iOS app development: iPhone and iPad apps built in Swift
We design and build native iPhone and iPad apps in Swift and SwiftUI, test them with your staff on TestFlight, and get them through App Store Review under your company's own Apple account.
At a glance
- 5.0 from 50 Google reviews
- Native Swift, not a wrapped website
- Published in your name
Vimana Digital builds native iOS apps in Swift and SwiftUI for UK businesses that need booking, ordering, loyalty or staff tools on iPhone and iPad. Apps are published through App Store Connect under your own Apple Developer account. A first App Store release typically takes 8–16 weeks; costs follow the UK ranges on our mobile app development page.
- Store release typically takes 8–
- 16weeks
What an iOS app from us can do
Apple gives native apps access to things a website in Safari cannot reach. The ones our clients actually use:
- Apple Payfor checkout in two taps, with no card form to type into.
- Face ID and Touch IDsign-in, so customers and staff stop resetting passwords.
- Push notificationsthrough Apple's own service for booking reminders, order updates and offers.
- Wallet passesfor loyalty cards, tickets and membership, sitting next to the customer's bank cards.
- Camera, barcode scanning and locationfor field staff, stock checks and site visits.
- iPad layoutsthat use the larger screen properly rather than stretching the phone design.
We build the backend, API and admin panel too: see bespoke software development, and AI services if the app needs to read documents or answer questions.
Swift, SwiftUI and the current Xcode
Every iOS app we build is written in Swift, Apple's own language, with the interface in SwiftUI. Swift 6.3 shipped on 24 March 2026 (Swift.org, 2026). We use UIKit only where an older component has no SwiftUI equivalent yet, and we say so in the specification.
That choice matters for more than performance. Since 28 April 2026, every upload to the App Store has to be built with the iOS 26 SDK in Xcode 26; older builds are refused at upload. An app written in Swift against the current SDK is a routine rebuild each year. An app wrapped in an abandoned framework can be impossible to resubmit, which is how businesses end up unable to ship a one-line bug fix.
Our working rules:
- iOS version supportthe current major version plus the previous one, reviewed each September.
- Real devicesphysical iPhones and iPads across the screen sizes your customers use, not only the Xcode simulator. Details on our app testing page.
- TestFlight builds during developmentyou and your staff install working builds through Apple's TestFlight app, so problems surface while they are cheap to fix.
What App Store Review actually involves
Apple reviews every app and every update before it goes live. Its current statement is that it reviews "at least 50% of submissions in less than 24 hours and 90% in less than 48 hours" (Apple Developer, 2026). Many agency pages still quote the older "90% within 24 hours" line; plan on 48 hours.
The number people don't quote is the rejection rate. Apple's 2024 App Store Transparency Report lists 7,771,599 submissions reviewed and 1,931,400 rejected, which is 24.9% (Apple, 2025). Around 64% of those fell under Guideline 2, "Performance": apps that crash, are incomplete, contain placeholder content or describe themselves inaccurately. All preventable, which is what our pre-submission checklist is for.
Three guidelines catch small-business apps most often:
- 1Guideline 4.2, minimum functionalityApple refuses apps that are "a repackaged website". If your app is a web page in a frame, it will be rejected, which is why we don't build those.
- 2Guideline 4.2.6Apps generated from templates or app-builder services are rejected unless submitted by the business that owns the content. An agency account full of template apps is a red flag to Apple.
- 3Guideline 4.3(b), spam Tightened in June 2026apps "indistinguishable" from what is already widely available in saturated categories can be refused or removed (MacRumors, 2026). The answer is an app that does something specific for your customers.
One more rule worth knowing: if your app lets people create an account, it must also let them delete it from inside the app (Guideline 5.1.1(v), Apple, 2026). We submit under your account, answer reviewer questions on your behalf, and if a rejection was our fault we fix and resubmit at no extra cost.
Not sure your idea would pass review? Send us a paragraph. We'll tell you where Apple would push back before you spend anything.
Get a quoteWhat Apple charges, and what most small businesses don't pay
- Apple Developer ProgramUS$99 a year, enrolled in your company's name. This is your account, not ours.
- Standard commission30% on digital goods and subscriptions sold through in-app purchase.
- App Store Small Business Program15% instead of 30% for developers whose proceeds were under US$1 million in the previous calendar year (Apple, 2026). Nearly every SME qualifies; you apply once through App Store Connect.
- Physical goods and real-world servicesno commission at all. Guideline 3.1.3(e) lets apps selling physical products, food orders, bookings and services take payment with Apple Pay or a card provider outside in-app purchase (Apple, 2026). A takeaway, salon, trade-supplies or booking app pays Apple nothing per transaction.
- UK regulation is movingThe Competition and Markets Authority designated Apple with Strategic Market Status on 22 October 2025 and consulted in mid-2026 on letting apps steer users to pay outside the app (CMA, 2026). No final rule yet; see the mobile app development page.
How much does an iPhone app cost?
