Process

iOS app development process in 2026 — start to App Store

7 min read · June 10, 2026

The 7-step iOS app development process Purpledot uses to ship apps to the App Store with first-pass approval.

1. Discovery (1 week): JTBD, personas, success metrics.

2. UX wireframes (1 week): low-fi flows validated with real users.

3. Visual design (1–2 weeks): SF Pro-ready Figma library.

4. Build (3–8 weeks): SwiftUI for new apps, UIKit when legacy parity is required.

5. QA (1 week): device farm + accessibility + perf budget.

6. App Store submission: privacy nutrition label, ATT prompt, screenshots, app preview video.

7. Launch + iterate: TestFlight beta, phased release, week-1 hotfix budget.

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