iOS app development services
iOS app development for iPhone and iPad
Custom iOS app development in Swift: native iPhone and iPad apps that follow Apple's conventions and pass App Review. We keep them working through every yearly iOS release. Comtau designs, builds and ships them, and you own the code and the App Store account.
iOSBeyond the app screen
13:15
Illustrative example - not a client project
Native iOS
When a native iPhone app is the right call
Native iOS app development in Swift costs more than sharing code with Android, so it should be a deliberate choice. In these situations it usually is.
- 01
Your customers carry iPhones
Your analytics or market show an iPhone majority, so launching on iOS first is how you learn fastest for the money.
- 02
The app depends on Apple capabilities
Home Screen widgets, Live Activities, Sign in with Apple, Apple Pay, HealthKit, Wallet passes and the camera pipeline all work best from native code.
- 03
Interaction quality is the product
System gestures, haptics, Dynamic Type and VoiceOver behave exactly as iPhone users expect when the app uses Apple's own frameworks.
- 04
Android can follow later
A well-designed API lets an Android or cross-platform app join later without changing the backend.
What we build
iPhone app development services, and beyond the phone
Every project starts from the iPhone experience. As an iPhone app development company we also scope the Apple-platform capabilities around it: these are the most common.
iPhone apps
- SwiftUI interfaces with native navigation
- Offline data with background refresh
- Deep links and universal links
iPad layouts
- Split view and sidebar navigation
- Keyboard, pointer and multitasking
- Shared code with the iPhone app
Widgets & notifications
- Rich and time-sensitive notifications
- Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
- Live Activities for ongoing events
Sign-in & security
- Sign in with Apple and passkeys
- Face ID / Touch ID unlock
- Tokens kept in the Keychain
Payments
- In-app purchase and subscriptions
- Apple Pay for physical goods
- Checked against App Store payment rules
Watch & health
- Apple Watch companion apps
- HealthKit with explicit consent
- Glanceable notifications and quick actions
Apple devices
One codebase, sized for each screen
SwiftUI layouts adapt to size classes, Dynamic Type and orientation. We decide early which devices you need so that design and testing cover them from the start.
iPhone
The primary experience: one-handed use, safe areas, Dynamic Type up to accessibility sizes.
iPad
Sidebars and split view instead of a stretched phone layout; keyboard and pointer support.
Apple Watch
Glanceable companion: notifications, quick actions and complications, when they fit the product.
Engineering choices
How we build iOS apps, and why
These are defaults, not dogma. Each one is reviewed against your app's needs and recorded so the next team understands it.
| Area | Our usual choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Language & UI | Swift with SwiftUI; UIKit where it is still the better tool | Less code per screen, built-in accessibility, and iPad layouts from the same views. |
| Architecture | Feature modules with observable state and a thin networking layer | Features can be built and tested independently, and the app stays readable as it grows. |
| Data & offline | SwiftData, Core Data or SQLite, chosen by data volume and sync needs | Screens load instantly from local data and the network refreshes them. |
| Concurrency | Swift concurrency (async/await, actors) | Fewer threading bugs. The compiler catches data races before users hit them. |
| Testing | Unit tests for logic, UI tests for critical journeys, real-device passes before release | Regressions are caught in CI rather than in App Review or by users. |
| Delivery | CI builds with automated signing, TestFlight for every merge to the main branch | Your team can install the current build at any time, so progress is visible. |
Scroll sideways to see the full table.
App Store release
Getting through App Review without surprises
Most rejections come from preventable issues. We handle the review-sensitive items while building, not the week before launch.
App Store
iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch apps
- Build & signCI builds the release, signs it with your distribution certificate and uploads it.
- TestFlightYour team and invited testers install the exact build that will ship.
- App ReviewApple checks the build, privacy details and store listing before release.
- Phased releaseAutomatic updates roll out to users gradually over seven days; it can be paused.
- MonitorCrash reports, performance and ratings decide whether the rollout continues.
- Automated
- Review or decision point
- Live with real users
Privacy details
Privacy manifests for the app and its SDKs, accurate App Store privacy labels, and clear purpose strings for every permission.
Account rules
In-app account deletion where accounts can be created, and a privacy-focused sign-in option such as Sign in with Apple wherever third-party logins trigger Apple's requirement.
Purchases
Digital goods through in-app purchase, with a reviewable test account and notes that explain anything unusual.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to develop an iOS app?
The same factors drive cost on iOS as anywhere else: the number of user journeys, offline needs, integrations and whether a backend has to be built. Some costs are specific to iOS. iPad layouts, widgets or a Watch companion each add design and testing scope, and payments may have to go through in-app purchase. Whether you compare quotes from an iOS app development company or plan to hire iOS app developers directly, check that the estimate covers these items and App Store preparation. We estimate after a short discovery, against a written first-release scope. See what drives mobile app development cost.
Swift or a cross-platform framework for an iPhone app?
Native Swift is the better choice when the app depends on Apple capabilities such as widgets, Live Activities, HealthKit, Wallet or deep camera work. It also suits apps where interaction quality is part of the product, and apps that will stay iOS-only for a long time. If you need Android at the same time and most screens are standard, a shared codebase may cost less. Our cross-platform comparison sets out the trade-off.
Do you use SwiftUI or UIKit?
New screens are normally written in SwiftUI, which is now Apple's primary UI framework and makes iPad and accessibility work cheaper. UIKit is still used where SwiftUI falls short, for example in some text-editing or highly customized list behaviours, and when extending an existing UIKit app. The two interoperate, so an existing app does not need a rewrite to adopt SwiftUI.
Will you publish the app to the App Store for us?
Yes. We prepare the build and metadata, privacy details, screenshots and review notes, and we handle submission and any questions from App Review. The app is published under your organization's Apple Developer account, so you remain its owner and can change partners without moving the app.
Can you build the iPad version at the same time?
Yes. With SwiftUI, much of the code is shared between iPhone and iPad. The extra work lies in designing layouts that use the larger screen: split views, sidebars, keyboard and pointer support. Deciding early whether iPad is a scaled-up phone layout or its own experience keeps that cost predictable.
Is iOS-first still a sensible strategy?
It can be. In markets where your customers mostly use iPhones, or where iPhone users account for most of the revenue, launching on iOS first lets you learn with a smaller budget. We design the API and data model so an Android app can follow without rework.
Planning an iPhone or iPad app?
Tell us who it is for and what it has to do. We'll come back with an approach, a first-release scope and the questions that decide the estimate.
- Tell us who will use the app and what it has to do.
- We suggest a first release and the approach that fits it.
- You get an estimate tied to a written first-release scope.