best ios books this year [learn ios programming asap]

12 Best iOS Books in 2024 [Learn iOS Programming ASAP]

2023 / By

🧠 Did you know that Apple users collectively download 51 apps per minute on average?

What is iOS?

Simply put, iOS is the operating system used for Apple iPhones and other Apple products. It’s the worlds second-most installed mobile operating system after Android.

What is iOS application development?

iOS application development is where developers make mobile applications for the iPhone, iPad and iTouch. Applications are written in Swift or Objective-C.

🧠 Did you know? There are over 2 million apps available for download on the App Store.

What is Swift?

Swift is an open-source, interactive programming language. It was created by Apple specifically for iOS application development.

Do I need to learn Swift to develop iOS applications?

If you want to develop iOS apps, you have to learn Swift or Objective-C. Though the trends are leaning towards Swift being the more popular programming language.

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TLDR: Best iOS Books


💥 Best for Newbies 💥
iOS 14 Programming for Beginners

💸 Best Value 💸
iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide

🔥 Best for Experienced iOS Developers 🔥
Mastering iOS 14 Programming

Best iOS Books

1. iOS 14 Programming for Beginners

iOS 14 Programming for Beginners is one of the best iOS books for beginners.

↘️ Ideal for: programmers new to Swift and iOS app development
↘️ Topics covered: iOS development, Swift, Xcode

iOS 14 Programming for Beginners will teach you how to build iOS applications with the building blocks of iOS development – Swift and Xcode. After using storyboards to prototype an application, you’ll learn how to:

  • use the Model View Controller (MVC) design pattern
  • implement iOS features like widgets
  • design, deploy and test iOS applications

And more.

➡️ iOS 14 Programming for Beginners teaches design patterns and best practices for iOS application development.

What iOS programmers are saying about iOS 14 Programming for Beginners:

As a new iOS engineer, I use the book constantly as a reference. Definitely a great intro into mobile development using Swift.

– Sean, iOS Developer

🔥 Geena’s Hot Take

iOS 14 Programming for Beginners is HOT. It’s newbie-friendly, covers Swift and features design patterns… It’s got it all!

This is the book to get if you’re a newbie that wants to start learning iOS app development.

GRAB YOUR COPY OF iOS 14 PROGRAMMING FOR BEGINNERS

🌊 Learn iOS app development swiftly (get it?) with the course Swift Programming for Mobile App Development on Educative.io.

2. iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide

iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide is one of the best iOS books for giving you the biggest bang for your buck.

↘️ Ideal for: iOS development newbies
↘️ Topics covered: iOS concepts, coding

iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide teaches you the essentials of programming iOS applications:

  • concepts
  • tools
  • techniques

You’ll learn coding and iOS concepts simultaneously. This will give you a better understanding of features and the way iOS development works.

➡️ By the end of iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide, you should be able to build your own iOS projects.

Xcode workspace window in iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide
PICK UP iOS PROGRAMMING: THE BIG NERD RANCH GUIDE

👷 Get right into building iOS apps with the course Complete React Native Developer in 2021 on Zero to Mastery.

3. Mastering iOS 14 Programming

Mastering iOS 14 Programming is one of the best iOS books for experienced iOS developers.

↘️ Ideal for: experienced iOS developers
↘️ Topics covered: iOS 14, Swift, Xcode, ARKit, Core ML

In addition to covering the latest features of iOS 14, Mastering iOS 14 Programming takes a look at:

With practical examples and sample projects, you’ll learn how to write efficient and maintainable code in Swift. This will enable you to build apps with features like dark mode and animations.

You’ll also dive into:

  • creating new widgets
  • improving the flow of your code
  • training machine learning models
  • creating augmented reality experiences

And much more.

➡️ Mastering iOS 14 Programming takes a deep dive into advanced Swift concepts to build iOS applications.

What iOS developers are saying about Mastering iOS 14 Programming:

… Perfect fit for both beginners and pros as it will take your hand step by step from the “idea stage” to “publishing your app to the AppStore” …

– Jean Meyer, iOS Dev & Crypto Guru
PICK UP MASTERING iOS 14 PROGRAMMING

🪶Become a Swift app developer with the course Swift 5 iOS Application Developer Specialization on Coursera.

