8 Things to Know. App Developer. 8 Things to Know Before You Hire Your App Developer v1.1 Copyright 2014, Feltpad, Inc.

8 Things to Know

Before

You Hire

Your

App Developer

Table of Contents

1 iPhone and Android Are The Only Phones That Matter

2 Version 1.0 of Your App Will Cost Between $5,000 and $15,000

3 Supporting iPhone and Android Will Increase Your Costs

4 You Will Have Ongoing Costs: Web Servers, App Updates, and More

5 Your App Will Not Make Money

6 Create Your Own Developer Accounts

7 Assume a Minimum of 7 Days for Your App to be Approved by

Apple

8 Android Apps Do Not Require Approval

Glossary of Terms

iPhone = iOS = Apple

Android = Google

App = An app that runs on an iPhone or Android

phone

App Store = The iPhone/Apple App Store

Google Play = The Android/Google App Store

Web Server = The Cloud = A rented computer in

Virginia that your app uses to save and retrieve

information

1 

iPhone (Apple) and Android (Google) make up

more than 93% of the smartphone market in the

U.S.

Microsoft or Blackberry may become relevant at

some point in the future, but at this time, iPhone

and Android are the only platforms that matter.

2

Will Cost You Between $5,000 and $15,000

Every app is different and cost will vary depending

on the features that your app provides.

As a general rule, you can expect to spend between

$5,000 and $15,000 to produce the first version of

your app, but this will vary widely, depending on

which features you include and which phones you

support.

Typical Cost Breakdown for App Budget

iPhone App

35%

Android App

40%

Server Buildout

25%

3 

Will Increase Your Costs

Many people do not realize that if you want an iPhone and an Android app, your app must be written twice. There are tools that allow for the creation of cross-platform apps, but for high performance and to take advantage of any core functionality within the phone (Camera, GPS, Push Notifications), each app should be coded separately.

I suggest that cost-​conscious businesses start with an iPhone app. You can build for Android after you have made

adjustments and gained traction.

Despite Android’s 51% share of the smartphone market, many Android smartphones are low-​end devices with users who are less likely to utilize or pay for apps.

Apple has 41% of the market, all using iPhones. Android has has 51% of the market, split among hundreds of different Android phones.

4 

Web Servers, App Updates, and More

After your app goes live in the App Store, there will continue to be more expenses.

Some costs that many business are not prepared for:

Web Servers - If your app has a few thousand users, expect to

spend $500-$1,000 per month

OS Updates - If Apple or Google releases a major OS update,

you will likely need to update your app

Bugs and Scaling - As your userbase grows, your servers and

infrastructure will require additional care

App Updates - Adding new features to your app will require

additional development work

5 

Nobody knows your app exists. If you think you can put your app on the App Store and then watch the money role in, you are sorely mistaken.

There are over one million (1,000,000) apps available on the iPhone App Store. Without an intense marketing campaign and a lot of luck, your app will never be noticed.

I say this not to discourage you, but as a warning: Think about your target audience before you start. Do you you

have an existing customer base and want to provide them an app to enhance their experience, or are you willing to make this your fulltime job and grind for every user who will pay 99¢ for your app?

6 

Every iPhone and Android app is associated with a developer account. App developers may offer you the option of using their developer account - I strongly recommend that you create your own iPhone and Android developer accounts. Posting your app via an account that is controlled by your developer can cause many problems as time goes on.

Notes

- The iOS Developer Program costs $99 (yearly)

- The Android Developer Program costs $25 (one time fee) - Use your business name to enroll in these programs

- Changing the name on a developer account can be a weeks-long process

- You should enroll in these programs earlier than needed - There is no guarantee that you will be approved

Register

iOS Developer Program: https://developer.apple.com

Android Developer Program: http://developer.android.com

7 

to be Approved by Apple

Every time you submit an new app or an app update

to the iPhone App Store, the app must be vetted by

Apple. The standard approval time is 7 Days, but I

have seen apps that have taken more than 3 weeks

to be approved.

Apple may request legal or other information if your

app uses any copyrighted graphics, names, data, etc.

This can significantly delay the release of you app.

In some cases, Apple may reject your app and

require changes to functionality before

resubmitting. Discuss this possibility with your

developer.

Submit early and leave plenty of time to make

adjustments.

8 

Unlike iPhone apps, Android apps to not go through

a vetting process before going live in Google Play.

Within a few hours of being uploaded, Android aps

go live in Google Play. This can be an advantage

when trying to rapidly test new versions of your app.

Despite the lack of a vetting process, Google may

review your app at a later time and will pull it out of

Google Play if there is a conflict with their terms of

service.