From an idea to app store- Building my first iOS app with React Native

You can build and get your app available on the Apple play store. You need not take help from others when you want to do so. There is a well structured approach to this that we are going to talk about.

Why build an iOS app?

Before you get started with building any application for the Apple play store you must know why you are building it. You might want to make an iOS app for reasons like:

  • People build apps that can help them and others in a way that is either not done by some other app or is done better by your app.
  • Some people might build apps to sharpen their skills like gaining experience in technical languages.
  • To create a competitive environment by making the code open source.
  • To enhance the reach and create an online presence of the business.
  • To generate a secondary income, this must not be the primary objective as very few apps on the Apple store are making serious money.

Thinking about the app idea?

You should try to build an app and be the one from react native developers India. If you want to make your app that gets in use by people then it should have a proper objective to achieve and it should be based on feasible idea.

After you have finally decided what you want to make and you have made a roadmap of how it is going to be made and what are the requirements of your project, you can move forward towards the development phase of your app.

How to make a plan?

You need to understand the summary as to how your app is going to work. Keep it simple so that any changes you think can be done or are needed.

You can further categories the features for your app in versions. You need to have the features that are required to run the app in the first version so that it becomes easier to test the app with the basic features itself.

In the second and later versions you can add the secondary features like the UI related themes, and make the UI more compatible for usage.

How is an app design important?

Any react native developer care for the UI of the application as the UI makes the app more enjoyable. You can search for various apps and get an idea of the UI elements that catch your eye. You can use similar UI elements in your app. This will help you design the app in the way it fits to your needs.

After making proper notes on the UI elements that you require then you can sketch out wireframes. You can use the icons that are designed by people and pay for the right to use them. This will ease out the way in which you can make your UI more eye-catching.

The development process:

You need to decide the language you need to use to develop the app. React native mobile development is going to be one of the choices if you are looking for app development. If you already have an experience in it then it is even better, however, learning react native is not too hard you can learn it as well. To start with the development process you can use React native boilerplate, it includes TypeScript and MobX. With the help of MobX you can easily manage the global application state.

To set up the project you can use Visual Studio App Centre for continuous integration and deployment. By using it, with every commit in the master branch, you can deploy the build of the app to iTunes Connect. This is the place where your app can be submitted to the App Store and you can conduct testing for your app.

Another reason to choose Visual Studio App Centre is for CI/CD of the project as their free plan allows you 240 minutes of build time in a month with a cap of 30 minutes build time for each build. Once you have completed the basic React Native App Development Services of your app, you can go further towards testing of your app.

Why is the testing required and how to perform user testing?

If you want to market your app then user testing is beneficial in many ways. However, if your app is for self learning purposes then it might not be much of concern. The basic testing of the app can be performed as follows:

  • You can ask your friends to test the app and get feedback on the app from them.
  • You can release a beta version of the app before the full version and get feedback from selected users.
  • You can hire testers who can help you find bugs in your app.

Submission to the App Store:

After completion of your app, you might be excited to make it available for remote users. But, these steps are needed to be taken care of before submission of your app to the Apple App Store:

  • Read the App Store Review Guidelines.
  • Include notes for App reviewers.
  • Leave a detailed description as to how and what your app is expected to perform.
  • Submit the screenshots with the app, they make the initial impression.

If you follow these steps then most likely your app will not get rejected and you will receive an email within a day informing you of the approval. A few more hours and your app will go live on the App Store.

Conclusion:

It takes almost a month to completely develop a basic application, however, it depends on your team size and the kind of work required in your app that determines the actual time required. Keep in mind that you need to renew Apple developer license each year and pay for the rights of any copyrighted products used in your application.

Further, you can upgrade the app, monitor the downloads and usage of the app and begin with developing other applications. We hope that you will enjoy the experience of developing your first iOS app with React Native.

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