery Timeline
Time-to-market is a critical factor for any business. If you can’t seize the opportunity of hitting the market when it matters, you may miss out on high profits.
So, you need to make sure the service provider you choose is capable of delivering the project on time.
The best way to assess this is by analyzing their past projects. How these companies have provided their past projects and whether it was within the agreed timeline is what you need to watch out for, And yes there can be delays too.
So, check for reasons for delays and their problem-solving abilities. Further, you must ensure that the iOS app development company you choose offers complete transparency and has an open channel of communication. You can also measure development KPIs.
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9. Validate their Client-Centric Approach
Finding a client-centric iOS app development company can be challenging because assessing the options on this criteria needs some effort.
It’s not just their past projects that will help you assess the client-focused strategies but you will need a 360-degree analysis of the feedback from customers.
This will include,
- Checking testimonials
- Conversations with customers on different forums
- Portfolio of projects
- Customer interviews
- Assessment of policies for transparency
- Development approach
- Policies regarding NDA, IP, and SLA
10. Consider Project Life-Cycle and Management Process
The iOS app development process does not end at the launch of your application.
It is more of an ongoing process, and that is why you need to evaluate the iOS app development companies on the basis of their extensive support along the project life cycle.
Check if the company provides a dedicated project manager ensuring seamless collaboration during the development phases.
Also ensure there is open communication and check project delivery methodology of the company.
Apart from the above aspects, check on,
- Focus on examining their adherence to deadlines
- Quality control protocols & QA Methods
- Milestone achievements
- Operational framework
Elevate Your App Development Game
The iOS app market is growing; if you want to develop an application to enter this market, competition will be high.
Coping with the competitive demand of the Apple app store needs a planned approach with experience and expertise to develop user-friendly applications.
This is where an iOS app development company can help you offer comprehensive solutions ensuring high-quality performance, a customer-centric approach, and reduced time-to-market.
The above-discussed factors will help you identify the right iOS app development company.
You can compare companies based on expertise, experience, client-centric approach, past projects, development methodologies, etc.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- How should I go about rating the technical skills of an app development team?
- Examine the development team’s expertise with respect to pertinent frameworks , programming languages as well as application development tools.
- What should I look for in an app development company’s portfolio?
- Review the quality of their previous projects and their success rate to ensure they align with your project needs.
- What should I look for in an app development company’s portfolio?
- Understand the pricing models to ensure they align with your budget and project requirements.
- What post-launch services should I inquire about when hiring an iOS app development company?
- Inquire about application maintenance and support services to address future updates and issues.
- What are some must-have traits of a good mobile app development company?
- Key traits include expertise, client-centric approach, innovation, transparency, quality assurance, adaptability, an impressive portfolio, security focus, timely delivery, and post-launch support.
