When it comes to battling on a level playing field, it’s the small margins that matter. The small innovations and quirks you do in your technique define your results. In the world of technology as well, all the equipment is available for all to use but it’s how we use them that differentiates us from the rest.
Apps for iOS are taking giant strides towards innovation and peak use experience. In an era of so many resources and tools, it comes down to how developers use these tools to their advantage. Based on the market trends and after understanding how the developers go about their jobs, we have curated a list of tools that can help them take their game to a next level.
What are Development Tools?
Development tools are a set of programs that enable the developers to execute a task or perform a functionality in an app that wasn’t previously possible with just the framework it was built upon. Programming languages and operating systems may put some limits to your imagination. Sometimes there are pre-developed tools that work with the same code for all apps. There can be an innovation from an iOS app development agency that the existing framework or OS does not support. For all these cases, a development tool can help you out.
These tools can be in the form of any aspect of the app. It could be a pre-written code from a library, a new technology or a set of programs that form a functionality that was not possible with the existing code.
Best iPhone App Development Tools
It is worth noting that these tools have a very short shelf life. Any update in the operating system may require a complete reprogramming of the tool. There have been instances when an app development framework itself has introduced functionalities that were only achievable with tools for a mobile application development agency previously. So based on the current market trends, we have come up with these five emerging app development tools for iOS.
- Transporter
Transporter tool is a one stop solution for developers to send, upload & register all their content on Apple’s various different platforms. A song, a video or any piece of content can be uploaded on Apple’s various different content hosting platforms with a mere drag and drop. You can also send apps to the App Store or books to Apple Books. All of it from drag and drop. All you will need is an App Store Connect & iTunes Connect account.
- XCode
XCode was an IDE – Integrated Development Environment initially developed by Apple. It worked as a base editor in the beginning. Being the default editor for developing apps and softwares across various different Apple devices, it quickly became popular among developers. The signs, shortcuts and syntax remain the same for developing all kinds of apps and software. It is an all in one tool for coding, designing, testing & debugging programs. It has a Mac based simulator that lets you test all the apps as well.
- Fabric
Fabric as the name suggests is a lightweight tool that automates some processes in the app development that makes your tasks easier. It essentially automates the distribution and deployment processes. It offers these automations in the form of app development kits. Tasks like crash reporting and analytics are automated to help you. It also manages all your SDKs on the same platform.
- Swift
Swift is a programming language developed by Apple. Aimed at higher performances and better compatibility, Apple claims that apps developed on Swift are a lot faster than the ones developed on Python or even Objective-C. One of the key benefits to hire dedicated mobile app developers who know OS specific tools is that you get your tasks done quickly and in a much more efficient manner. One of the biggest attributes of Swift is that developers can create entire apps from scratch on it or can use it to add functionalities on existing apps built on other platforms.
- CocoaPods
One of the most popular dependency managers in the world, CocoaPods helps you integrate third party libraries or entire frameworks in your project. CocoaPods manages these resources and keeps them updated for your app. Having a strong dependency manager enhances the performance of your apps. Sometimes, a library or framework that is not updated can lead to app crashes or slower performances. With CocoaPods, you can update all of those that have newer versions available.
Knowing your way around can help young developers a lot. You must be aware of your arsenal before you enter the war. These tools are pretty much in the trend these days but at times we have tools that are only popular in some regions. For instance, a tool that may be very popular for an iPhone app development company in Texas may not be relevant in a similar agency out East. This is due to the regional requirements of businesses.
Conclusion
Knowing these tools can get you ahead of the herd. Even with these tools, you must know the right set of combinations to get the best out of them. For example, a dependency manager may not be compatible with a new UX/UI tool that is just launched. As iterated earlier, these tools may not be relevant in the coming future as platforms are always innovating and adding maximum convenience and feasibility to their technology. The best tip is to keep looking around and being in touch with the community to know what’s trending and what’s the best set of armory for your battles.
