Become An iOS Developer: How To Learn iPhone App Development

Apple released iOS 13 in September of 2019.

Here’s a full rundown of what’s new in iOS 13. The key new features include a Dark Mode, a Find My app, a revamped Photos app, a new Siri voice, updated privacy features, new street-level view for Maps.

While red hot demand for iOS developers has cooled in the last couple of years, it still remains one of the most in-demand skills in the digital economy. Learning how to code and studying iOS development remains an excellent career path to follow today.

The financial reward of becoming an iOS and Swift developer is potentially huge. The average salary in the U.S. for an iOS app developer is $101,000.

If you’re ready to take on a big learning challenge, let’s get started!

How To Start Learning iOS 13 and Swift Development:

1. You will need an iPhone or iPad for development and testing.

2. It is preferable to also have a Mac using OS X Lion or later.

3. Download the iOS 13 SDK and X Code to start making apps.

4. Join Apple’s iOS Developers Forum to ask questions and learn valuable tips and tricks from other developers. You should also bookmark Apple’s Apple Developer Documentation.

5. Take one of the free or premium iOS development courses listed below if you aren’t already familiar with iOS development.

6. You will need to join the Apple iOS Developer Program to submit your apps ($99/year).

7. You may also want to experiment with Apple’s augmented reality toolkit by downloading ARKit.

Free iOS Development Courses:

The only free online course for developing iOS apps is a little out-of-date but it still covers many of the fundamentals.

If you’re don’t want to spend any money, you can install iOS 13’s Software Development Kit (SDK) and Apple’s X Code platform and start learning the fundamentals while studying this free course below.

If you’re going to go this route, you should also extensively study all the freely available glossaries and learning resources on Apple’s Developer Portal.

1. Developing iOS Apps with Swift (Stanford University)

This is the most popular free iPhone and iPad app development course but it hasn’t been updated in a few days but the fundamentals remain the same. It is provided for free on iTunes U and it is taught by the excellent professor Paul Hegarty from Stanford University.

2. Swift Playgrounds (Apple)

A new iPad app for learning Swift that Apple will release a few years ago and has regularly updated.

Premium iPhone App Development Courses:

If you want to build a new career in iOS development, you will want to dedicate at least 6 months to learn the foundation for becoming an iOS 13 developer.

Considering that 3-month iOS Bootcamp cost between $7000-$10,000 dollars, learning with an online course is an amazing deal if you’re a self-directed learner.

Affiliate Disclosure: We get a small commission from these links if you choose to purchase the full course. You still pay the same price and it helps us continue to make educational content like this.

1. The Complete iOS 13 Developer Course (Udemy)

This is the most comprehensive online training program I’ve found for learning iOS and Swift development. This best-selling course is taught by master teacher Rob Percival who has more than 100,000 students online.

2. Launch Your Career In iOS (University of Toronto)

A new iOS development curriculum from the University of Toronto on Coursera. It includes three University courses: Introduction to Swift Programming, iOS App Development Basics, and App Design and Development for iOS, along with a capstone project where you build your own iOS app.

This is a slightly more expensive option but you will earn a more recognized credential from Coursera and the University of Toronto, which could be helpful for getting your first job as an iPhone and iPad developer. However, what really matters is the strength of your digital portfolio of iOS apps you have built.

iOS Development and Swift Tutorials:

Here are some excellent tutorials for improving your skills in Swift.

1. Swift Tutorials – An excellent 22-minute introduction to Swift with beginners.

2. Swift For Beginners – An easy-to-follow introduction to Swift for people who haven’t programmed before.

3. Swift Resources –  Online guides, references, instructional videos and sample code provided by Apple.

4. Learn Swift – A no-frills introduction to Swift for busy and/or curious people.

Other Useful iPhone App Development Resources:

I also recommend browsing these online resources creating by experienced iOS developers.

1. Design+Code – An exhaustive list of learning resources for iOS design and X Code.

2. iOS Dev Weekly – A hand-picked round-up of the best iOS development links sent out every week.

3. The Swift Programming Language – A free ebook on Swift provided by Apple.

4. RunSwift – Compiled and run Swift code directly in your browser.

5. What does it take to become an iOS Developer? – A good discussion thread on Quora to read if you’re considering becoming an iOS developer.

I hope this guide helps you learn iOS development and kickstart your career as an iPhone App Developer.