Starting on iPhone alone keeps a native app's first budget down: one platform, a small set of screen sizes and Apple's own design components. UK agencies published 2026 ranges of roughly £10,000–£25,000 for an MVP and £25,000–£60,000 for a production app with a backend; the full breakdown and maintenance budget are on our mobile app development page. A first App Store release typically takes 8–16 weeks, with review adding up to 48 hours per submission.
Your Apple account, your app
The listing, the ratings, the customer data and the ability to publish updates all hang off the Apple Developer account the app is published under. If an agency publishes under its own account, you are a tenant. We don't do that.
An organisation account needs three things, and we help with each: a legal entity (a UK limited company or LLP), a D-U-N-S number from Dun & Bradstreet, which Apple uses to verify the company, and a named Account Holder at your business with authority to accept Apple's agreements. We're added as a team member, and you can remove us at any time.
Source code, designs, certificates and the App Store Connect account are assigned to you in writing, because under UK law paying an invoice does not transfer copyright by itself. Full ownership terms are on the mobile app development page.
What an iOS app needs each year
Apple runs on a predictable calendar, and an iOS app has to keep pace with it:
- 1June: WWDCApple previews the next iOS and SDK. WWDC 2026 ran 8–12 June, with iOS 27 reported as a stability-focused release (MacRumors, 2026). We test your app on the beta over the summer.
- 2September: new iOS shipsCustomers update within weeks, so anything that breaks shows up now and we ship a compatibility release.
- 3Following April: SDK deadlineAll uploads must be built with the latest SDK (28 April in 2026), so the app is rebuilt in the current Xcode before any update can go out.
- 4Year-round:Certificate renewals, library updates and the Developer Program renewal.
iOS apps we've built
VetaHub Native iOS app built by Vimana Digital.
R&R Properties app In development.
We've removed the old page's list of sectors (banking, hospitality, gaming) because we can't evidence it.
"From when we contacted them, Amit responded almost instantly, he then came to our clinic and took our requirements and the site was built within the time quoted."
Louth vision centre, Google review"Amit is very knowledgeable, miles ahead of all the other marketing companies that we have worked with previously, and much more professional and down-to-earth. No sales jargon, or pushiness, and very reasonable pricing."
Charlotte Allen, Google review
Android, and where we work
About half of UK phone users are on Android, so most apps end up on both. Our Android app development page covers Kotlin, Google Play's testing rules and the yearly target-API deadline. We work UK-wide from The Long Eaton Hub; local pages: Nottingham · Derby · Leicester · Long Eaton.
iOS appdevelopmentquestions
Not covered here? Call and ask. We reply within 24 hours.
How much does it cost to build an iPhone app in the UK?
UK agency benchmarks for 2026 put an iPhone MVP at roughly £10,000–£25,000 and a production app with a backend at £25,000–£60,000. Building for iOS alone is cheaper than both platforms because there is one codebase and fewer devices to test. We quote a fixed scope after discovery.
How long does App Store review take?
Usually one to two days. Apple states it reviews at least 50% of submissions within 24 hours and 90% within 48 hours. A rejection restarts the clock, so we run a pre-submission checklist against Apple's most common rejection reasons and plan the launch date with a 48-hour buffer.
Why do apps get rejected by Apple?
Mostly for preventable problems. Apple rejected 24.9% of submissions in 2024, and around 64% of rejections fell under "Performance", which covers crashes, unfinished features, placeholder content and misleading listings. A website wrapped as an app, template-generated apps, and apps without in-app account deletion are also refused.
Will my app be built in Swift or SwiftUI?
Both. Swift is the programming language; SwiftUI is Apple's current framework for building the screens. We write the app in Swift with SwiftUI interfaces, using UIKit only where a component has no SwiftUI equivalent. This keeps the app current with each year's SDK requirement.
Which iPhones and iOS versions will the app support?
By default the current iOS version and the one before it, because iPhone owners tend to update quickly. Supporting older versions costs more testing time for a shrinking audience. We review the policy each September when Apple releases the new iOS.
What are Apple's fees for a small business?
The Apple Developer Program costs US$99 a year. Commission on digital sales is 15% under the Small Business Program for developers under US$1 million a year, not 30%. Apps selling physical goods, food, bookings or real-world services pay no commission at all and can take payment by Apple Pay or card.
Who owns the app and the Apple account?
You do. The app is published under an Apple Developer account in your company's name with you as Account Holder, and source code, designs and certificates are assigned to you in the contract. We hold team-member access that you can revoke at any time.
Can my staff test the app before launch?
Yes, through TestFlight, Apple's own pre-release testing app. During development you receive regular builds to install on real iPhones and iPads . Feedback and crash reports come straight back to us, so issues are fixed while they are still cheap to fix.
Tell us about your iPhone app
One paragraph on what it should do and who will use it is enough. We'll reply with questions, then a scoped estimate with cost and timeline in writing.
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Author: Amit Saini, founder and lead developer, Vimana Digital. Last reviewed: 9 October 2026
- 0115 647 0444
- contact@vimanadigital.com
- Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm
- 1 Union Street, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 1HH
"He really understood the brief and completed it quickly. I have received a lot of business from it and everyone says they really like its content." — Samantha Taylor, Google review