How to become an iOS developer in 2026
Source: Dev.to
Introduction
In this article I walk through what it takes to become an iOS developer in 2026. It’s aimed at two groups:
- Absolute beginners – people who have never built an iOS app before.
- “False beginners” – people who tried learning Swift before but haven’t yet landed a job.
No matter where you start, the goal is the same: put yourself in a strong position to apply for a junior iOS developer role—or ship your own apps if that’s your dream.
We’ll cover:
- The core skills you should focus on
- Extension skills that can set you apart
Core Skills
The Minimum Skill Set
- Swift
- SwiftUI
- Working with data (fetching, decoding, persisting)
- Networking (URLSession, async/await)
- Version control (Git)
These five areas let you build real apps and are enough to apply for junior positions.
Swift
Swift is Apple’s core programming language. It handles logic, not UI or networking, and includes:
- Strong type safety
- Optionals
- Protocol‑oriented design
- Generics
- Structured concurrency (
async/await, actors)
You don’t need to master every feature before building apps—most of it is learned on the job.
SwiftUI
SwiftUI is the modern UI framework for all Apple platforms (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS). By 2026 it’s the default choice for new projects and is used in production apps, including Apple’s own.
Why start with SwiftUI?
- Less code for the same result
- Designed for Swift from the ground up
- Cross‑platform by default
- Most new platform investment is SwiftUI‑first
UIKit remains important, but beginners should first become comfortable with Swift + SwiftUI.
Working with Data & Networking
At a junior level you should be comfortable with the typical fetch‑decode‑display cycle:
- Fetching JSON using
URLSessionandasync/await - Decoding with
Codable - Displaying the data in SwiftUI
- (Optional) Persisting locally
These skills cover a huge portion of real‑world iOS development.
Git
You don’t need to be a Git guru—just enough to:
- Create a repository
- Commit changes
- Push to GitHub/GitLab
- Pull changes
- Resolve simple conflicts
Why it matters: teams rely on Git, and a public repo gives recruiters something concrete to review.
Extension Skills
These aren’t required to start, but they help you stand out as you grow.
UIKit
- Still the backbone of many large apps
- Some system behaviors are easier in UIKit
- Massive ecosystem of knowledge
When to add it: after you’re comfortable with SwiftUI, start exploring UIKit for legacy codebases and deeper platform understanding.
Persistence (Core Data / SwiftData)
- Core Data – mature, powerful, widely used
- SwiftData – newer, Swift‑native, SwiftUI‑friendly
You don’t need persistence for your first job, but knowing one of these makes you stronger.
Testing
- Helps ensure your app behaves correctly as it changes
- Start with tests for key logic (unit tests) and gradually add UI tests
Employers prioritize platform knowledge first, but a basic testing habit is valuable.
Architecture
- Organizes code so it scales
- Focuses on separating responsibilities, reducing coupling, and easing change
Early code will be messy—that’s expected. Over time, refactor toward a clearer architecture.
Concurrency & Multithreading
- Prevents UI freezes by doing work off the main thread
- Modern Swift uses
async/await,Task, and actors
Learn the basics; avoid over‑engineering. Responsive, correct apps matter more than “maximum concurrency”.
Final Takeaways
- Progress beats perfection.
- You don’t need a degree, bootcamp, or expensive courses.
- What you do need:
- Consistency
- Curiosity
- Patience
Keep building, keep asking questions, and keep showing up. You’ll get there.
Good luck on your journey. 🚀