iOS App Development Services

Who can build an iOS app from scratch

If you need an iPhone or iPad app built from nothing, you are looking for a team that can do product discovery, interface design and Swift engineering together, then shepherd the app through Apple’s review process. Tepia has shipped native iOS apps for thirteen years for ministries, wellness brands, grocery chains, hospitals and hardware companies.

Tepia’s iOS work is led from the United States. Your project manager, design lead and engineering lead are US based, and the Swift engineers on your build are hand picked individuals working in US overlapping hours. Daily Hope, The Work App and Maximum Controls all shipped on iOS through this model, and you can see them on the Tepia portfolio.

The goal is an app engineered for retention. Tepia clients report apps averaging 4.5 stars on the App Store, and that rating comes from the unglamorous details: fast launches, predictable navigation, accessibility and stable releases across iOS versions.

When native iOS beats cross platform

Tepia builds cross platform apps too, so this recommendation is not a sales position. Native Swift is the right call when the app depends on Apple platform capabilities or when the user experience itself is the product. Tepia uses the table below in Discovery to make the choice explicit.

When a client plans to add Android within a year, Tepia will often recommend starting cross platform instead, and says so in writing during Discovery. The full comparison is on the React Native vs Flutter vs native page.

Swift, SwiftUI and the Tepia iOS stack

Tepia writes new iOS apps in Swift with SwiftUI for interface code, falling back to UIKit only where a specific control or legacy dependency requires it. Architecture is modular so that features can be tested in isolation, and Tepia targets the current iOS version plus the previous two, which covers the large majority of active devices based on Apple’s own adoption reporting.

• Backend. Firebase for fast MVPs, or a custom API in Node.js, .NET or Python on PostgreSQL, hosted on AWS, Azure or GCP.
• Offline first sync so the app keeps working in elevators, hospitals and rural service areas, with conflict resolution designed in Discovery.
• Push notifications through APNs, built around a retention plan rather than blasted at everyone.
• Payments through StoreKit for digital goods and Stripe or Square for physical goods and services, keeping Tepia’s PCI DSS scope minimal.
• AI features through OpenAI and Anthropic model APIs and on device CoreML where privacy or latency demands it.
• Accessibility to WCAG 2.1 AA, including VoiceOver labels and Dynamic Type.

Every Tepia iOS build also ships with crash reporting, analytics events tied to your user stories, and a release pipeline using TestFlight so your team can test every Beta on real devices.

How Tepia approaches iOS app development

Tepia’s six phase process applies to every iOS engagement, and the process page covers each step in detail. Here is what is specific to iOS.

1. Discovery (typically 1 to 3 months). System investigation, user interviews and third party integration review. Tepia also checks your idea against App Store Review Guidelines at this stage so that nothing in scope will be rejected later. Deliverables: Investigation Summary, Interview Summary, User Stories.
2. Design. Design questionnaire, moodboards and a style guide aligned with Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines, then detailed wireframes and sample designs for every screen size from iPhone SE to iPad.
3. Development and Testing. Alpha and Beta schedules with test plans for functional, user acceptance and non functional testing. Tepia tests on physical devices across supported iOS versions and delivers builds through TestFlight.
4. Training. Hands on sessions, in person or remote, using your user story scenarios so admins and support staff can handle launch day.
5. Launch. Tepia prepares the App Store listing, screenshots, privacy nutrition labels and review notes, submits the build, handles any rejection, and manages data migration from a previous system.

App Store review, privacy and ongoing updates

Apple rejects apps for reasons that have nothing to do with code quality: missing account deletion, unclear subscription terms, login walls without a reason, or privacy labels that do not match actual data collection. Tepia reviews your scope against these rules in Discovery and again before submission, and has handled App Store review for clients across healthcare, faith, wellness and retail categories.

After launch, iOS keeps moving. Each September brings a new iOS version, new device sizes and occasionally new rules, such as privacy manifest requirements.

If you already have an iOS app that needs new features, a redesign or a move to SwiftUI, Tepia’s app evolution service starts with an audit rather than a rebuild. Explore all Tepia services or read about the broader custom mobile app development practice.

Frequently asked questions