Introduction
In the ever-evolving technology landscape, portability is of prime importance. Today, most people look for accessibility on the go. The demand for accessing information, online business, shopping, communication, and education is at its peak, giving rise to the need for portable devices.
Among the industry leaders, Apple’s products such as iPhone and iPad are used by millions worldwide. As Apple continues to dominate a significant share of the market amid competition from the Android market, the popularity of Apple products continues to increase over time due to their seamless user experience.
According to Glassdoor reports, out of various types of mobile application developer roles, iOS developers command a lucrative salary structure of average base pay of $98,986, and senior positions are estimated to receive as high as $200,000 in the US. However, there are some reservations among the developers’ community regarding iOS development due to specific requirements such as Mac desktops or MacBook in the development phases, which is expensive compared to Android or Windows-related counterparts.
Nevertheless, with Apple continuing a consistent growth in the market, it is the opportune moment for aspirants and experienced developers looking for a switch into the Apple industry to gain knowledge of the Apple ecosystem and the programming languages by opting for some of the highly-rated courses to upskill themselves to become one of the leading iOS app developers in the industry.
Related reading: Top 16 Android Development Course
1. Swift 5 iOS Application Developer Specialization – Coursera
Learn Quest offers this course on the Coursera platform. In this iOS development course, the learners will begin with the basics and progress towards deploying their applications on the app store.
The course is perfect for learners looking to advance their mobile application development careers with expertise in Swift programming language and iOS applications. Throughout this course, the learners will be exposed to a wide range of practical sessions to master their programming skills and understand the Apple ecosystem. The learners will understand how to create user interfaces and interact with user and system data, including tables and concepts on data persistence.
By the end of the course, the learners will understand the functional applications and their deployment, alongside additional features such as in-app purchases and subscriptions. The learners will be required to showcase their proficiency with programming languages by implementing all the concepts for the final capstone project to achieve the professional certificate.
The course curriculum includes:
- Introduction to Programming in Swift 5
- Introduction to iOS App Development with Swift 5
- Tables, Data and Networking in iOS
- iOS App Store and In-App Purchases
Instructor: Mark Price
Level: Beginner
Duration: 4 Months
User Review: 4.5/5
Price: Free Enrollment (Additional charges for certification may apply)
2. The Complete iOS 12 and Swift Developer Course – Build 28 Apps – Udemy
The course is available on Udemy. This course covers all the essential concepts of iOS app design and development with clear and concise explanations. First, the learners will cover various aspects of modern iOS app development, including CoreML models’ concepts for image recognition or text passages. Next, the learners will cover the new ARKit for 2D and 3D objects, including Siri Shortcuts to perform complex tasks and other features such as dark mode inclusion in the new versions of macOS.
At the end of the course, the learners will gain clarity over important concepts for iOS development, such as:
- XCode and Interface Builder
- Inputs, Buttons, and Reactive Interfaces
- Writing Code using Swift Programming Language
- Variables, Arrays, Tables, and Loops
- Navigation, Storage, and Live Content
- Images, Maps, and Music
- Accelerometers and Motion Feedback
- Core Data and JSON
- Online Storage with Parse
- Games and the Sprite Kit
- Instagram and Snapchat Clones
- App Store Submission
- Marketing Own Applications
Instructor: Rob Percival and Nick Walter
Level: Beginner
Duration: 44 hours and 26 minutes
User Review: 4.5/5
Price:€89.99
3. How to Make an iOS App: From Drawing Board to App Store – Udacity
This is an advanced course on iOS application development on Udacity. The course provides the essential concepts of building applications from scratch, including brainstorming ideas for publishing on the app store. In addition, the learners will cover the concepts on the UI elements of the design, web APIs, and libraries required for becoming an efficient iOS app developer.
The course also provides learners with additional information on how to pursue their ideas for building an application and the tips necessary for dealing with events when the code doesn’t perform as intended. Moreover, the learners will understand how to submit on the app store, the challenges in developing iOS applications, and essential tips on monitoring app store feedback. There are prerequisites for this course that includes basic knowledge of iOS persistence and Core data, fundamentals of UIKit, and iOS networking fundamentals with Swift.
