emasoft-complete-ios-app-authoring

Design, generate, evaluate, and ship Apple-platform APP ICONS — from a conversion-optimized 1024×1024 master to an iOS 26 Icon Composer .icon bundle (light/dark/tinted/clear variants), AppIcon.appiconset, or macOS .icns — plus IN-APP icon glyphs (SF Symbols / Iconify imagesets). Covers small-size readability and App Store tap-through (TTR) A/B testing. Use when asked for: "app icon", "icon design", "generate app icon", "AppIcon.appiconset", ".icns", "Icon Composer", "liquid glass icon", ".icon package", "ictool", "actool icon", "dark/tinted icon variant", "icon A/B test", "validate app icon", "icon white border", "missing icon size", "SF Symbol to SVG", "menu bar icon", "imageset".

App Store Optimization (ASO) for iOS App Store and Google Play — keyword research and placement, metadata writing within exact character limits, screenshot/icon/preview conversion, review tactics, competitor intelligence, localization, A/B testing, and store-policy compliance, with App Store Connect API (asc CLI) and iTunes Search API recipes. Use when asked to improve app discoverability, rank for keywords, optimize a title / subtitle / keywords field, audit a listing, or raise install conversion. Triggers: "ASO", "keyword research", "rank in the app store", "optimize my app listing", "app store keywords", "screenshot conversion", "increase installs", "will this get rejected".

Build, archive, validate, upload, and submit iOS/iPadOS/macOS/visionOS apps to App Store Connect via fastlane (match/gym/pilot/deliver), xcrun altool, or EAS (eas build / eas submit) for native Swift, React Native, Expo, Flutter, and Capacitor projects. Covers .xcarchive, ExportOptions.plist, code signing, PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy, TestFlight, ASC REST API metadata and screenshots, JWT-signed API keys, App Review submission, rejections, ITMS-XXXXX errors, macOS notarization (notarytool), and Xcode Cloud. Use when asked to submit to the App Store, ship to TestFlight, archive and upload, fastlane release, eas submit, fix code signing or ITMS-90xxx, notarize a Mac app, or respond to a rejection.

Design, build, review, or AUDIT interfaces that follow Apple's Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) for iOS 26, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS — Liquid Glass era, Swift 6 / SwiftUI, UIKit, AppKit. Use for any request to make a UI feel native to Apple — even when "HIG" is not said — including web/Figma mockups and Flutter/React Native Cupertino UI. TRIGGER on: "iOS app", "macOS app", "visionOS", "SwiftUI", "HIG", "Apple design", "SF Symbols", "Dynamic Type", "Dark Mode", "Liquid Glass", "safe area", "accessibility review", "tap target", "audit my UI against the HIG", "should I use a modal here". Run Phase 0 (targeting + project-context check) before generating code or a spec.

Translate Figma designs into native SwiftUI code (iOS 26 / Swift 6) by reading the Figma file directly through the Figma MCP — no PNG exports or screenshots. Sets up the MCP read→build→preview→compare→iterate loop, maps Figma layout/tokens to native components and HIG values, enumerates screen states, and verifies results numerically with accessibility frames. Use when building or matching Figma frames in SwiftUI, polishing a screen to a comp, batch-importing designed screens, or extracting design tokens. Triggers: "build this Figma frame", "match this Figma design in SwiftUI", "turn my Figma into iOS code", "figma to swiftui", "extract design tokens from Figma".

Apple-platform accessibility (a11y) for SwiftUI, UIKit, and AppKit — iOS/iPadOS 17–26, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS, Swift 6. VoiceOver (labels, hints, traits, custom actions, rotors), Dynamic Type and @ScaledMetric, WCAG 2.1/2.2 color contrast, Reduce Motion, 44pt touch targets, Assistive Access, NSAccessibility, automated audits (Accessibility Inspector, performAccessibilityAudit, CI). Use when implementing or auditing accessibility, adding VoiceOver support, handling Dynamic Type, or asked "is this accessible?" / "audit my UI for a11y", or for App Store / ADA / EAA compliance. Triggers: accessibility, a11y, VoiceOver, accessibilityLabel, screen reader, WCAG, Dynamic Type.

Choose and implement the right iOS/macOS app architecture (Swift 6 / iOS 26 era). A decision compass for picking a stack (MVC / MVVM+Coordinator / MVVM+Router / Clean / VIPER / MVI / TCA) plus implementation guidance — ViewModels, Use Cases, Repository, reducers, navigation (Coordinator vs NavigationStack/Router), dependency injection (manual / Factory / Swinject), SPM modularization, and @MainActor/actor/Task concurrency placement. Use when asked "which architecture should I use", "MVVM or Clean", "how do I structure this iOS app", "set up Clean Architecture", "add a Coordinator", "refactor this Massive View Controller", or when starting a new iOS/macOS project and the stack is undecided.

