App developmentiOS and App Store
iOS app development
From the first build to "Ready for Sale". Apple review included.
We design and develop apps for iPhone and iPad starting from a modern web base, brought to iOS with Capacitor, and write in Swift native modules when needed. Then we accompany it between TestFlight, App Store Connect and Apple auditors. We know what they're looking at: we've been through it.
- Devices
- iPhone and iPad
- Tests
- TestFlight
- Publication
- App Store Connect
- Payments
- StoreKit 2
- Notifications
- APNs
- Access
- Sign in with Apple
How do you develop and publish an iOS app?
You write the app, compile it with Xcode, try it on real iPhones with TestFlight and send it to Apple from App Store Connect: if the review goes well, it becomes Ready for sale. You need an Apple Developer account and an iPhone. Mac, build and dialogue with reviewers are our business.
- Apple Fixed Cost
- 99 USD per year for the Apple Developer Program, paid to Apple. Companies sign up with the number D-U-N-S.
- Review times
- According to Apple, on average 90% of the apps sent are reviewed in less than 24 hours.
- Requirement 2026
- As of April 28, 2026 App Store Connect only accepts builds compiled with Xcode 26.
- Whose app is it
- Accounts and code remain yours: we work as members of your team in App Store Connect.
Sources:Apple Developer ProgramApp ReviewLoading RequirementsD-U-N-S
The process
From Xcode to the App Store: TestFlight and App Store Connect
Every iOS app goes the same way. It changes how smooth it is: it depends on what you prepare before you leave.
Build with Xcode
We build the app on a Mac using Xcode, sign it with your account's certificates and upload it to App Store Connect. We then create its listing: name, description, screenshots and pricing.
Xcode 26, mandatory from 28/04/2026Source: Apple, loading requirements
TestFlight
Before the audience you try it. TestFlight installs the app on your iPhone and on that of chosen colleagues or customers, with an email invitation or a link. We collect the comments and fix it.
Up to 10,000 external testersSource: Apple, TestFlight
Apple Review
A reviewer tries the app on real devices, hand guidelines. If something doesn't come back, he writes in the App Store Connect which rule: we correct, respond and resend.
90% reviewed in less than 24 hoursSource: Apple, App Review
Publication
You decide when to exit: right after approval or on a specific date. Updates come to everyone together or with the gradual release, distributed over seven days.
Gradual Release in 7 DaysSource: Apple, App Store Connect
Before pressing Send
Why Apple Rejects Apps, and How to Avoid It
Six App Review Guidelines points to address before submission. Some are lessons we learned first-hand with Athleex, which is why we check them from day one.
Guideline4.2
Minimum functionality
A site wrapped in an app is rejected: you need features, content, and interface that go beyond the site. In the app we put the product, not the marketing pages, and we use the phone where it is needed: notifications, camera, purchases.
Guideline3.1.1
In-app purchases
If you sell digital content or features to use in the app, the payment goes from Apple's in-app purchase. For physical goods and services enjoyed outside the app, such as an order or a reservation, traditional payments are used instead.
Guideline3.1.2
Subscriptions
Before paying, the user must see what they get, how much it costs and how much they renew. Terms of use and privacy must be linked in the purchase screen and in the store tab.
Guideline5.1.1(v)
Account cancellation
If you can register in the app, you must also be able to delete it from the app. No emails to send or forms to search the site.
Guideline2.1
Demo Accounts for Reviewers
The auditor must be able to enter and try everything, including purchases. We prepare him a demo account and clear notes: where to go, what to touch, what to expect.
App Store Connect
Privacy Labels
In the app tab, you state what data it collects, including data from third-party tools such as analytics and crash reports. Labels must match the privacy policy and what the app really does.
Facts, with the source next door
How much does it cost and how long does it take Apple
The numbers to know before you leave. They're Apple's, not ours: every line leads to the official page.
99USD
per year for the Apple Developer Program
This is the fee paid to Apple for App Store publishing, the same for individuals and companies. Development is a separate cost. For market ranges, see our cost page.
90%
apps reviewed in less than 24 hours
It's the average stated by Apple. A first version with in-app purchases can ask for more than one spin: it's better to get there with the checklist already ticked.
Xcode 26
mandatory from 28 April 2026
Apps uploaded to the App Store Connect must be compiled with Xcode 26 and the iOS 26 SDK. Keeping Macs and tools up to date is our job.
D-U-N-S
the code that Apple asks companies
It is a free Dun & Bradstreet identifier: Apple uses it to verify that the company exists and that those who sign it can sign up for them. It takes up to five working days, and the legal name must match letter by letter, including punctuation.
We've been there.
Athleex and Apple review, including rejections
Athlex is the platform for personal trainers that we brought to the App Store, Google Play and PWA with a single code base. On iOS it did not move to the first send, nor to the second. Every rejection has become a checklist entry above.
3.1.1In-app purchases
RejectedSolvedThe AuditorDigital content unlocked from a purchase made out of the app.
The CorrectionIn-app purchases with StoreKit 2, through a native plugin written on purpose. Professional accounts are activated from the site, without prices or payment links in the app.
