Building a Simple List App for iOS

Using SwiftUI, Xcode and Supabase

Image generated using Midjourney

I use list apps obsessively.

I love laying everything out and going through tasks one by one. Reminders, appointments, projects, work, school – I think seeing it all on one page helps manage the stress that comes with staying on top of it all.

And yet, after many, many years, I never quite found the perfect app. Something quick, clean and simple, just the way I like it.

With no alternative, this is how I created my own perfect list app.

Objectives

I had four key objectives for this project:

1. Create a simple app for creating lists and adding items.
2. Build it using SwiftUI and Xcode.
3. Support user registration and cloud storage.
4. Implement in-app subscriptions.

Overview

Job done?

The vision is simple – I want to create lists, and I want to add items to those lists. For added bonus:

• I want to see all my lists on one page for a high-level view.
• I want the option to scroll from one list to the next, so I can filter through each in a single flow.

Everything else ultimately comes down to improving that experience. A few final considerations, such as:

• A settings page for managing user preferences.
• Clean and simple UI to ensure interactions are as quick and seamless as possible, and content is easily digestible.
• Options to add, edit, reorder and delete.
• Links for user support and a privacy policy.

Since this is a saturated market, I wanted to use something other than Lists and Items — to offer at least some distinction from the crowd.

I landed on ‘Branches’ and ‘Priorities’ instead. For the Branches in your life (i.e. work, school, projects, etc.), and your priorities for each. A priority tracker of sorts.

Monetisation

I want the app to be free, but to cover the cost of Objective 3 (user registration) I also need to monetise. Enter Objective 4, in-app subscriptions.

Making the core features free forever is a great way to bring in new users and deliver an experience without limits for those who don’t wish to pay.

Likewise, providing a paid subscription that offers extra features is a good way to cover the cost of hosting while delivering a suite of features such as:

• Cloud storage and backup, which allows cross-platform syncing
• Greater customisation and color options
• Design preferences and themes
• Future features and options as they’re added

Tech Stack

Supabase for the back-end, Swift UI for the front-end

I went with Supabase for the back-end. While I was torn between iCloud and Supabase, I landed on Supabase for the following reasons:

• Open source
• Greater flexibility and far more future-proof
• Seamless authentication and out of the box integration

For the front-end I used Swift UI, in line with Goal 2. This also has the following benefits:

• Native performance and optimization
• Can deploy to iPad, Vision Pro and Apple Silicone Mac’s out of the box
• Seamlessly integrates with Apple Developer and App Store Connect
• In-built support for StoreKit 2 and in-app subscriptions

Result

The result

After a little tinkering, I’m happy with where I’ve landed. While it’s basic in its current form, it covers all of the core features I set out to achieve:

• Create new Branches and add Priorities
• Landing page displays all Branches (and an item counter for each)
• Simple, minimalist UI (with colour customisation available through Pro)
• Scroll between lists without returning home
• Settings page complete with passwordless user login and sign up, pro subscription, user preferences and support links
• Edit, delete and reorder branches and priorities

Plus a few bonus features uncovered along the way:

• Complete priorities to cross them off
• Filter priorities by their completion status
• Restore most recent cloud backup
• Account support including change email and account deletion

All in all, not a bad start. Not only have I learnt a ton about iOS and mobile back-end development, I have finally found my dream list app with full creative control over its future development.

What’s Next

I hadn’t intended on continuing this project, but after using it for a few months and seeing how valuable it’s been in my life, and the potential it has for future improvements, I can’t wait to work on the next update.

I have a backlog of features including:

• Improved design and animations
• Checklists, notes and dates
• Reminders and notifications
• Home screen widgets
• Shared branches
• And more!

Thanks for reading, If you’d like to help me test Branches it’s now available on the App Store.

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