App development for iPhone and iPad
I build native iPhone and iPad apps in Swift and SwiftUI. The work ranges from the first version of a new app to further development of an existing one whose original developer has moved on. Because web development is my main work, I can also build the backend the app talks to.
- I usually reply the same day
- Written estimate before work starts
star reviews
The technical help I cannot do without
I would never be able to serve my clients as well as I do without Mikkel.
Janni ClausenConference coordinator, Komponent and KL(translated from Danish) Sets the standard for other suppliers
Warning: work with Mikkel and you risk damaging your relationship with every other supplier you have. It happens because he sets, by nature, an extraordinary standard for flexibility, decency and not least delivery time.
Thomas Von BigumInstructor(translated from Danish) Carries the project all the way through
When you work with Mikkel, you can be certain the project gets carried 100% of the way.
Simon Bille Hjort MartinsenColleague at Bigum&Co(translated from Danish)
App development
I build natively for iOS, because an app written in Swift gets access to everything the iPhone can do: camera, location, push notifications, widgets, Apple Pay and Face ID. SwiftUI is Apple's own tool for the user interface, and with it the app follows the platform's rules for text size, dark mode and VoiceOver without extra work.
Typical jobs are the first version of an app for a new business idea, an app that gives existing customers access to their orders, bookings or membership, internal apps for staff in the field, and taking over apps whose original developer is no longer involved. I can also build the API and the web admin the app gets its data from.
You work directly with me from the first sketch until the app is on the App Store. Along the way you test on your own iPhone through TestFlight, so you see progress as it happens and not only at launch. The app is published under your own Apple developer account, and the source code lives in your own repository.
I am based in Herlev just outside Copenhagen and take on work from across Denmark, including Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg. Most of the collaboration happens over video and screen sharing, and test builds of the app can be sent to everyone who needs to see them, wherever they are.
How to make an app: step by step
How you make an app depends on whether you want to code it yourself or have it built. Here are the steps in the order I take them in a project. If you have an idea, use the list to see what needs to be in place before you contact a developer.
- Describe the problem the app solves, and for whom. One sentence is enough to start with, and it will steer every choice afterwards.
- Scope the first version. Write down every idea, then pick the few that are needed for the app to make sense to its users on day one.
- Work out where the data comes from. If you have a system with an API, the app can fetch data from there. Otherwise a backend has to be built.
- Sketch the screens and the path between them. Paper is fine. The point is to agree on the flow before any code is written.
- Create an Apple developer account in the company's name. It requires a D-U-N-S number, which can take a while to get, so start early.
- Build the app in Xcode with Swift and SwiftUI, and send test builds to TestFlight along the way, so real users can try it on their own phones.
- Prepare the App Store page: name, description, screenshots, privacy details and a test user for Apple's review.
- Submit the app for Apple's review, fix whatever Apple may ask for, and release the app.
- Follow usage and reviews, and plan both the next version and the yearly update for a new iOS version.
Native iOS, cross-platform or web app?
There are three ways to get an app to your users. A native iOS app is built specifically for iPhone and iPad in Swift. A cross-platform app is a single codebase, for example in React Native or Flutter, that becomes apps on both iOS and Android. A web app runs in the browser and can be added to the home screen, but is not on the App Store.
Native gives the best experience and full access to the phone's features, and new capabilities from Apple can be used straight away. Cross-platform is strong when the app has to be on both platforms from day one on the same budget. A web app is the cheapest when users only need to look something up now and then, and when being found on Google matters most.
I build native iOS apps and the web. If you need Android from the start, I will tell you honestly if a cross-platform solution suits you better, and I am happy to point you to someone else. Many start with iPhone, learn from their users and build the Android version afterwards, once they know what the app needs to do.
Apps for customers and for staff
A customer app goes on the public App Store, has to be found by users and convince them to install it. Here the App Store page, the reviews and the first minutes in the app matter a great deal for whether it gets used.
