I’m an absolute rookie, and know nothing about coding, but I’m using AI to assist me and I’m building an app, and currently using my actual iPhone that I use for personal/work purposes as my simulation device as well.
Should I actually use a completely blank iPhone for this instead?
Also, should I use a more updated version of the iPhone? I have old iPhones from years gone by floating around my house that are currently blank but some of them are so old they could probably go in a museum.
Alternatively? Should I just run a simulator on my actual computer (the challenge being that I’m actually using a laptop and I already have a limited amount of space on my screen.)
I’m not trying to develop a polished product at this stage. What I’m trying to develop is a reasonably well functioning prototype so I can pitch my idea to possible investors, and the secure the money I need to pay an actual developer to do it properly - but I still want my MVP to be pretty good because I want my actual pitch and presentation to be flawless. I’m doing it on my own because I don’t want to share my idea with others because I don’t trust people.
Ideally you test on both a newer device as well as older. Makes sure it works acrosss versions.
> I’m using AI to assist me and I’m building an app
Vibe coding is a myth, it will take you only so far and will require manual fixes and refactoring before MVP. Learn the basics of and keep learning, say, Swift. https://developer.apple.com/swift-playground/
> Should I actually use a completely blank iPhone for this instead?
Does not make any difference. Every app runs in its own separate environment. Only iOS device "Language and Region" settings affect all apps on a device.
> should I use a more updated version of the iPhone?
Does not make much difference, unless you need to target some new capabilities introduced with a particular iOS version. Other than that, the rest of the API is the same across multiple recent iOS versions.
> Should I just run a simulator on my actual computer
Sure. It is easier and faster to test on a Simulator using a mouse rather than on a device, tapping. Once you stabilize some code under the Simulator, always re-test it on a real device.
> I don’t want to share my idea with others
This will come as a shock, but ideas themselves are nearly worthless. There has been a previous Facebook, a previous Twitter, a previous Office, etc. that has failed. It is only the quality of execution of an idea, the quality of the Product-Market-Fit and the quality of marketing of a product that makes a product a winner. Start by reading books by Rob Walling, e.g., "Start Small, Stay Small".