An app project moves through a set order of stages. This guide shows what happens in each one, what the developer needs from you and where your decisions count.
The mobile app development process runs in stages: define the problem, set the scope, choose the technical approach, design the screens, build the app and its back end, test it, submit it to the Apple and Google stores, and maintain it after launch. Time depends on features, platforms and integrations rather than a fixed schedule, and your input is needed at every stage.
The mobile app development process in eight stages
The mobile app development process follows the same outline whichever team builds the app. What differs is how carefully each stage is done. The table gives the order, what comes out of each stage and what is asked of you.
| Stage | What comes out of it | Your part |
|---|---|---|
| Idea and goal | A short statement of who the app is for and which problem it solves | The problem, the users, what success looks like |
| Scope and requirements | A feature list split into the first version and later versions | Decisions on what matters most |
| Technical approach | A choice between native, cross-platform and web, plus a plan for the back end | Facts about your users' phones, your budget and who will maintain the app |
| Design | Screen flows, wireframes, visual designs and a tappable prototype | Feedback and sign-off |
| Development | Working builds of the app, the back end and an admin area | Quick answers, content, third-party accounts |
| Testing | Fixed defects and a build that is ready for release | Trying the builds yourself on real phones |
| Store submission and launch | The app listed on the Apple and Google stores | Developer accounts, store text and images, privacy details |
| After launch | Updates, bug fixes, a review of usage and a plan for the next version | Feedback, priorities, a support arrangement |
Idea, scope and technical approach
The first stage is a short written statement: who will use the app, what they are trying to do and why an app is the right tool. If a mobile-friendly website would do the job, say so at this point. Our guide to native apps and web apps helps with that decision.
The second stage turns the idea into a list of features and then shortens the list. The first release should hold only what lets a real user finish the main task. How to make those cuts is covered in what to build in the first version of your app, so this page does not repeat it.
The third stage is the technical choice. You can have separate native apps for iPhone and Android, one cross-platform codebase, or a web app. This is also where the back end is planned. The back end is the server, database and admin area behind the screens, and first-time buyers often do not realise they need one. The comparison of native, Flutter and React Native sets out how to decide.
Design: what you are signing off
Design comes in two layers. User experience design decides the path through the app: which screens exist, what a tap leads to and what the user sees when something goes wrong. Visual design decides the look: colour, type, icons and spacing. Both usually end in a prototype that you can tap through on a phone before any code is written.
Treat the prototype as the cheapest test you will get. Changing a screen in a prototype takes far less effort than changing it after it is built. Hand it to two or three people who match your intended users and watch them try it without helping.
The difference between design and development is simple to state. Design decides what the app should do and how it should look. Development makes it work. Designers produce screens and flows. Developers write the code behind them, connect it to a server and database, and handle what screens do not show, such as storing data safely and coping when the network drops. The two overlap at hand-off, so a good project lets them talk before the designs are final.
Development: what happens while the app is built
Development normally runs in short cycles, each ending with a working build. Each build should be something you can install and try. If the first time you see the app running is close to the end, the process is not giving you enough chances to correct course.
Three pieces of work run side by side: the app itself, the back end that stores data and handles accounts and payments, and an admin area where your team manages content, orders or users. The admin area is often missing from first estimates, so ask for it to be listed.
Your main job in this stage is to respond quickly. Developers get blocked by missing text, images, brand files, third-party account details and undecided questions. A late answer is one of the most common reasons a project overruns.
Testing: what the team checks and what you check
The team tests that each feature works, that the app copes with different phone models and operating system versions, and that it behaves sensibly when things go wrong: no signal, a phone call in the middle of a payment, a user who types something unexpected.
You should test as well. You know how your customers behave and what a correct result looks like, and the developer does not. Before release, install a build on a real phone and carry out the main tasks as a customer would. Write down what you see, with a screenshot and the steps needed to repeat it. Ask the team how test builds will reach you. The usual routes are TestFlight for iPhone and a testing track in the Google Play Console for Android.
Keep a simple list of problems and mark which must be fixed before release and which can wait for the next version.
Store submission and launch
Launching means submitting the app to the Apple App Store and to Google Play. Each store reviews apps before they appear. Create the developer accounts for both in your business's name rather than the agency's, so you stay in control of the app.
Prepare these before you submit:
- The app name, a short and long description, and a category.
- An icon and screenshots in the sizes each store asks for.
- A privacy policy at a public web address, and the declarations each store requires about the data your app collects.
- Login details for a test account if the app has a sign-in, so reviewers can get past it.
- Support contact details.
Stores can reject an app and ask for changes. This is common on a first submission. Review times vary, so do not announce a public date until the build has been accepted. A staged release, where the app first reaches a small group, lets you catch problems before everyone has it.
After the app is launched
Launch is when real usage data starts to arrive, so the work continues. Typical jobs are watching for crashes, answering store reviews, fixing bugs that testing missed and updating the app when Apple and Google release new operating system versions. An app that is not updated can stop working properly over time. Agree who does this work, and how it is paid for, before launch. The app maintenance guide lists what to ask.
Decide in advance which numbers you will watch, such as how many people finish sign-up or come back in the following week, and what would make you add, change or drop a feature. That turns the first month into evidence for the next version.
How long the process takes
No fixed schedule suits every app. Time is set by the number of features, the number of platforms, the amount of back-end work, how many outside services must be connected, how quickly you answer questions and how store review goes. A small first version with one main task takes far less time than a platform with several user types, payments and an admin system. A developer who names a date before seeing a feature list is guessing.
Cost follows the same drivers.
What to prepare before you talk to an app developer
- One paragraph on who the app is for and the problem it solves.
- The few things a user must be able to do in the first version.
- Two or three apps you admire, and what you like about how they work.
- What your customers use: mostly Android phones, mostly iPhones, or a mix.
- Any systems the app must connect to, such as billing, stock or your website.
- The one person who makes decisions and signs off designs.
- A budget ceiling, and whether the project can be done in phases.
- A plan for the developer accounts and the source code, both of which should end up in your name.
With that list in hand, a first conversation is much shorter. The mobile app development page describes the work Liftup does on apps.
Questions and answers
What are the stages of mobile app development?
The stages are idea and goal, scope and requirements, technical approach, design, development, testing, store submission and launch, and then maintenance. Each stage produces something you can review, such as a feature list, a prototype or a working build. Skipping an early stage tends to cause rework in a later one.
How long does it take to build an app?
It depends on the number of features, the platforms, the back-end work, the outside services connected and how fast you respond. A small first version takes much less time than a multi-user platform. Treat any date given before a feature list exists as a guess, and ask for a schedule that includes your own tasks.
What should I prepare before talking to an app developer?
Bring a one-paragraph description of the app and its users, the main tasks it must support, a few apps you admire, the phones your customers use, any systems to connect, the name of one decision-maker and a budget ceiling. These let a developer give a useful first answer.
What happens after the app is launched?
Work continues with crash monitoring, bug fixes, replies to store reviews and updates for new phone software. You also review usage to decide what the next version should contain. Agree who does this and how it is paid for before launch, not afterwards.
Do I need to test the app myself?
Yes. The developer checks that features work, but you know your customers and what a correct result looks like. Install test builds on real phones, carry out the main tasks, and report problems with a screenshot and the steps to repeat them. Mark which ones must be fixed before release.
What is the difference between app design and app development?
Design decides the screens, the paths between them and the look. Development builds the working app and the server behind it. A designer hands over layouts and flows, and a developer turns them into code, data storage and connections to other services. Both are needed, and they should talk before designs are final.