Grow an iOS/iPadOS app: paid UA and ad attribution under ATT (SKAdNetwork v4, AdAttributionKit, AppsFlyer/Adjust/Branch/Singular, Apple Search Ads, Meta/TikTok/Google), subscription pricing and paywall price display (StoreKit 2 + RevenueCat), PPP territory pricing, CRO, launch (Product Hunt, App Store featuring), referral/viral loops (K-factor), retention/churn/LTV, marketing psychology. Use when: "market my app", "grow my app", "user acquisition", "paid ads", "ROAS", "CAC", "ATT", "SKAdNetwork", "conversion value", "MMP", "Apple Search Ads", "pricing strategy", "paywall", "free trial", "PPP pricing", "referral program", "launch strategy", "retention", "churn", "LTV".

The definitive guide to iOS/macOS data persistence in the Swift 6 / iOS 26 era — choosing where and how to store data, then implementing it correctly. Covers SwiftData (@Model, @Query), Core Data, SQLite via GRDB and SQLiteData, FTS5 full-text search, CloudKit sync (CKSyncEngine, CKShare), iCloud Drive, Codable/JSON, UserDefaults/@AppStorage, file storage, and schema migrations. Use when the user asks "which storage / database should I use", "where do I store this data", "set up SwiftData / Core Data / GRDB", "add CloudKit sync", "migrate my schema", "data not syncing", or any database / persistence / storage / serialization / migration / sync task.

Diagnose and fix iOS/macOS/watchOS/visionOS crashes, hangs, build errors, SwiftUI render failures, Swift 6 concurrency violations, and memory leaks. Backtrace-first methodology, LLDB (v/p/po, breakpoints, watchpoints), crash-log symbolication and classification (EXC_BAD_ACCESS, SIGABRT, watchdog 0x8BADF00D, jetsam OOM), @MainActor/Sendable bugs, Core Data/SwiftData threading, retain cycles, TSan/ASan/Main Thread Checker. Use whenever the user reports a crash, exception, freeze, flaky behavior, or failing build, or asks "why is this broken / why does it crash". Triggers: crash log, .ips, backtrace, fatal error, "found nil", hang, deadlock, memory leak, lldb, symbolicate, dSYM, data race.

Diagnose and fix iOS app performance — slow launch, jank, hangs, memory leaks, battery drain, slow Xcode builds, large app size. Covers Instruments/xctrace, Memory Graph Debugger, MetricKit, XCTest perf gates, Swift 6.2 perf (ARC, COW, InlineArray, Span), SwiftUI render perf (@Observable, LazyVStack), ProMotion frame pacing, app-launch phases, build settings, binary-size reduction. Use when an app feels slow, freezes, hangs, leaks memory, drains battery, drops frames or is stuck at 60 Hz, launches or compiles slowly, or downloads too large. Trigger phrases: "performance", "memory leak", "retain cycle", "Time Profiler", "FPS", "ProMotion", "launch time", "app size", "build time", "optimize".

Definitive iOS/Swift security skill for client-side Apple-platform apps (iOS 16–26, Swift 6). Covers Keychain Services (SecItem), biometric auth (LAContext, Face ID, Secure Enclave), CryptoKit (AES-GCM, post-quantum), token storage, Sign in with Apple + passkeys + OAuth, certificate pinning, App Transport Security, privacy manifests + ATT, jailbreak/anti-tamper + App Attest, and OWASP MASVS/MASTG audits with App Store rejection checks. Use whenever the user asks "is this secure?", "audit my app", "how do I store a token/password/key", "add Face ID login", "implement certificate pinning", or writes code touching secrets, keys, biometrics, encryption, Keychain, or ATS.

Write, run, debug, and audit tests for iOS/macOS/watchOS/visionOS apps. Use whenever the user is writing or reviewing tests, mocking dependencies, testing async/@Observable/@MainActor/Combine/SwiftData/TCA code, writing XCUITest UI tests, snapshot or performance tests, fixing flaky tests, running tests on a simulator or device, or auditing test quality and coverage. Triggers on: test, @Test, #expect, #require, @Suite, XCTest, XCTestCase, XCUITest, unit test, UI test, snapshot test, performance test, mock, stub, spy, URLProtocol, TDD, "write tests", "add tests", flaky test, "tests fail on CI", code coverage, Swift Testing migration — whether or not the user says "testing".

