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The demand for custom-built and user-friendly mobile solutions has never been so high, however, all the customers and swift app developers face the same challenge – choosing the right tech stack for custom software development. Another challenge is the necessity to find the best app developers for hire. Modern programming languages allow Swift developers to build multi-featured native apps with excellent performance and unique designs. In this article, we will focus on the custom Swift app development and discuss the main benefits of Swift mobile app development for your business.
Swift developers – a short overlook in the historic progression
Custom native app development, unlike the cross-platform alternatives, allows the implementation of the 100% available features for the chosen operating system, performs much better, and allows Swift developers the creation of a platform-specific UI design with the native toolset. Native Swift app development allows creating a perfectly functioning user-friendly app, offering a unique experience and occupying the leading positions on the market. Thus, a business owner can increase the retention rate and customer’s loyalty.
The preferences and specificities of software development in the US are different in comparison to how other countries approach it. According to the latest report, Apple’s market share climbed three points, from 39% to 42% in the US in 2021. The loyalty to Apple devices is explained not only by the trends but also advanced Swift iOS development that becomes more stable and relevant occupying the leading positions over the years. According to the GitHub list of the most actively developed programming languages, Swift app development is among the top 5 most starred languages:
A brief historic overview of Swift app development language
- The Swift 1.0 was announced by Apple in 2014 and it was fully compatible with Objective-C, and it was much faster, safer, and allowed Swift developers to write iOS and OS X Apps without writing additional code. It had a range of new features (variables, constants, type interface, generic classes etc.). The Playground feature allowed testing and rendering code in a real-time environment.
- The Swift 2.0 was introduced as an open-source language and enabled Swift developers to make the debugging process safer and faster. The language became source-oriented, enabling developers to use protocols as interfaces, extended protocols, and specify methods.
- The Swift 3.0 introduced in 2016 still required to add labels to all function parameters, enabled the Swift developers to keep the code more concise by removing the unnecessary words from function names, and simplified the import of C functions into the code by introducing new attributes for them. After some time, Apple has simplified the API guidelines to simplify the job for Swift app developers, allowing them to use verbs and nouns.
- Released in 2017, the Swift 4.0 introduced a transformation of built-in classes and structures. It allowed Swift developers to update the devious version of the language, using the migration functionality built into the Xcode.
- In 2018, Swift surpassed the Objective-C.
- In 2019, the Swift 5.0 was released. It allowed the Swift runtime to be incorporated into Apple operating system. It presented a stable binary interface on Apple platforms and backward compatibility.
- The version 5.1, released in September of the same year, allowed the extension of stable features to compile-time with the introduction of module stability, allowing to create and share the binary frameworks for future versions.
- The 5.5 version was officially released in 2021 and expanded the language support for concurrency and asynchronous code, introducing a unique version of the actor model.
For a more detailed overview, watch the video below:
https://youtu.be/kBCz54D57AM
Backed up by one of the most influential market leaders, Swift app development has become dominant for iOS native apps, opening unique possibilities for business growth. It speeds up the development process, cuts expenses, simplifies code maintenance, and guarantees the highest quality of code.
Why use Swift for mobile app development – real value for business
Swift app development has many benefits, in comparison to its predecessor Objective-C: it combines performance, efficiency, simplicity, and interactivity. Let us dive deeper into what benefits Swift app development provides for business?
- Speeds up the development process. Simplified syntax and grammar and the concise nature of the Swift application development language allow decreasing the amount of code needed to perform certain tasks. Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) tracks all the work and manages the memory usage, thus the app is taking less time for development. For example, Lyft, a driver-on-demand car service has completely rewritten the app using Swift. Their Swift developers claimed it was the best strategic move since it allowed them to shorten the codebase three times. It also allowed implementing the new on-boarding feature taking only one week and one engineer.
- Easily scale product and team. Using Swift iOS development means getting a future-proof product and the ability to implement new features when needed. It is a long-term investment allowing also to scale the development team and hire a dedicated Swift developer, it enables the quick onboarding process, simplicity, and conciseness of the codebase.
