Top iOS Developer Resources 2021

We’ve curated a list of the top resources for any iOS developer looking to boost their knowledge.

Whether you’re a seasoned iOS developer or new to the world of building apps, you can’t miss out on these beginner and expert app development resources, including everything from online tutorials to communities and Apple’s own guides.

You’ll also find some great iOS software recommendations for automation, and continuous integration and delivery as recommended by Ipsi Patro from our app development team.

Do you have any suggestions for iOS resources you’ve found useful? Let us know on our dedicated LinkedIn post!

Swift

As Apple’s own page for Swift documentation this is, unsurprisingly, a fantastic iOS app developer resource. It includes videos from WWDC, sample code, books, university courses and more. Here you’ll be able to learn about the programming language, the Swift standard library as well as learn how to develop apps for iOS with Stanford university. 

“For anyone wanting to learn iOS app development quickly, this is the best one to start with. The resource also opens up avenues to connect with other Apple developers and exchange knowledge,” explained Ipsi.

Lynda.com

Lynda.com from LinkedIn is a popular platform for online learning, covering topics from programming to music engineering and even working in government. 

“It offers an exhaustive list of courses on everything.” says Ipsi. “You can pick any of them – depending on your expertise – and learn at your pace from easy-to-learn video lectures.”

Stack Overflow 

An open community for anyone that codes, Stack Overflow is an invaluable developer resource for questions about coding. It enables knowledge sharing for a wide range of developers, including mobile app development, in public and private channels. 

Ipsi discussed its benefits for iOS developers: “Stack Overflow functions more like a Q&A community focused on programming in general, and it also allows you to connect with fellow developers. You can even browse through code solutions and snippets to resolve regular programming issues. If you have a particular problem and can’t find the answer to it on any of the tutorials immediately, then Stack Overflow is the best place to go. It’s very helpful for any developer.” 

Stanford Apple Podcasts

Stanford University is a regular contributor of iOS development resources, featuring already in this list on the official Apple page of guides and courses. They also create podcast series on a variety of engineering and programming topics, including for iOS app developers. 

“The free course has been designed by Stanford’s School of Engineering and is conducted by Paul Hegarty,” says Ipsi. “Available on Apple Podcasts, the course offers immense value to developers looking to start from the basics of creating apps for Apple products.”

Ray Wenderlich Blog

Originally an iPhone and iPad developer, Ray Wenderlich’s website is now a fantastic app development resource with a large community of developers who write and teach app development across books, videos, articles, tutorials and more. Not an iOS developer? Not a problem, Ray Wenderlich.com also caters to Android and Flutter too. 

“You can find courses on the most challenging topics related to iOS, app development, and other emerging technologies explained step by step. From videos and podcasts to written content – there is something for everyone on the Ray Wenderlich Blog. There is also a forum for the learners to discuss iPhone development, resolve whatever issues they may have on app development, and to connect with fellow students and experts,” Ipsi explained.

Software Based Resources

App Center Test

This automated app tester enables you to test native and mobile app builds on real devices. No matter the framework, tests can be run on hundreds of unique device models and operating systems that are hosted in the service’s data center. 

“Test Cloud supports test frameworks demonstrated as popular by their adoption in the developer community including Appium (Java with JUnit) for Android and iOS, Espresso (Java) for Android, Calabash for Android and iOS, Xamarin.UITest for Android and iOS, and XCUITest for iOS.” 

BitRise

In software engineering, CI/CD or CICD generally refers to the combined practices of continuous integration and either continuous delivery or continuous deployment. CI/CD bridges the gaps between development and operation activities and teams by enforcing automation during the build. 

Bitrise is just one CI/CD tool that offers more than 300 steps and integrations to easily connect the processes and services in mobile development workflows.

“Although there are multiple options available one of the best options which I have used is Bitrise, a continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) platform as a service (PaaS) with a main focus on mobile app development (iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, and so on). It is a collection of tools and services to help you with the development and automation of your software projects. 

“It has mobile-first features that help you build, test and deploy faster and more efficiently. So you can save time, money, and developer frustration.”