Design and implement Apple's Liquid Glass — the iOS/iPadOS/macOS 26 design material — across SwiftUI, UIKit, AppKit, and WidgetKit. Use when adopting iOS 26 design, adding glass/blur effects, building floating chrome or morphing toolbars, or migrating an app to the iOS 26 SDK. Triggers: "Liquid Glass", "glassEffect", ".buttonStyle(.glass)", "GlassEffectContainer", "glassEffectID", "UIGlassEffect", "NSGlassEffectView", "iOS 26 design", "tabBarMinimizeBehavior", "scrollEdgeEffectStyle", "ToolbarSpacer", "safeAreaBar", "concentric corners", "frosted glass UI", "migrate to iOS 26", "UIDesignRequiresCompatibility", "glass widget", "backgroundExtensionEffect", "tabViewBottomAccessory".

Localize/internationalize apps (iOS 26, Swift 6, Xcode 26) and make them correct in RTL locales (Arabic, Hebrew, Persian). String Catalogs (.xcstrings), ICU plurals, locale-aware FormatStyle, runtime language switching, XLIFF, bidi text (FSI/PDI isolates, iOS 26 Natural Selection), RTL layout (leading/trailing, icon mirroring, sentinel method), RTL QA checklist. Use when localizing, adding a language, i18n/l10n, migrating Localizable.strings, currency/date formatting, supporting RTL, Arabic screens left-aligned, phone numbers reorder, bidi cursor jumps, translating xcstrings. Not for general SwiftUI layout (swiftui-ui).

Run-and-observe loop for iOS/iPadOS apps on the iOS Simulator and real devices (iOS 26 / Swift 6 / Xcode 26): build, boot, install, launch, drive the UI, screenshot, logs, debug. Picks the driver (XcodeBuildMCP, xcrun simctl, xcodebuild, devicectl, idb, AXe, Maestro, XCUITest, WebDriverAgent), environment-first diagnostics, accessibility-tree UI interaction, visual regression, leak hunting, simulator disk cleanup. Use when: "run the app", "build and run", "boot a simulator", "take a screenshot", "tap/type in the UI", "simulate a deeplink/push/location", "why won't the simulator boot", "BUILD FAILED" — any make-it-run-on-sim/device request. NOT for feature code or signing/provisioning.

Measure and reduce technical debt in Swift / iOS code — Cognitive Complexity scoring, Clean Code audits (names, functions, types, error handling, tests), and concrete extract-refactor fixes for the Swift 6 / iOS 26 era. Use when the user asks to "clean up Swift code", "reduce cognitive complexity", "lower nesting", "untangle this function", "audit clean code", "refactor this ViewModel", "review naming / function design / error handling / tests", "split a massive view controller", "run a clean code review", or "find code smells" in a Swift codebase.

Definitive Swift 6 / 6.2 concurrency and data-race-safety skill for Apple platforms (iOS 26, Xcode 26). Covers actors and reentrancy, AsyncStream/AsyncSequence lifecycle, TaskGroup, Sendable, strict-concurrency diagnostics, Swift 6.2 Approachable Concurrency (default MainActor isolation, @concurrent, Task.immediate), Mutex/Atomic, bridging callbacks/delegates/GCD to async, and runtime isolation crashes. Use for ANY async/await, actor, Sendable, or isolation question, for migrating to Swift 6 strict concurrency, or whenever the query mentions actor, async, await, AsyncStream, TaskGroup, Sendable, nonisolated, MainActor, withCheckedContinuation, @concurrent, or Swift 6.

Build native-feeling SwiftUI screens for the iOS 26 Liquid Glass era with Swift 6 — view composition, native-component selection, state-driven navigation, animations, @Observable view models, anti-AI-slop design rules, and a self-audit checklist. Use when asked to build, structure, improve, or review SwiftUI views or screens — "build a SwiftUI view", "make a screen", "my UI looks off", "NavigationStack", "sheet / detents", "TabView", "glassEffect / Liquid Glass", "List vs LazyVStack", "WidgetKit / Live Activity", "rich text editor", "drag and drop" — even when the user does not say "SwiftUI". For pure HIG audits defer to apple-hig; for Figma→code defer to figma-to-swiftui.

Write, review, and modernize UIKit code for iOS 26 / Swift 6.2 — UIViewController/UIView lifecycle, Auto Layout, UITableView/UICollectionView with diffable data sources, navigation and coordinators, MVVM/VIPER, retain-cycle debugging, accessibility, iOS 26 Liquid Glass, SwiftUI bridging (UIViewRepresentable, UIHostingController), keyboard-safe layout, PencilKit, and iPad Stage Manager. Use when reading, writing, reviewing, or refactoring any UIKit project or migrating legacy patterns. Triggers: "review my UIKit code", "UIViewController", "UITableView", "Auto Layout constraints", "fix the retain cycle", "diffable data source", "Liquid Glass". Not for SwiftUI-only projects.

AUDIT an iOS / iPadOS / macOS / visionOS app project for App Store Review Guideline compliance BEFORE upload — catch the top rejections (Sign in with Apple, account deletion, privacy manifest, IAP, usage strings, ATT, demo account) while they are cheap to fix. Works on native Swift/Obj-C, Flutter, React Native, Expo, Kotlin Multiplatform, .NET MAUI, Cordova/Ionic, Capacitor, and Unity. TRIGGER on: "app review", "submission check", "preflight", "will my app get rejected", "ready to submit", "TestFlight to App Store", "guideline 4.8 / 5.1.1 / 3.1.1", "privacy manifest", "account deletion requirement", "export compliance". Run Phase 0 (detect framework + locate config) first.

Apple's on-device Foundation Models framework — the ~3B-parameter system language model in iOS/iPadOS/macOS/visionOS 26+. Covers LanguageModelSession, @Generable / @Guide constrained decoding, tool calling, streaming, the 4096-token context budget, availability checks, the 9-case GenerationError set, guardrails / permissive mode, custom LoRA adapters, Instruments profiling, and crisis triage. Use when building or debugging any on-device LLM feature on Apple platforms. Triggers on: "Foundation Models", "LanguageModelSession", "SystemLanguageModel", "@Generable", "@Guide", "on-device LLM", "Apple Intelligence model", "guided generation", "FM adapter", "permissiveContentTransformations".

Make iOS apps and games FEEL responsive, satisfying, alive — haptics, particle/spring animation, sound feedback, screen shake, celebrations, and SpriteKit (iOS 26 / Swift 6). Use for: "game feel", "juice it up", "make it feel good / punchy", "add haptics", Core Haptics / CHHapticEngine / AHAP, sensoryFeedback, "add confetti", "celebrate achievement", "particle effect", "screen shake", "hit pause", "build a 2D game", SpriteKit / SKScene / SKAction / SpriteView, SwiftUI Metal shader effects (colorEffect / distortionEffect / layerEffect), ripple / shimmer, audio-reactive visualizer, error shake, GCController, Game Center / GameKit, "my app feels flat". HIG layout → apple-hig; general SwiftUI screens → swiftui-ui.

Cross-cutting Swift 6 / iOS 26 fundamentals no feature skill owns: Swift language (optionals, generics, protocols, Codable), Swift Concurrency (async/await, actors, Sendable, MainActor), GCD migration, thread-safety / data-race debugging, observability (os.Logger, MetricKit), URLSession, ObjC interop, deprecated-API registry; plus frameworks with no dedicated skill: APNs/silent push, notifications, AlarmKit, Vision, SpeechAnalyzer, MapKit, AVAudioEngine, SharePlay, CallKit, tvOS focus, Swift/C++ interop. Use for Swift/iOS work that is NOT SwiftUI layout, UIKit, architecture, testing, release, ASO, or App Intents — "why does this deadlock", "convert to async/await", "replace this deprecated API", "set up silent push".

Build and customize interactive text editors on iOS / iPadOS / macOS (iOS 26 / Swift 6 / Xcode 26) — UITextInput / NSTextInputClient, marked text / IME, UITextView / NSTextView seams, spell-check / autocorrect, copy / paste, Writing Tools, NSTextStorage, find & replace, undo / redo, syntax highlighting, Core Text, Markdown, AttributedString + SwiftUI TextEditor, layout / attachments, and the TextKit 2 → 1 fallback. Use when building a code/text editor, on "cursor jumps", "CJK / IME", "paste brings in fonts", "Writing Tools went panel-only", "undo undid too much", "rich text formatting lost", "textLayoutManager is nil". Not for the NSAttributedString.Key catalog or text drag-and-drop.

Build, test, and ship iOS in-app purchases and subscription paywalls with StoreKit 2 or RevenueCat (iOS 26 / Swift 6 / Xcode 26): StoreManager, Transaction.updates, subscription state machine, restore, Family Sharing, App Store Server API, StoreKit Views, all four offer types incl. iOS 18+ win-back, SwiftUI paywall design, sandbox + .storekit testing, App Review 3.1/3.1.2 compliance. Use when adding a paywall, subscriptions, IAP, free trials, promo/offer codes, restore purchases, transaction verification, or fixing a 3.1.x rejection. Triggers: "add a paywall", "StoreKit 2", "IAP", "RevenueCat", "subscription not unlocking". Pricing strategy and PPP → ios-app-growth-marketing skill.

App Intents on iOS/iPadOS/macOS 26 (Swift 6.2) — expose app actions and content to Siri, Apple Intelligence, Shortcuts, Spotlight, Visual Intelligence, the Action Button, Control Center, and interactive widgets. Use when implementing or debugging AppIntent, AppEntity, AppEnum, EntityQuery, AppShortcutsProvider, SnippetIntent, IndexedEntity, assistant schemas (@AppIntent(schema:)), Spotlight indexing, or migrating from SiriKit/INIntent — or any "App Intents / App Shortcut / Siri phrase / Visual Intelligence" task.