I’ve had “build an iOS App” on my TODO list for a while. However recently I’ve started the process and boy, it’s not easy.
Building the App is just half of it, getting it on the App Store is more tricky. Us in web development have it easy when it comes to deployment. I can easily understand how this process attempts to incentivise quality. Here are of my notes about the process:
What App are you making?
I’ve been asked a bunch of strange React Trivia at interviews, some of these questions are obscure and easily Google-able. However that’s not how that works, I needed to remember them.
In typical developer style I decided to build a React Trivia App to test myself. I thought I could learn the questions and tick off my iOS App urge in one process. The Apple fee is £79, if I sell it for 50p maybe I’ll break even? Is there a market for 158 people to purchase it? Let’s find out.
The App Store Process
Working in React recently, I figured I’ll use React Native for this project. My first thoughts were “this is quite different from React, it doesn’t really feel like React at all, it must just be to leverage the brand”.
Before I started I had a awareness to setup the deployment process.
- Setup and download XCode
- Register as an Apple Developer with an Apple ID
- The Apple Developer fee for the UK is £79 per year.
- As a company you’ll need a DUNS Number. They’re free but take some time to come through
- Set up the Developer account
- You’ll need a marketing landing page
- A privacy policy
- App Store screenshots, three should be OK.
- App icons
With all that in mind, start to develop the App. TestFlight is an App that allows you to test the app on actual devices, you can even send the link to people you know to help you out.
First attempt - rejected
I took a minimum viable product (MVP) approach to this due to being a side quest. The App was pretty simple, too simple according to the Apple Review powers and was rejected. Rejection was expected, I’d planned for 3 rejections as I got used to the process.
Guideline 4.2 - Design - Minimum Functionality. The usefulness of the app is limited by the minimal functionality it currently provides.
What features can I add?
Let’s iterate and get this published…