Ultimate Guide on Hiring an iOS Developer by Following the Latest Practices & Steps
Searching for iOS developers to build a mobile app is a great idea to start making money. Why is this?
- Users spend two times more money on iOS apps than on Android apps (21.5 billion U.S. dollars vs. 12.1 billion U.S. dollars).
Read on to learn everything you need to know to hire iPhone developers that will build your next app.
Trends & Tendencies for iOS App Development
Apple Newsroom reports that this summer, their active installed base of devices reached an all-time high resulting in $23 billion in operating cash flow.
What does this mean?
People never stop buying iPhones and downloading new apps. This means that the demand for iOS developers will never fade.
Although, the trends are not the same as they were ten years ago.
To be considered one of the best iOS developers, a candidate should master, or at least know something about recent technologies, namelly:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Augmented & Virtual Reality
- Internet-of-Things
Everything You Need to Know About iOS Developer
Hiring developers is not about getting new people on the team. Instead, it’s about finding the right fit.
- Tech stack developers use
- Roles programmers perform
- Interpersonal skills for a smooth and timely project flow
Hire an iPhone App Developer: Technology Competencies
Let’s start with technology. Here are the competencies your candidates should have mastered:
1. Objective-C or Swift
Objective-C and Swift are two of the main programming languages needed to code an app. Swift is a newer language explicitly used for iOS devices. Nevertheless, iOS developers should know Objective-C as well.
2. Apple Human Interface Guidelines
Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines provide in-depth information on how to build user-friendly applications. To hire an iPhone developer that can create apps that match Apple’s rules and requirements, check your candidates on their knowledge of Apple’s guidelines.
3. Xcode IDE
Xcode IDE is a productive environment used for building applications for the whole ecosystem of Apple products, including iOS, macOS, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. Also, check if they are familiar with the benefits of Xcode IDE.
4. APIs
When hiring an iPhone developer, ensure that they know how to work with APIs; otherwise, you might run into problems in the middle of app development. Among the most popular iOS APIs are Google Maps, PayPal, Braintree, Facebook, MailChimp, etc.
5. Back-end support
The back-end application development for iPhone takes a lot of time and effort. You have two options: hire iOS programmers skilled in Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP, Ruby, or Python, or use MBaaS or Mobile Backend as a Service. In any case, your candidate should be able to discuss both options.
6. UX & UI design and databases
Providing users with a seamless and intuitive interface and experience is a must. Although corresponding specialists usually handle UX/UI specifications, it’s great to have iOS developers that understand design language and can contribute to your app concept with valuable tech ideas.
7. Application security
Although iOS developers are not the architects of the app’s security, they should know the proper development guidelines and best practices to secure your code.
8. Scaling
Your app should scale seamlessly as your business grows, so it’s best to hire iOS app developers who know how to build scalable apps. An iOS developer makes many decisions that influence scalabilities like the database, architectural pattern, or cloud platform choice.
9. Code review
Quality verification is a complex process that requires knowledge of design, test cases, test plans, and more. It is recommended that you hire an iPhone developer that knows how to:
- Run automated code reviews
- Review code according to the standards and best practices
- Check if the code meets non-functional requirements or NFRs
- Find out if the code is vulnerable to security threats
This way, you can be sure that the deadlines and quality expectations are maintained as expected.
iOS Developers: Roles & Responsibilities
Do all developers do the same job? No.
In application development for iOS, tasks get distributed according to experience level. There are three primary levels of competency:
To hire an iPhone developer properly, you should understand which task they will deliver — the development of a single feature or the whole product.
iOS Developers: Necessary Soft Skills
It is essential to hire an iPhone developer with the following soft skills:
- Communication — streamlines work with remote teams
- Critical thinking — helps solve complex tasks on time
- Time management — essential for meeting deadlines
- Persistence — ensures the solution to bottlenecks and blockers
- Problem-solving — enables innovation
It is also essential to check the following points:
- Overall experience — shows whether the candidate is skilled in certain types of work
- Portfolio — shows the candidate’s business skills
- Cultural fit — helps to avoid communication issues
How Much Does it Cost to Hire an App Developer?
When it comes to money, no one wants to pay more. iOS app developer salaries vary depending on the location.
Developing countries often implement tax subventions to boost IT businesses, so the cost to hire developers in Ukraine is considerably lower than in Germany or the United States.
Below, we compare the salaries of top iOS developers in major countries providing IT services:
Note: These are the data on the salaries that iOS developers receive working for companies. The rate will include the company’s fee if you hire an iOS app development company.
For example, hiring an in-house iOS app developer in Ukraine will cost you $25/hr. Still, if you want to hire a company, you’ll also pay for the quality guarantee and administrative support, which means the rate will reach about $40/hr.
iOS Developers: 4-Step Process to Hire
We recommend following these four steps:
1. Create a Project Description
To hire an iPhone app developer with the proper skills and experience, you must have the scope of work established beforehand.
Start by creating the project description and focus on the following steps:
- Define needs
- Target audience
- Select the app type
- Specify the set of features
- Decide on monetization
- Set the desired budget and deadlines
- Include possible peculiarities
2. Choose from Among 3 Options
Generally, there are three options for hiring iPhone app developers:
- Hiring freelancers
- Inviting an in-house team
- Partner with an outsourcing company
There are two models of cooperation with an iOS apps development company:
- Outsourcing — you hire an outsourcing company that takes care of all the management and development responsibilities.
- Outstaffing — you hire the required specialist with the company’s guarantee on performance and responsibility, but you take care of all the management.
3. Match with Developers & Conduct Interviews
After you decide where to search for developers, start screening. Check the backgrounds of the companies and professionals that you need. This may include running through their CVs, checking profiles for customer reviews and recommendations, visiting their social media sites like LinkedIn, etc.
4. Finalize the Agreement & Start Working
Ensure all the technical and management specializations are covered in the final agreement and that all sides agree to the conditions. This will save you from unnecessary legal issues if they should ever arise.
iOS Developer: 6 Benefits of Hiring
Statistics show that iOS mobile users have a much higher app retention rate than Android users. So, if you hire an iPhone developer, you’ll expand your audience base with loyal customers.
More than this, you can also expect healthier financial returns. A comparison of device usage in developed and developing countries clearly shows that iOS-powered devices prevail in countries with stronger economies like Japan, the USA, the UK, and Germany.
Other benefits from hiring iOS programmers include:
1. Expand Your Business to New Areas
2. Improve Your Product with an External Opinion
3. Reduce Your Risk of Project Failure
4. Get Specific Expertise
5. Improve Employee Productivity
6. Reduce Expenses
iOS Developer: Why Choose MLSDev?
If you decide to hire iPhone app developers for team augmentation, you must ensure that you get candidates with the highest professional qualities.
MLSDev approaches the task of employee selection with much attention paid to the candidate’s proficiency, responsibility, and ability to learn fast and stay flexible.
Here is how we select candidates to best meet your needs:
Step 1. We can offer you business analysis services where we collect your business and technical requirements to hire a developer that perfectly suits your project and build an ideal employee profile.
Step 2. Each candidate undergoes several thorough tests to validate technical knowledge, skills, and chief business competencies.
Step 3. The final candidates have to meet with your team to let you select which of them will be the best fit for your company’s culture and mentality.
Step 4. Upon selection, we provide smooth candidate integration within your organization. This includes taking care of legal aspects, administration, etc.
Step 5. We use the latest communication methods and technologies and daily reporting ensuring control over the project’s progress, the tracking of deliverables, and timely and successful performance so that you always know that everything is running smoothly and as planned.
Please find a complete article published on the MLSDev blog.