The course contents are:
- Research App Ideas
- Build Your App
- Reflect on the App Development Process
Instructor: Jessica Uelmen
Level: Advanced
Duration: 3 Months
User Review: NA
Price: Free
4. Build an iOS Application – LinkedIn Learning
This iOS application development learning path comprises three courses that are offered on LinkedIn Learning. First, the course covers essential programming concepts for building iOS applications, including the core design principles and distributing the first iOS application.
In this course, the learners can cover the basics of iOS development and understand the iOS development environment in-depth. Furthermore, the learners will cover the Swift programming language with hands-on sessions throughout the course.
In addition, the learners will gain knowledge about the tools, language choices, and high-level concepts for iOS app development. Besides, the learners will explore the frameworks and best practices for building simple native iOS applications and cover the critical concepts of Xcode and UI development.
The course modules are:
- iOS App Development: Essential Courses
- Building your First iOS 13 App
- iOS 14 Development Essentials
Instructor: Mike Wong, and Todd Perkins
Level: Beginner
Duration: 4 hours
User Review: NA
Price: 1-Month Free Trial (Charges may apply after trial. Prices available on Sign-Up)
5. Becoming an Xcode Power User – Pluralsight
The course is available on Pluralsight. In this course, the learners will build the necessary programming experience to become efficient iOS developers by leveraging Xcode.
First, the learners will begin with the core concepts of Xcode and the high-level features for more clarity over the programming concepts for building iOS applications.
Next, the learners will understand the Xcode workflow and learn various features used by experienced iOS developers to be more productive such as refactoring, quick access, code folding, and much more.
Finally, the learners will cover the concepts of Git with Xcode while developing the software. In addition, the learners will understand customizations and configuration in the workflow by understanding the concepts of custom behavior, code snippets, and code themes required during developmental stages.
The course curriculum includes:
- Introduction
- Managing Projects and Workspaces in Xcode
- Building Xcode Projects: Configuring Schemes and Targets
- Navigating through Xcode
- Productivity in Xcode
- Source Control in Xcode
- Configuring and Customizing Xcode with Key Bindings and Behaviors
- Making Xcode Work with Code Snippets and Documentation
Instructor: Jonathan Wang
Level: Beginner
Duration: 2 hours and 34 minutes
User Review: 4.7/5
Price: 10-Day Free Trial (Charges may apply after trial. Prices available on Sign-Up)
6. Build iOS Apps with SwiftUI – Codecademy
This course is available on Codecademy. In this course, the learners will explore the concepts of Swift and the SwiftUI for iOS mobile applications. The learners will cover hands-on lab sessions to enhance their app development skills by implementing every concept from start to finish. In addition, the learners will be provided with guidance on how to publish their apps on the app store.
The course will allow learners to master the fundamentals and the newest features such as the declarative UI framework, the latest software architecture and design patterns of the Apple ecosystem, and the configuration of the iOS applications. The course will include three major projects besides the hands-on assignments across modules.
The course curriculum includes:
- iOS and Swift Foundations
- Wireframing and Creating a Project in Xcode
- Building Code History: The User Interface
- The Question Model
- The Game Model
- The Final App
- Publishing to the App Store
Instructor: Industry Professionals
Level: Beginner
Duration: 10 Weeks
User Review: NA
Price: Free Trial (Charges may apply after trial. Prices available on Sign-Up)
7. iOS App Development for Beginners – Zenva Academy
The course is offered by Zenva Academy. In this course, the learners will cover the fundamentals of iOS development and beginning with the basics of Swift programming language to understand how to build, run and test applications in Apple’s IDE Xcode. Furthermore, the learners will explore how to make faster applications in the Apple development environment.
At the end of the course, the learners will gain mastery over Swift programming fundamentals, setting up and preparing Xcode, building and testing iOS apps, creating interactive applications with buttons and user input options, and object-oriented programming.
Furthermore, the course lets learners interact with a large community in this online platform consisting of developers and instructors who participate in elite developer programs and contests across the world. In addition, the learners will be offered source codes and additional resources and notes for a better understanding of the concepts.