An internal app for staff does not need to be visible on the App Store. Apple has private distribution options, so only your own people can download the app. The visual bar can be lower, but the bar for the app working every day, including without a connection, is higher.
In both cases the same applies: the app has to talk to the systems you already use. I build the app and the connection to your systems, and if you do not have an API, I can build it.
Specific services
iOS app development in Swift and SwiftUI: native iPhone and iPad apps, tested in TestFlight and released on the App Store. Write about your app, same-day reply.
Read moreExperienced app developer who writes the code himself: native iOS apps in Swift, no project managers in between, and you own the code. Same-day reply.
Read moreFreelance iOS developer for new apps, taking over existing ones and extra capacity in your team. Swift, SwiftUI and 16 years' experience. Same-day reply.
Read moreWhat does it cost to have an app built? See what pushes the price of app development up and down, and what the app costs to run. Same-day reply.
Read moreApp development in Copenhagen: native iOS apps for iPhone and iPad from a Herlev-based developer with 16 years' experience. Meetings on site. Same-day reply.
Read more
How it works
Four steps. You know what happens when, and you can stop after any of them.
- 01 / 04
We scope the first version
A 20-30 minute call about who the app is for and what it has to do on day one. I ask about data, login and existing systems, and tell you honestly if an app is not the answer to your problem.
- 02 / 04
Screen flow before code
I sketch the screens and the path between them, so we agree on the first version before any code is written. If a design already exists in Figma, I build from that.
- 03 / 04
Building with TestFlight
The app is built in pieces, and each piece lands on your iPhone through TestFlight. You test on real phones along the way, so changes get made while they are still cheap.
- 04 / 04
Release and upkeep
I prepare the App Store page, submit the app for Apple's review and fix whatever Apple may ask for. After launch I keep the app updated for new iOS versions, if you want me to.
Client reviews
The technical help I cannot do without
I would never be able to serve my clients as well as I do without Mikkel.
Janni ClausenConference coordinator, Komponent and KL(translated from Danish) Sets the standard for other suppliers
Warning: work with Mikkel and you risk damaging your relationship with every other supplier you have. It happens because he sets, by nature, an extraordinary standard for flexibility, decency and not least delivery time.
Thomas Von BigumInstructor(translated from Danish) Carries the project all the way through
When you work with Mikkel, you can be certain the project gets carried 100% of the way.
Simon Bille Hjort MartinsenColleague at Bigum&Co(translated from Danish)
Brands I've worked with
Frequently asked questions
- What is app development?
- App development is the work of designing, programming, testing and releasing apps for phones and tablets. On iOS that means building the app in Swift and SwiftUI and getting it through Apple's review for the App Store. Many apps also need a backend that stores data and sends push notifications.
- What does it cost to have an app developed?
- It depends on what the app has to do on day one, whether it needs its own backend, and how many systems it has to talk to. I give a fixed price on the first version once we have scoped it together.
- How long does it take to develop an app?
- A tightly scoped first version with a few screens can often be built in a few weeks. An app with login, payments and integrations with several systems takes longer. You get a timeline with the quote and can follow progress in TestFlight along the way.
- Do you build Android apps too?
- No, I build natively for iPhone and iPad. If the app also has to be on Android from the start, I will tell you honestly if a cross-platform solution suits you better. Many start with iPhone and build the Android version once they know what the app needs to do.
- What does it take to get an app on the App Store?
- A membership of the Apple Developer Program, an app that follows Apple's guidelines, and an App Store page with a description, screenshots and privacy details. Apple reviews every app and every update before it is released.
- Who owns the app when it is finished?
- You do. The app is published under your own Apple developer account, and the source code lives in your own repository from day one. If you change developer, you take all of it with you.
- Can an app work together with our website or webshop?
- Yes, as long as the system has an API or we can build one. The app and the website then share data and login, and what customers do in the app shows up on the website and the other way round.
- How do we get started?
- Write or call and briefly describe what the app should do and who it is for. You get a reply the same day, and then we have a 20-30 minute call to scope the first version.