A guide to hiring UIKit developers
UIKit is the framework Apple has provided for building iPhone screens since the first App Store apps. It handles views, buttons, lists, navigation, touch and animation. SwiftUI, a newer framework, now offers another way to build the same screens, but UIKit has not gone away. Many apps are built on it, and many teams mix the two. A UIKit developer is someone who knows the older framework deeply and can work with the newer one. This guide explains what the role covers, how it differs from general iOS development, and how to hire someone who can keep your app steady while it moves forward.
Where this role fits
A general iOS developer builds features in Swift, uses Apple frameworks and ships to the App Store. A UIKit developer is the person you want when the screens themselves are the main work: a large app with years of UIKit code, a list that must scroll smoothly, a detailed custom layout, or a plan to move to SwiftUI without a rewrite. You can also look at a dedicated iOS developer in India if you want a developer in that time zone.
Signs you may need one
- Your app has screens written years ago that nobody wants to change.
- Layouts break on small phones, on iPad or after a new iOS release.
- A few view controllers have grown into very large files.
- Lists stutter or jump when users scroll.
- You want SwiftUI for new work, but you cannot stop shipping to rebuild everything.
- Your team knows SwiftUI well, but not the older UIKit code.
How UIKit work is organized
A UIKit screen is usually a view controller that owns a set of views. The controller loads, appears, changes and disappears, and each step is a moment where bugs can hide. Auto Layout places the views using rules called constraints, so the screen fits any device. Lists and grids use table views and collection views, which reuse cells to stay fast. Navigation controllers and tab bars move users between screens. A good developer keeps each controller small, keeps the layout rules clear and moves logic out of the screen into code that can be tested.
Storyboards or code
Some teams design screens in storyboards, and others build every screen in code. Each has trade-offs. Storyboards show the layout at a glance but cause merge conflicts in a team. Code is easier to review and reuse but harder to picture. What matters is that the team picks one style and sticks to it. Ask a candidate which they prefer and why, and whether they can work in the style you already have.
Moving to SwiftUI step by step
Most teams do not need a rewrite. SwiftUI screens can be placed inside a UIKit app, and the reverse works too, so the app can change one screen at a time. A careful plan picks the screens that gain the most first, such as new features and simple forms, and leaves stable complex screens until later. Each step is tested, released and watched before the next one. This keeps the app shipping and keeps risk low. Your developer should write the plan down and agree it with you.
Performance and memory
Smooth scrolling, quick screens and steady memory are the marks of a well-built UIKit app. Problems usually come from heavy work on the main thread, large images loaded at full size, cells that are not reused properly, and objects that hold on to each other and never free their memory. A developer finds these with the profiling tools in Xcode, fixes the cause and measures again. Ask any candidate to describe one case where they did this.
What to decide before you hire
- How much of the app is UIKit, SwiftUI and Objective-C today.
- Whether you want to keep UIKit, mix the two, or move to SwiftUI over time.
- Which screens cause the most bugs or the most support requests.
- Whether the developer will also build new features.
- Which devices and iOS versions the app must support.
Interview questions to try
- How do you stop a view controller from growing too large?
- A layout works on one phone and breaks on another. How do you find the cause?
- How would you put a SwiftUI screen inside our UIKit app?
- Tell us about a list that scrolled badly and what you changed.
- How do you add tests to a screen that has none?
Listen for clear steps and for stories with detail. Doubt anyone who says a full rewrite is always the answer.
Run a small paid task
Give each finalist a short task on a sample app. Good tasks include fixing a broken Auto Layout screen, building a simple list that scrolls well, or putting one SwiftUI view inside a UIKit screen and passing data to it. The time should be paid. Judge the readability of the code, the handling of different screen sizes and how the person explains the result.
Give them access and a routine
Your developer needs the repository, the project board and the right level of access to your Apple developer account. Keep the account and keys in your name. Early on, review each pull request together. Later a short written update each week is enough, as long as it states what changed, what was tested and what is next. Our page on mobile app developers shows how this role works with Android and cross-platform teams.
Mistakes to avoid
- Starting a full rewrite before the main problems are known.
- Letting new screens use three different styles.
- Moving to SwiftUI with no tests around the old screens.
- Fixing layout bugs by adding more constraints instead of finding the cause.
- Giving a contractor the only login to your Apple developer account.
Planning a wider mobile team? Read about how to hire an iOS developer or an Android developer, and see how hiring works on our pages.