4. Swift Cookbook

Swift Cookbook is one of the best iOS books with recipes to develop iOS apps.

↘️ Ideal for: experienced iOS developers
↘️ Topics covered: 60 recipes for developing iOS applications

Swift Cookbook contains proven recipes to build feature-rich iOS applications. You’ll use popular strategies and design techniques while learning:

  • basic and advanced Swift concepts
  • how to use and create advanced operators
  • how to import custom functionality into Swift Playgrounds

And much more.

➡️ Swift Cookbook contains over 60 recipes you can use to develop superior iOS applications.

GRAB YOUR COPY OF THE SWIFT COOKBOOK

⚙️ Check out the newbie course iOS App Development: From an Absolute Beginner to a Paid Professional on BitDegree.

5. iOS 14 Programming Fundamentals with Swift

iOS 14 Programming Fundamentals with Swift is one of the best iOS books for beginners.

↘️ Ideal for: iOS newbies
↘️ Topics covered: Swift, Xcode, Cocoa

iOS 14 Programming Fundamentals with Swift introduces basic concepts in:

While learning basics like built-in Swift types, you’ll also dig into objects, protocols and generics. In addition, you’ll:

  • become familiar with the Xcode lifecycle
  • learn how nibs are loaded
  • discover Cocoa’s event-driven design

And beyond.

➡️ iOS 14 Programming Fundamentals with Swift is a beginner-friendly guide to Swift, Xcode and Cocoa.

Making and calling an instance in iOS 14 Programming Fundamentals with Swift
PICK UP iOS 14 PROGRAMMING FUNDAMENTALS WITH SWIFT

🧠 Learn the basics of iOS apps in the course iOS App Development — Fundamentals on Pluralsight.

6. Swift in Depth

↘️ Ideal for: advanced beginners or intermediate Swift developers
↘️ Topics covered: writing reusable code, protocol-oriented programming, asynchronous error handling

Swift in Depth is a guide for advanced beginners or intermediate Swift developers. In addition to learning best practices in Swift 5, you’ll explore:

And beyond.

➡️ Swift in Depth uses ample examples and exercises to highlight the more powerful features of Swift 5.

What iOS developers are saying about Swift in Depth:

… this book is aimed at experienced Swift developers, and does a great job explaining some of the more tricky features of the language.

– Nathan Birkholz, Swift developer
GRAB YOUR COPY OF SWIFT IN DEPTH

🎨 Create more Swift apps with the course Build iOS Apps with SwiftUI on Codecademy Pro.

7. SwiftUI Essentials: iOS 14 Edition

↘️ Ideal for: Swift newbies
↘️ Topics covered: SwiftUI, Swift, Xcode

With SwiftUI Essentials, you’ll learn how to develop iOS 14 apps with:

After setting up your iOS developer environment, you’ll learn the essentials of Swift such as data types, control flow and object-oriented programming. Then you’ll learn about custom SwiftUI views and navigating Xcode.

Finally, you’ll learn how to take your complete app and upload it to the App Store.

➡️ SwiftUI Essentials contains detailed tutorials and source code to teach you the core concepts of iOS app development.

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SWIFTUI ESSENTIALS – iOS 14 EDITION

8. Native Mobile Development: A Cross-Reference for iOS and Android

Native Mobile Development is one of the few iOS books that also covers Android app development.

↘️ Ideal for: iOS and Android app developers
↘️ Topics covered: iOS and Android app development

Native Mobile Development is a hands-on guide to teach you the most common development skills on both iOS and Android. You’ll learn a series of platform-agnostic tasks such as:

  • file and database operations
  • custom views and components
  • threading and asynchronous work
  • unit and integration testing

Plus you get a cute Appaloosa horse on the front cover. Ding!

➡️ Native Mobile Development will teach you how to build simple applications in both iOS and Android.