3.1.2Subscriptions
RejectedSolvedThe AuditorThe store description lacked a link to the terms of use.
The CorrectionTerms of use and privacy linked both in the purchase screen and in the App Store tab.
2.1Completeness
RejectedSolvedThe AuditorWith the demo account you couldn't try the entire purchase flow.
The CorrectionA demo account with the subscription expired: the reviewer sees the block, buys in trial mode and checks that everything unlocks.
4Design
RejectedSolvedThe AuditorPermission requests written in a different language than the main one of the app.
The CorrectionAll the texts of the permission requests rewritten in the main language declared for the app.
- Ready for sale
StoreKit 2, in native
Capacitor alone was not enough: plugins in Swift on StoreKit 2, verification of purchases on the server and Apple notifications on renewals.
Push Notifications with APNs
On iOS, notifications switch from APNs, Apple's service: key, app permissions, and servers need to talk to each other. The backend of Athleex writes directly to APNs; Android switches from Firebase.
Do you need a Mac? No.
Building and signing an iOS app requires a Mac with Xcode, which we provide. You test the app on your iPhone through TestFlight and manage its listing, pricing and statistics in App Store Connect, which runs in a browser, including on Windows.
| Tasks | You | Giallo Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Developer Account | You write it to yourself or your company and you pay the 99 USD per year | We guide you in signing up and joining as team members |
| Mac and Xcode | You do not need them | Build, sign and load |
| Tests | TestFlight on your iPhone | Simulators and test devices |
| Review | Approve texts and screenshots | Sending, notes for the reviewer, replies |
| After the exit | Decide what's new | Updates for new versions of iOS and Xcode |
For companies
iOS app for companies: public, private or just for your own
Not all apps need to be showcased. Apple has different routes depending on who needs to use it, and the choice changes times and requirements.
Public App Store
For customers and end users: the app is found looking for it, with tab, reviews and automatic updates.
Distribution not listed
The app passes review but does not appear in search; only people with its link can install it. This requires an application to Apple and can suit selected customers, sales teams and events.
Custom apps for companies
Private distribution through Apple Business (until April 2026 it was called Apple Business Manager), for organizations that install the app on their devices.
TestFlight
For trial versions, not for everyday use: each build remains available 90 days.
If you need a staff tool more than a store app, read the page on Tailored Business Apps; if a browser-installable app is enough, consider a PWA.
Native Swift or a web base? How do we develop apps for iPhone and iPad
We build the app with Next.js, React and TypeScript, then bring it to iPhone through Capacitor. The same codebase produces the iOS app, Android app and PWA, so a fix reaches all three together. When direct operating system access is needed, we write a native Swift module, such as Athleex's StoreKit 2 plugin.
If the project lives on features that only native code does well, such as augmented reality boost, we tell you before you leave. We work with programming agents like Claude Code: prototypes arrive in days instead of weeks, and the code remains legible and yours. How we do it is on the page about artificial intelligence app; the version for Google Play starts from the same base and is on the page about Custom Android App.
Frequently asked questions
iOS app development, the questions they ask us
We clarify the rest during the free assessment. For market figures, see our cost page; for how we build a quote, the page prices.
Sources of answers:App ReviewD-U-N-STestFlightContractsDigital Services Act
You do not need one. We use a Mac with Xcode to build, sign and upload the app. You test versions on your iPhone through TestFlight and manage the listing in App Store Connect, which also works in a browser on Windows.
Yes, if the app is just the site within a frame: guideline 4.2 asks for functions, content and interface that go beyond a repackaged site. A web-based app passes if it is designed for the phone, with native features where needed and no marketing pages inside.
The Apple Developer Program costs $99 a year. Companies sign up as an organization with the D-U-N-S number, a free Dun & Bradstreet ID: Apple indicates up to five business days to get it, plus a couple for you to get to them. It is advisable to ask immediately; those who register as a natural person do not need it.
Apple states that on average 90% of apps are reviewed in less than 24 hours. If a rejection comes, the reviewer indicates the guideline is not met: we correct, respond in App Store Connect and postpone.
It's Apple's service for trial versions: invite colleagues or customers with an email or public link and they try the app on their iPhone. Each build remains available for 90 days; the first for external testers passes a short revision.
When you sell content or digital features to use in the app, such as premium subscriptions or credits: payment goes from Apple's in-app purchase, which we integrate with StoreKit 2, and to cash in you need the contract for paid apps and tax and banking data. Physical goods and services used outside the app use traditional payments; the United States and the European Union have their own rules.
In App Store Connect it must be declared whether the publisher is a commercial operator under the Digital Services Act. A company usually is: then address, phone and email appear in the app tab in the countries of the Union. Without the declaration, the app does not remain on the European App Store.
It depends on functions, integrations and in-app purchases: on the market you go from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of euros. Bands, with sources, are on the cost page of app development. We give a fixed price quote after the free 30-minute evaluation.
Let's talk about your app
Have an app to publish on the App Store?
Tell us what the app should do and who it is for. We will contact you within one working day to arrange a free 30-minute initial assessment: what it needs for the App Store, what could cause rejection and where to start.