- High performance, speed, and safety. Swift application development practices were built with the LLVM compiler framework, which transforms the language into code and optimizes it, speeding up the development process. A strong typing system and quick debugging minimizes the possibility of code crashes and allows Swift developers to instantly define and fix the code errors. It minimizes the risks of the deployment of low-quality code.
- Decreased volume. The latest Swift version has all the basic libraries integrated, thus, the app built on those platforms will be smaller. Stable ABI (Application Binary Interface) allows Apple to support the language across all its platforms.
- Easier memory management. It uses the Automated Reference Counting (a garbage collector function), which allows defining the instances which are no longer in use and deleting them. Thus, the app performance increases without lagging the memory.
- Ability to use the language in front-end and back-end. Using Swift both on the backend and frontend allows extensive code sharing and reusing. The development process becomes faster, meaning fewer expenses on the development efforts.
- It is an open-source programming language. It enables the coders to improve, enhance and modify in compliance with the specific business needs.
From the long-term perspective, the decision to choose Swift app development will mean the ability to benefit from modern, safe, and highly interactive technology. It means stability and relevance through time.
The top reasons why the future of app development belongs to custom app development in Swift
Progressive companies, striving to scale up, hire dedicated Swift developers since it allows building powerful and efficient iOS solutions faster and at fewer costs. The language is convenient and simple for the development team. Moreover, the Swift code is easy to maintain since the contents of the implementation and header files present a single file. It allows developers to focus on the very process of building an app instead of maintaining documents. Swift supports the dynamic libraries thus two different versions of the same app can match with ease. TIOBE Index for July 2021 has ranked Swift the 16th among the top 20 programming languages, and it has proved its position at a global scale.
Altamira dedicated Swift developers build custom, cost-effective, modern, fully-featured iOS apps, taking into account all the user needs. We assist through all stages of development from idea formation to deployment. Here are the reasons why hire dedicated Swift developer:
- High performance and excellent responsiveness of the app;
- Access to native API’s and the ability to integrate the full range of features, that will exchange the data with other iOS devices;
- Out-of-the-box solutions for CI/CD;
- Ability to create eye-carving and easily navigable UI;
- Unique tech stack enhancing the security of an app;
- Swift is a statically typed language enabling developers to rely on XCode and be able to track the errors and speed up the debugging process;
- Clear code, rich UX, smooth performance – that’s what you’ll get if you choose to build a Swift app.
Third-party tools for Swift app development
Except for IDEs allowing to implement a variety of features for code building, the Altamira Swift developers use many other handy tools to facilitate the development process, apart from standard Swift libraries which are obligatory. They have shared the most efficient tools:
Fastlane – the assembly automation tool. It is an open-source platform allowing users to generate screenshots, deal with provisioning profiles, and release the application.
SwiftLint – a tool used for code style validation. It comprises a set of rules and helps Swift developers to control the style and conventions. It assists in maintaining the purity and compliance of the codebase.
Sourcery – a code generator tool. In Swift application development it is used for automatic conversion to Realm object structures.
Cocoapods – a package manager. While many people consider switching to Swift Package Manager, the latter one is the official Apple tool.
Jetbrains– an IDE used as a great alternative to Xcode. The tool helps to produce clean and high-quality code.
Figma and Zeplin – are used as utilities for working with ready-made designs. They allow viewing and interacting with prototypes on mobile devices in real-time mode.
Concerning the libraries, Altamira experts use mainly standard Swift tools. They have also shared the set of ready-made tools that are also used in the development process.
Alamofire – HTTP network library. It enables simplifying API call interactions (POST/GET/PUT/etc.) and makes them more understandable.
Sdwebimage, Kingfisher – tools used for downloading images
R.swift – code generator for more convenient access to assets, fonts, nibs, etc.
Lottie – a vector clip art tool, allowing users to use animations as easily as they use static images.
Snapkit – makes it easy to write UI code.
You can also use Postman and Insomnia tools for Swift application development allowing to work with various APIs.