The course curriculum includes:
- Introduction
- Downloading Xcode
- Exploring Xcode
- Variables
- Optional Variables
- Operations
- Displaying Text in Apps
- Arrays
- Dictionaries
- Using Multiple Views in Apps
- If Statements
- Loops
- App Logic
- Functions
- App Interactivity
- Classes and Objects
- User Input – Part 1
- User Input – Part 2
- Conclusion
Instructor: Industry Professionals
Level: Beginner
Duration: 2 hours and 30 minutes (Self-Paced Learning)
User Review: 4.6/5
Price: $50
8. Programming Apps for iPhone – Domestika
The course is available on the Domestika platform. This course offers the learners how to program iOS applications natively. The course provides step-by-step follow-along concepts with a hands-on session using Objective-C programming language. In addition, the learners will understand the concepts of the software development kit of Apple and learn to build applications from scratch.
Furthermore, the learners will program and test the applications using Xcode and explore the concepts of the iPhone simulator and the interface builder. Finally, the learners will understand how to create buttons, text boxes, images, and labels for interactivity in the application.
The course also explores some fundamentals of web development to let learners understand how to include menu options and additional features to compose the application using the front-end to make the application publication-ready.
Moreover, the learners will cover the technical details and the publication interface required for publishing the apps on the app store. The project for the course requires learners to build an application with a lower menu consisting of three buttons that will provide access to a list, a map, and a profile screen. There is no prior programming experience required for the course.
The course curriculum includes:
- Introduction
- First Tests with Xcode
- Create the App
- Upload the App
- Final Project
Instructor: Valentí Freixanet Genís
Level: Beginner
Duration: 2 hours and 4 minutes (Self-Paced Learning)
User Review: 77% Positive Reviews
Price: €39.90
9. iOS App Development for Complete and Utter Beginners – Skillshare
The course is offered on the Skillshare platform. This course offers learners the fundamentals of programming for iOS app development, such as variables, functions, and methods.
In addition, the learners will understand the building blocks of iOS development to create applications and software and the plugins available for the applications. Besides, the learners will understand the requirement of interactivity in applications and cover these concepts with hands-on sessions to build an application with submit buttons from the users.
The learners will also implement the skills and concepts learned from the course to build a fully functional calculator for the Apple app store. The course has advanced concepts that are focused on enabling learners to test their applications using Xcode and to gain comprehensive development experience in the Apple ecosystem.
The learners will explore various setup and iOS simulators for a wide range of Apple products, namely the iPhone, iPad, and the Apple Watch. Moreover, the learners will cover the concepts of connecting iOS graphics to code and additional functionalities to improve the user experience.
The course curriculum includes:
- Introduction and Setup
- Setting up Xcode and iOS Simulators
- Introduction to Programming
- Using Xcode
- The Basics of Programming
- Creating and Running the First App
- Connecting iOS Graphics
- Practical Assignments for App Building
- Calculator App
- Adding Buttons
- Final code
Instructor: Grant Klimaytys
Level: Beginner
Duration: 2 hours and 19 minutes (Self-Paced Learning)
User Review: 77% Positive Reviews
Price: Free Trial (Charges may apply after trial. Prices available on Sign-Up)
10. iOS Debugging Fundamentals – Pluralsight
This course is offered on Pluralsight. In this course, the learners will cover the concepts of debugging iOS applications. The learners will begin with the fundamental concepts, followed by Xcode’s fundamental tools for fixing various iOS applications’ flaws.
This course emphasizes debugging concepts as these skills will enhance the app development skills to provide bug-free and making them publication-ready on the app store.
The learners will also explore various debugging situations and understand the principles for strategically solving the problems. In addition, the learners will cover the concepts on configuration breakpoints and inspect view hierarchies effectively.
Finally, the learners will explore the concepts of interpreting a backtrace, glean valuable information from the Xcode debug and console, and learn how to locate changes in the codebase and simulate conditions.
By the end of the course, the learners will gain mastery over debugging applications, including the cause of defects, with a methodical approach at runtime.
The course curriculum includes:
- Debugging as Strategic Problem Solving
- Correcting Unmet Expectations
- Addressing App Crashes
- Alleviating Anomalies
Instructor: Andrew Bancroft
Level: Beginner
Duration: 1 hour and 24 minutes
User Review: 5/5
Price: 10-Day Free Trial (Charges may apply after trial. Prices available on Sign-Up)
11. Building iOS User Interface with SwiftUI – Pluralsight
The course is offered on Pluralsight. This course offers learners essential concepts to build iOS applications with an engaging user interface with the help of Swift, SwiftUI, and Xcode.
