What iOS app development with Carvalho Karsten includes
Carvalho Karsten takes your app from the first scope document to approval on the App Store. One team handles design, code, testing and submission, so nothing falls between vendors.
The work covers:
- a written scope with the screens, features and integrations of the first version;
- interface design that follows Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines;
- iPhone, iPad and Mac code in Swift and SwiftUI;
- connections to your backend, payments, maps or other services;
- TestFlight builds for you and your testers;
- the App Store listing, privacy details and submission.
The app, the code and the App Store account stay in your name or your company’s name.
Why native Swift for iPhone and Mac apps
A native app runs the code Apple designed for its devices, so it opens fast and uses every iPhone feature directly. Notifications, the camera, widgets, Face ID, Apple Pay and offline storage work without extra layers.
Native code also makes App Review simpler. Apple’s guideline 4.2 asks for apps that go beyond a repackaged website, and a Swift app built around iPhone features meets that by design.
The same Swift code base can reach iPhone, iPad and Mac. If you plan a Mac version later, much of the work carries over.
| Native Swift | Cross-platform or web wrapper | |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone features | Direct access on day one | Depends on plugins and their updates |
| New iOS releases | Supported as Apple ships them | Waits for the framework to catch up |
| App Review risk | Lower for minimum functionality | Higher if the app feels like a website |
| Android | Needs a separate app | One code base for both |
If you need Android from the start, the project review shows what each route costs, so you can compare before you commit.
How a custom app development project runs
Each stage ends with something you can see and approve before the next one starts.
- Project review. You describe the idea, the users and the business goal. The team maps stages, integrations and risks.
- Proposal. You receive the scope, timeline and price of each stage in writing.
- Design. You approve the main screens before development starts.
- Development. New builds arrive on your iPhone through TestFlight, Apple’s beta testing app, so you follow the progress on a real device.
- Publishing. The team prepares the store listing and submits the app to App Review.
- Maintenance. After launch, the app gets updates for each new iOS and macOS release.
Custom app development cost and timeline
In the US, a first version of an app from an iOS studio usually costs $50,000 to $100,000. In Europe, including Portugal, the reference starts at €10,000. These ranges are market references, not a quote.
Your price comes from the project review. It depends on the number of screens, the integrations, the backend and the changes the scope needs along the way.
In the market, a first version usually takes 3 to 4 months. The page on app development cost compares published prices from US studios and lists the recurring costs after launch.
Before any code. The project review shows what the first version needs, what can wait and what each stage costs. You decide with the numbers in hand.
Who builds your iPhone app
Two partners run Carvalho Karsten, the app company of DockPlus AI.
Thiago Do Carmo, CEO, has lived on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, for 21 years and runs six companies, including DockPlus AI. He is your contact for business decisions in the US.
Gustavo Henrique Karsten, CTO, is an engineer with more than 20 years in technology. He leads the architecture and the code of every app.
Apps the team has built
The team’s own Mac apps, built in Swift and SwiftUI, include Devbelt, Limpador, WhereIsMyRAM, NoteAssistant and Adega. Devbelt, a set of offline developer tools, passed Apple’s App Store review.
The same language and frameworks power iPhone apps. What the team learned on the Mac, from menu bar tools to Liquid Glass panels, applies to your iOS project.
Working with a remote team from the US or Portugal
The team works from Santa Catarina, Brazil, which is 1 to 2 hours ahead of Boston, depending on the season. Your workday and the team’s workday overlap for most of the afternoon.
Meetings run by video in English, Portuguese or Spanish. In the US, the business address is 207 Iyannough Rd, Hyannis, Massachusetts. Clients in Portugal work with the same team, 3 to 4 hours behind Lisbon.
What Carvalho Karsten does for your app
If you have an idea, the team turns it into a written scope with stages, timeline and price. If you already have an app that needs to reach the store, the App Store publishing service starts from where you are.
You can also read the step-by-step guide to building an app before you talk to anyone. When you are ready, send a short description of your app and request a project review.