10 Essential Steps for Developing an iOS App Successfully in 2025

Did you know that the Apple App Store made quarterly revenue of $85.8 billion in 2024? And this number is set to increase even more in 2025. More business and solopreneurs will start building apps. iOS apps are not just a fashion trend, but a beautiful investment in the digital era we live.

BUT — how do you develop an iOS app when everyone is doing it? Do you build natively with Swift or across cross platforms? And where does Java programming trends 2025 fit into the equation?

If questions like these are on your mind, you’re in the right place.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the 10 essential steps in developing an iOS app in 2025 and beyond — as well as future-proofing Java development and how it affects your app-building approach.

Table of Contents

10 Key Steps in Developing an iOS App in 2025

Whether you’re an app developer wanna-be or planning to commission an app for your business, taking a methodical approach can save you time, money and many headaches along the way!

Here are 10 key steps in developing an iOS app in 2025 —

1. Get Clear On Your App Idea & Objectives

Before jumping into coding, take a step back and ask yourself:

What problem does my app solve?
What is the target market and intended audience for my app?
What differentiates my app idea from existing similar apps in the App Store that already target this same demographic?

You need to have a clear idea of what exactly your app is supposed to do before you start building it. Well defined objectives will help you make sure that every single feature you include into the app will correspond with the user needs and will facilitate the whole development process.

2. Conduct Comprehensive Market Research

To spend months building an app, only to discover someone else has already done it—better.

Why market research is important:

Identify the current competitors and analyse their strengths and weaknesses.
Keep yourself synced with what’s latest in iOS app development, so you can match users’ expectations with your app.
Discover any gaps in the market that your app can fill with a unique advantage.

3. Choose the Right Development Method

After validating your idea, it’s time to select the right development approach:

Native Development: For this we use Swift and Objective-C. We build applications specifically for iOS which ensures high performance and a seamless user experience.
Cross-Platform Development: Here we use frameworks like React Native or Flutter to build iOS apps that also run on Android. This is the most cost-effective solution but may have some performance trade-offs.

Which one should you choose? If your app relies heavily on iOS-exclusive features, native development is your best bet. However, if you want to reach a wider audience while saving development costs, cross-platform might be the way to go.

4. Assemble Your Development Toolkit

The tools you use can seriously impact your development efficiency.

These are the must have tools for developing an iOS app in 2025:

Xcode – Apple’s official IDE for iOS app development.
Swift Programming Language – Fast, secure, and built for Apple’s ecosystem.
AppCode – A better alternative to Xcode to ease development.
Alcatraz & CocoaPods – Must have tools for library and dependency management.
Mockingbird – To create interactive app prototypes.

Also, you will need to keep up with Java development tools. Especially when you are integrating Java based backend solutions for cross-platform compatibility.

5. Design an Intuitive User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX)

A great app isn’t just about functionality—it needs to look and feel amazing, too.

Design your app’s UI/UX based on:

Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines – Having an interface that conforms to Apple guidelines.
Minimalistic design – Uncluttered interfaces help in engaging users.
Seamless navigation – Every user action should be self evident and unambiguous.

Users will make a quick judgment about your app within the first few seconds of opening it up. If it looks bad, they’ll delete it before ever giving it a chance to shine.

6. Developing the Core Functionality

Once you are done with the designing part, it’s time to get started with your app development. In this phase, you will be implementing core features of your application, writing clean code and make sure you have followed security best practices to securely store user data.

Most of the developers prefer Java software development for backend services because it provides better scalability, security and performance which work well for high traffic applications.

7. Integrate Backend Services and APIs

Most of the Apps rely on the backend service for storing and managing data.

Use Firebase or AWS Amplify, cloud-based backed solutions.
Use third-party APIs to add functionalities like payments (Stripe), maps (Google Maps API), or notifications (OneSignal).
Make sure to encrypt the data and use a secure authentication method to protect users’ information.

8. Test Thoroughly

Everyone makes mistakes, even the best app developers, which is exactly why thorough testing is so important while developing an iOS app.

Your testing process should include:

Unit Testing: This is the first testing level where the smallest testable parts of a software are tested. It is done to validate that each individual component (unit) of the software performs as expected.
Integration Testing: Integration testing is done to check if different modules/modules with their dependent modules are working fine on combined basis or not.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT): UAT is performed by the Real Users of the application to approve or reject the application based on their requirements.

Skipping on thorough testing can result in negative reviews, crashes and app store rejection. Something no one wants as a developer.

9. Get Ready for App Store Submission

Apple can delay your app’s launch if you don’t adhere to their guidelines. To have a painless submission, make sure you get the metadata right with a good title, description and screenshots (they matter more than you think!). Make sure you’re not violating Apple’s security or performance no-nos. Also, before shipping your app out for real, use TestFlight to gather feedback from beta testers and perform any necessary last-minute fixes.

10. Prepare for Post-Launch Support and Maintenance

Your work does not end with the launch of your app. Proper maintenance is crucial for sustainable success.

Monitor performance – monitor crashes, bugs and user behaviour.
Release updates – add new features, fix mistakes and increase performance.
Stay competitive – Stay tuned with Java technology updates and iOS development trends to make your app still relevant.

Incorporating Java Development Trends in 2025

Why Java Still Matters for iOS Development?

Java programming language is still important and relevant, if not more. For backend development, Java frameworks 2025, like Spring Boot, are used by a majority of developers to create powerful server-side applications to support iOS apps. In addition, backend development in Java helps improve cross-platform integration with Android.

As the Java technology keeps evolving, programmers can use its enterprise-level security and scalability for developing server side applications that serve iOS apps. If your iOS app needs some sort of server side processing too or perhaps requires some kind of heavy computation logic, then there is no other language than Java for such requirements.

Final Thoughts

Developing an iOS app in 2025 definitely need you to be more creative and need more planning, logic, and expertise. Just make sure not to miss out on these 10 very important steps and you will definitely be able to launch your next ‘top charts’ application in the App Store.

Keep an eye on Java programming trends 2025, use modern tools and technologies while app developing and emphasize on user preference to build a loved app.