iOS app development

Native iOS app development, designed and built by one team

Material Lab designs and builds native iOS apps in SwiftUI, with the backend they need. Our iOS work so far is our own product, Gymbo, in a TestFlight private beta. We say so here so you can weigh it before you talk to us.

Last updated 21 September 2026

How we decide the scope

We start with what the app must let people do on day one. Screens and kinds of user, payments or subscriptions, integrations, and whether a web app is needed all shape the scope. We make the trade-offs explicit before a build starts.

Apple’s developer programme and review are separate from the build. The publisher controls the App Store listing; Apple controls approval and review timing.

Tell us what the app must do on day one and we will say what to include first and what can wait.

What we have and have not shipped

Here is the plain version. We build native iOS apps in SwiftUI. Our iOS work so far is Gymbo, our own product, which runs as a TestFlight private beta with 30 trainers. Gymbo is not on the public App Store, and we have not delivered an iOS app for a client so far.

What we can show you is how we build one: product strategy, a design system shared between iOS, web and Figma, the SwiftUI app, the backend, and privacy flows for India’s DPDP rules built in from day one. The Gymbo case study covers each of these.

Apple reviews every app before it appears on the App Store. Approval and timing are Apple’s decision, so no studio can promise them, and we do not.

We have not shipped an Android app, so we do not list it. This page is about iOS.

Who does what, and who owns what

Material Lab does

  • Scoping: what to build, what to cut and what comes next
  • Product and UX design for iOS, and the design system
  • The SwiftUI app and its backend (login, database, storage)
  • Testing, and builds for your testers through TestFlight
  • After launch, a monthly build sprint, if you want one

You own or provide

  • The idea and every product decision. We advise, you decide
  • The code, from day 1, with no lock-in contract
  • The Apple developer account used to publish the app
  • Third-party services needed for your product

The App Store review outcome belongs to Apple, not to us. Which Apple developer account the app is published under decides who controls the listing, so it is worth settling in writing at scoping.

How it runs, and how long it takes

  1. StrategyMonth one starts with scoping: what to build, what to cut, and what comes next.
  2. Design systemOne system for your brand, website, sales material and product, so everything looks like it came from one team.
  3. BuildThe same senior team designs and builds. You see working software early and often.
  4. Stay onAfter launch we keep shipping with a monthly build sprint.

How long an iOS app takes depends on its scope, so we do not print a number here. We agree the timeline in writing during scoping, before any build starts. Apple’s review time comes on top, and it is not ours to promise.

For reference, Gymbo, our own product, started in January 2026 and is in a TestFlight private beta now.

The iOS app we have built

One iOS app, and it is ours: it is the only one we have built. The second card is not iOS. It is a client web product, listed so you can see how we run a build from design to launch.

Our own product, iOSGymboGymbo is our own product, so we were both the client and the builder. It is a native SwiftUI iOS app with a web app and a shared Supabase backend, distributed to a private beta of 30 trainers through TestFlight. It is not on the public App Store. India DPDP consent and grievance flows were built in from day one.Read the Gymbo case studyClient build, web (not iOS)RTB: Rotaract Talent BridgeThis one is a web product, not an iOS app. We list it because it shows how we run a build from design to launch: we designed and built RTB end to end for Rotaract Talent Bridge (Logisense AI), now in private beta at rtbindia.org.Read the RTB case study

Questions people ask

Have you built an iOS app for a client?

Not yet. Our iOS work is Gymbo, our own product, in a TestFlight private beta. Our client work so far is web: see the RTB, Perhitsiksha and J B Singh case studies. If a client iOS reference is a must for you, we would rather you knew that now.

Can you promise Apple will approve my app?

No. Apple decides whether an app is approved and how long the review takes. Nobody can promise either, and we do not.

Do you build Android apps?

We have not shipped an Android app, so we do not list it. If you need one, say so on the call and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right team.

How long does an iOS app take?

It depends on scope. We agree the timeline in writing during scoping, before any build starts. Apple’s review time is on top of that.

Who owns the code?

You do, from day 1. There are no lock-in contracts.

Building an iOS app? Talk to us first.

Book a free strategy call

Other services: MVP developmentWeb app developmentWebsite design