Custom Swift app development with Altamira
The most of business-oriented apps are custom. These apps are created in accordance with individual business preferences and based on a company’s goals, requirements, and future objectives.
Why choose custom app development with Altamira?
- You get a custom-built solution of superior quality and performance from your competitors;
- The team creates a unique value proposition based on extensive research of the market and individual business needs;
- Users pay for experience and Altamira offers a unique set of features and great interactive design creating the best experience for future users;
- Our custom-built solutions speed up the scaling of the company, allowing to update and enhance the apps quicker.
With more than a decade of experience on the market, we are building strong relationships with our clients, putting their values and goals as the priority. Our business analytics can spot and develop the unique business potential offering expert tech support for extracting the maximum value of one’s business.
Our clients choose us because we offer:
- Fast time to market;
- Cross-industry expertise;
- Thorough research, selection of the best tech stack and specifications;
- Software engineers that follow the best coding standards;
- Regular code reviews and quick debugging;
- Automated and manual testing through all the development stages;
- Building MVP with the optimal set of features to test the product on the market and get the user feedback;
- Regulation compliance;
- High security and privacy guaranteed;
- Transparent documentation and project management;
- High employee retention rate;
- No hidden costs.
Our successful projects
Altamira experts have extensive expertise to power up your business with native mobile apps. The team leverages the best development and UX/UI practices. By partnering with us, you get Agile project management, involvement of the best specialists, minimal development risks, and pricing that suits your budgeting. The best proof of reliability and expertise are contented clients and successfully finished projects:
INCIQ – Impressive dating app
An impressive dating app with a unique design and the best matching algorithms. The interactive and easily navigable design allows users to get the best experience possible.
- our team managed to implement the best suitable matching algorithms based on preferred gender, location, rating, and personal characteristics, etc;
- a voice assistant features acting as an advisor and entertainment for users;
- a virtual matchmaker allows viewing the top matches, blocking the undesired matches and scheduling a date;
- the team management to successfully implement the time counting feature allowing the users to see the same time after the blind date ends. Both users could hear a signal and see photos of the person they were talking to;
- our experts have created a unique and simple design system for INCINQ that could help develop new screens or features shortly and simply on both design and code stages.
ZEMP center – A powerful management tool
The demand for mobile applications is growing, especially within the businesses aiming to scale and grow. The mobile app was developed for a project that has only a web-based version. It offers POS, Inventory, Products, Reporting, Employee/Supplier management. The app allows customers to become more flexible in the management of good inventory anytime and anywhere. The contribution of our team:
- The QR code scanning feature;
- Comprehensive and clear design;
- The list of details about sales transactions, date, time, payment, status, etc.
- Dashboards for quick and efficient custom order management;
- A great feature enabling to generate precise and regular reports;
- Stock count features enable to estimate the inventory;
- A feature enabling the Zemp center managers to access and manage the private information of other companies’ employees
- We implemented a convenient presentation of all needed information for a user in custom charts.
Hire dedicated iOS development team
Altamira – Swift mobile app development company offers various cooperation models including the possibility to hire dedicated Swift developer for your project. The team of advanced experts can be easily scaled in accordance with the needs of the current project. Experts offer a total involvement and full dedication being oriented on the highest possible quality result. Middle and senior-level tech specialists will do coding, design, testing, and business analytics. Delegation of software development to an advanced team of experts from Altamira will dave your budgeting, efforts and will prove to be a worthy strategic step in moving your business to the next level.
To sum up
Swift is becoming more mature every year. Apple is working on the improvement of the ABI (Application Binary Interface) system over the platforms and extends the platform’s support and adds new features. It remains one of the most powerful languages for custom app development. Since it is essential for business owners to be ready for any market challenges and changes they need to choose the tech stack that offers flexibility, stability, and high performance. Thus, most decision takers are rewriting their old Objective-C codes in Swift and launching the custom app development. The benefits are indisputable and such deduction will prove a great strategic move in a long-term perspective.