PICK UP NATIVE MOBILE DEVELOPMENT

9. Mastering Swift 5.3

↘️ Ideal for: beginner and experienced developers
↘️ Topics covered: Swift 5.3

Mastering Swift 5.3 is for beginner and experienced developers who want to learn Swift for iOS application development. First you’ll learn about core Swift components like functions, control flow and collections. Then you’ll discover:

  • how and when to use classes and structures
  • protocol-oriented programming
  • adding concurrency to your applications
  • writing flexible and reusable code with generics

And more.

➡️ Mastering Swift 5.3 will show you how to incorporate Swift features into your own projects.

Swift features in Mastering Swift 5.3
GRAB YOUR COPY OF MASTERING SWIFT 5.3

10. SwiftUI Projects

↘️ Ideal for: experienced Swift developers
↘️ Topics covered: SwiftUI projects

SwiftUI Projects contains 6 hands-on projects where you’ll build complex user interfaces for iOS, iPadOS and watchOS. In addition to learning the basics of SwiftUI, you’ll:

  • work with UI elements
  • create a video player
  • create flexible layouts

And beyond.

➡️ With SwiftUI Projects, you’ll build 6 projects including a financial app, POS system and sports news app.

PICK UP SWIFTUI PROJECTS

11. Beginning iOS 14 & Swift 5 App Development

↘️ Ideal for: developers with basic programming experience
↘️ Topics covered: Swift, XCode, SwiftUI

Beginning iOS 14 & Swift App Development is a hands-on book where you’ll immediately start by building a BMI calculator. You’ll also build a(n):

  • to-do list app
  • cryptocurrency price tracker
  • augmented reality app
  • image detection app

Then you’ll discover SwiftUI, widgets, app clips, dark mode and more.

➡️ Beginning iOS 14 & Swift App Development is hands-on from the moment you pick up the book.

PICK UP YOUR COPY OF BEGINNING iOS 14 & SWIFT APP DEVELOPMENT

12. Hello Swift!: iOS app programming for kids and other beginners

Hello Swift! is one of the best iOS books for kids and beginners.

↘️ Ideal for: iOS newbies, Swift newbies
↘️ Topics covered: Swift

Hello Swift! is a hands-on guide packed with exercises you’ll work on to build puzzles and games for iPhones and other iOS devices. In all, you’ll build dozens of small apps while learning Swift fundamentals.

➡️ Hello Swift! is a step-by-step guide written from a kid’s perspective to teach you how to write simple iOS apps using Swift.

This island serves as your progress bar throughout Hello Swift!
PICK UP HELLO SWIFT!

Best iOS Books: Conclusion

Today we looked at the best iOS books including:

💥 Best for Newbies 💥
iOS 14 Programming for Beginners

💸 Best Value 💸
iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide

🔥 Best for Experienced iOS Developers 🔥
Mastering iOS 14 Programming

So whether you need the best rated, something newbie-friendly, or a good value, we think these are the best iOS books around.

iOS developers are also reading:

  1. What are the best iOS books?

    We think the best iOS book for newbies is iOS 14 Programming for Beginners. For best value, we liked iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide. And for experienced iOS developers, we chose Mastering iOS 14 Programming. You can learn about these books and many more in today’s article featuring the best iOS books for this year.

  2. What is iOS?

    Simply put, iOS is the operating system used for Apple iPhones and other Apple products. It’s the worlds second-most installed mobile operating system after Android. You can learn more about iOS with books and courses, many of which you’ll find in today’s post.

  3. What is iOS application development?

    iOS application development is where developers make mobile applications for the iPhone, iPad and iTouch. Applications are written in Swift or Objective-C. There are plenty of books about Swift programming you’ll find in our article.

  4. What is Swift?

    Swift is an open-source, interactive programming language. It was created by Apple specifically for iOS application development. So if you want to learn iOS application development, learning Swift is probably the way to go. You can learn more about Swift in today’s post containing 12 of the best iOS books we could find, including a few on Swift.

  5. Do I need to learn Swift to develop iOS applications?

    If you want to develop iOS apps, you have to learn Swift or Objective-C. Though the trends are leaning towards Swift being the more popular programming language. So it would probably be a good idea to learn Swift to develop iOS applications. You can learn more about iOS apps and Swift with the books in today’s article.