Key Trends and Best Practices for iOS App Development

After phones became little colored screens in our pockets, the iOS application development process took off. The first generation of iPhone, released in 2007, opened the door for a new wave of technology, where people could spend their time on the smartphone screen and its various apps.

Consumers of all ages constantly seek new ways to connect with technology and the Internet. That’s why iOS app innovations continue to develop.

Are you interested in the latest trends and best practices in iOS app development? Keep reading this article to find out!

Why Would You Need an App Anyway?

In the past, businesses could operate successfully without websites, apps, or emails. Small firms and companies didn’t immediately find mobile apps useful when they emerged. But those times are long gone.

Now, the web reigns supreme when it comes to building contacts, branding, and marketing. And the field is a very lucrative one, as it turns out.

As corporate websites became a portal for businesses to engage customers, so did mobile apps. These programs that run on mobile devices took over the internet along with the new smart technology.

You now have thousands of games, location, and social media apps to choose from. They are excellent opportunities for optimizing branding, marketing, and sales. Websites like www.designrush.com can help you find a team to bring your iOS app ideas to life.

Key Trends in iOS App Development

Let’s review some current trends in iOS app development to understand the phenomenon better.

AI integration

Although it is a recently developed technology, AI (artificial intelligence) has already become an essential tool for many online sectors. It’s no wonder it has become a prominent instrument for developing iOS apps. They have become accessible and affordable tools for app developers.

Fortunately, Apple’s Core ML framework can integrate machine learning models into applications. This allows devs to improve user experience by introducing advanced features like personal assistants and image or video recognition.

For instance, image recognition enables apps to automatically categorize photos based on content, thus facilitating easier user navigation throughout an app.

AR experiences

Augmented reality keeps peeking through the mirage of developing tech, with Apple Vision Pro being the most recent iOS iteration. It allows users to merge the real world with digital elements without any flaws.

But this isn’t the first attempt at Apple’s AR dreams. Their previous project, ARKit, is the framework they introduced in 2017. The App Store has many ARKit-enabled apps, with the number acting as an indicator of the possible widespread adoption of AR technology in the future.

The online world keeps proving that AR is a thing of the present and future. Games like Pokémon GO show the potential of augmented reality, while retailers keep adopting AR features into their online shopping experiences.

VUI integration

The voice user interface has emerged as a prominent trend in iOS app development. Voice-activated assistants like Siri are at the basis of this technology.

More and more users interact with various household devices using voice commands and natural language to make queries and perform tasks. What they don’t know is that crafting such an experience requires much attention to natural language processing, context-aware exchanges, and speech recognition.

As voice user interfaces continue to develop and expand, integrating them into daily life changes how users engage with applications, including iOS ones.

5 iOS App Development Best Practices Worth Following

Apple thoroughly reviews apps before adding them to the App Store. For example, in 2020, it rejected 1 million apps. It takes the in-app experience very seriously because it’s a great way to engage with and retain iOS users, improving monetization.

Here are five best practices you can implement when working with Digital Silk experts to build your iOS app dream.

1.   Choose a Suitable Architectural Pattern

The architectural pattern aims to simplify app development and maintenance. ‘Architecture’ refers to how an application’s logic is divided into various components. For example, you can separate the app UI from its internal code. By doing that, you can test, develop, and update each side independently.

The three most popular architectures for developing iOS mobile apps are MVC (Model-View-Controller), MVP (Model-View-Presenter), and MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel), each with its own specific characteristics. You must first assess your project’s needs to truly understand which is right for you.

2.   Use the Advised Tech

Apple is famously very tight with its ecosystem. So, it recommends developers use certain tools and technologies when working on iOS apps. Following these recommendations is the best idea, as they can simplify your work and give you a better chance of making a compliant app.

Apple strongly recommends iOS SDK and XCode. These technologies have relevant libraries and functions, strong debugging, extensive documentation, and ample support in case of problems. It also uses proprietary programming languages – Swift and Objective-C – Swift being the easier to use, faster, and more powerful of the two.

3.   Write Clean Code

Clean code has a consistent structure, is well-organized, and is easy to understand. It should be a priority when developing iOS apps. One way to keep code simple is to follow the guidelines of Apple’s programming languages mentioned in the previous paragraph.

You can also check style guides on code readability. In any case, focus on keeping the appropriate naming conventions for components and variables. For example, the prefix tbl has the naming convention tblEmployees and the description Table. Using standardized prefixes lets readers instantly identify the code object referenced, eliminating the need to deduce it from context.

You can also use clean code principles like YAGNI (you aren’t gonna need it), KISS (keep it simple, stupid), and DRY (don’t repeat yourself), which you can use successively to simplify your code.

4.   Follow Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines

Apple has a list of human interface guidelines—a series of design principles and best practices for designing iOS apps. The guidelines cover various aspects, from layout, typography, and navigation to UI components, accessibility, and color.

Human interface guidelines aim to ensure that iOS apps follow consistent design principles to be intuitive and accessible. They also remove guesswork from app design. They can also increase accessibility for people with hearing or visual disabilities.

5.   Comply with Apple Store Policies

Apple is very rigorous when reviewing iOS apps. You can make sure that your app passes by complying with Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines. It is a set of safety, business, design, performance, and legal requirements for iOS apps.

If your app doesn’t meet these requirements, your chances of getting it into the App Store are slim. The human interface guidelines are the first step, but Apple looks at more than that.

Take, for example, performance. When an application has slow load times or frequently crashes, it negatively impacts user experience.

An iOS app should also have cybersecurity measures (authentication, encryption) in place, or it will be rejected. You should also have a privacy policy in place. And, of course, ensure that your app is complete before submitting it for review.

Conclusion

Ultimately, it’s all about creating innovative apps for Apple products. That includes iPhones, iPads, and more. We hope these key trends and best practices can help you take iOS app development to new heights.

Of course, even the best advice is useless if a capable developer does not execute it. That is why one of the first things your app creation project should focus on is hiring the appropriate development team. Then, you can truly start dreaming of a profitable iOS mobile app that millions of users download and use daily!