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As far as I can see, the requirements to develop for any iOS device are: 1. Own a Mac computer that runs the latest version operating system. 2. Register with Apple to be an iOS developer for $99.00 + tax, annually. 3. Own an iOS device that runs the latest iOS operating system your application will support. For a professional iOS developer, that means the latest operating system out.

Am I wrong? If so, where? I've just bought a brand new iMac and I'm looking for a used iPhone. I want to make sure I buy one that will allow me to develop iOS in the latest version.

MAtkins
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  • Buying a new computer for development? VirtualBox or just booting off a flashdrive wouldve worked just fine. I hope you got a used Mac because even those are still priced higher than the hardware inside. I'm poor though so you do you – Nicholas Pipitone Oct 08 '18 at 17:22
  • Oh, nvm my used comment, you said you got it new. In that case also ignore the entire comment because you must not be low on cash xD, they do resell pretty okay though. Gl in your development. :) – Nicholas Pipitone Oct 08 '18 at 17:32
  • Yea, VirtualBox - uh, legally and to actually be able to deploy it, that's not a viable option. – MAtkins Dec 19 '18 at 20:37

2 Answers2

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Yes, I worked at a company doing iOS development and I had to do those three things (They handled the registration), and nothing more. You don't need a physical phone either though, XCode comes with a pretty good simulator. When working I almost always used the simulator, occasionally pulling the real device for touch/UI testing. It's still important to check functionality in real life if you have a nontrivial UI, since it's hard to know how the UI "feels".

Nicholas Pipitone
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  • While having a most recent device will do well for testing the UI for that device, make sure to still use the simulator for older versions and check that they also work. If it compiles, you should usually be fine, but it's good to check before posting on the App Store and getting bad reviews. – Nicholas Pipitone Oct 08 '18 at 17:31
  • I could create it and test it just fine without an iOS device. When it came to deploying/publishing, that was another matter. I had to buy one. – MAtkins Dec 19 '18 at 20:38
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  1. You need the latest version of Xcode (requirements for Xcode 10 can be found in this post). Having a relatively up to date Mac usually does the trick.

  2. You need an Apple Developer account - $99 / year for personal account or $299 / year for enterprise account.

  3. You do not technically need any iOS devices to do iOS development and releases; however, the simulator does not have all the functionality a real device has. So depending on your features, it may be required. Also, some bugs only show up on certain devices, so it’s always good to test on as many real world devices as possible. For more details on the capabilities of the iOS Simulator, check here.

Jake
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  • thanks. Are you sure no iOS device is required? If I didn't register one with my account Apple would not let me archive the app. Can I say, I *really* HATE Apple.? – MAtkins Dec 19 '18 at 20:41
  • @MAtkins newer versions of Xcode do not require a device to archive. You can archive by selecting “Generic iOS Device” instead of an actual device. – Jake Dec 19 '18 at 20:43