The learners will explore the concepts of designing efficient and dynamic applications and the uses of SwiftUI to create flexible user interfaces that perform efficiently across multiple devices.
The learners will cover the concepts of adding user input functionalities and keeping the user interface to sync with user interactions. In addition, the learners will understand how to implement drawings, animations and respond to various gestures.
Finally, the learners will understand the uses of SwiftUI to integrate with Apple frameworks like UIKit.
The course curriculum includes:
- Designing Interfaces with SwiftUI
- Handling User Input
- Bringing Apps to Life with Drawing, Animation, and Gestures
- Integrating SwiftUI and UIKit
Instructor: Andrew Bancroft
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 3 hours and 15 minutes
User Review: NA
Price: 10-Day Free Trial (Charges may apply after trial. Prices available on Sign-Up)
12. The Complete ARKit Course – Build 11 Augmented Reality Apps – Udemy
The course is available on Udemy. In this course, the learners will cover augmented reality concepts and build these apps for the Apple iOS platform.
It provides learners with concepts on creating mobile applications with new experiences with exciting new features.
The course allows learners to understand textures for 3D models, animation and display, camera views, world tracking features, and placing 3D objects on horizontal surfaces, and more for iOS applications.
This course also offers the source codes of each practical session covered alongside resources for an in-depth understanding of the concepts.
The prerequisites include a basic understanding of Xcode and Swift; however, no ARKit experience is required for the learners. In addition, the learners will require one of the devices ranging from iPhone 6- iPhone 8 or higher.
The course curriculum includes:
- Introduction to ARKit
- Xcode and Swift Beginner Crash Course
- ARKit- Getting Started
- AR Drawing
- Textures and Surfaces
- 3D Models and Hit-Testing
- Planes
- Vehicular Physics
- Distance Measurement
- AR-Portal
- Projectiles
- Collisions
Instructor: Rob Percival, Rayan Slim and Jad Slim
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 9 hours and 28 minutes
User Review: 4.8/5
Price: $100
13. Become an iOS Developer Nanodegree Program – Udacity
This is one of the most comprehensive online courses on iOS development on Udacity. In this course, the learners will master the Swift programming language to build applications for various Apple platforms such as iPhone, iPad, macOS, and much more.
The learners will begin with the basics of iOS app development, followed by Swift programming concepts and the relevant tools. Furthermore, the learners will also explore the Apple development environment and understand various concepts on layouts, views, UIKit, and other associated platform concepts. In addition, the learners will progress to build complex and advanced iOS applications using features such as networking, Apple’s Grand Central Dispatch, and Core Data.
Finally, the learners will build ready-to-publish applications as part of the capstone project for the App store. The prerequisites of the course include a basic understanding of programming. In addition, the learners will include their projects on the GitHub profiles, which will be taught separately in this course.
The course curriculum includes:
- Introduction
- Learn Swift Programming
- Intro to iOS App Development with Swift
- UIKit Fundamentals
- Network Requests and GCD
- Data Persistence
- Final Project
Instructor: Jarrod Parkes, Gabrielle Miller-Messner, Kate Rotondo, and Owen LaRosa
Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Duration: 6 Months
User Review: 4.6/5
Price: Monthly Access: $308.7 and 6-month Access: $1574.5 (Approximately)
Conclusion
Mobile application development is evolving at a staggering rate. From tablets, mobile phones to smart wearable devices, the market trends highlight the increasing demand for such products with the fast-paced lifestyle.
At the same time, the market competition between Android and iOS products continues to have an equal demand. However, iOS products have created a distinct name for themselves and are known for excellent user experience and reliable software and applications. Thus, Apple is among the most popular brands, and they continue to benefit from a loyal customer base that does not opt for products besides Apple products. Therefore, Apple continues to evolve as a company, and each year, they aim to provide something new that becomes trendsetters in the industry.
Such efforts have led to the demand for highly experienced developers to build high-end products and applications to remain competitive in the market. Today, there is a wide range of opportunities for iOS developers with challenging and exciting job roles and career growth.
Various industry leaders often describe it to gain entry into a market that is at its peak to achieve greater satisfaction, competitive salary, and growth as an individual. Therefore, with tremendous demand for iOS developers, aspirants must look to upskill themselves with proper resources, guidance, and top industry-recognized courses to join the ranks of top iOS app developers in the industry.
