The Dark Side of Apple Development
Once upon a time, developing for Apple was an exciting, rewarding challenge.
Apple built world-class hardware and software, and developers created incredible apps that made those devices indispensable. It was a win-win.
But in 2025, that relationship has soured.
Apple has transformed into a trillion-dollar giant that sees developers not as partners, but as a resource to control, extract from, and — when convenient — ignore.
The result? Apple now has the most hostile developer ecosystem of any major platform.
Endless bureaucracy, shifting rules, poor support, and ever-present potential of being “Sherlocked” make building apps for Apple a high-risk endeavour. And yet, many developers persist — because for many, myself included, there’s no other choice.
I’ve written a detailed article which breaks down exactly why Apple’s platforms have become so toxic for developers and explore whether it’s time to look elsewhere:
