Independent iOS Developer

Hi, I'm Tim.I build iOS apps that hold up — and help decide what's worth building in the first place.

I've been making things for Apple's platforms for a very long time. I work with founders and teams on new apps, and on existing ones that need experienced hands. I'm also a dad, choral singer, gardener, and iced coffee aficionado.

Get in touch Available for new work
Tim Schmitz

A little about me

I got my first Mac in 1989 and never really looked back. When the first iPhone SDK arrived in 2008, I started building native apps in my spare time, and I’ve been doing it ever since, through every big shift: Objective-C to Swift, UIKit to SwiftUI, and all the reinventions in between. That’s given me the perspective to adopt new technologies wisely and learn the ins and outs of the most important frameworks.

I love to build the whole app — the data and sync underneath, the interface on top, the performance in between, and the App Store growth around it. But the part I’m proudest of is a little subtler: I’m the person teams keep around for years, because I treat their app as seriously as they do.

Code is only part of the work. Working with me means getting the benefit of my experience — and someone who cares how the finished product feels.

1989Mac user ever since
18 yrsBuilding iOS apps, since the first SDK
2015Joined Strides — its iOS developer since
TodayIndependent, and available

Selected work

Two apps, two kinds of trust: one I've cared for on someone else's behalf for years, one I built and run myself.

Client work

Strides

Goal & habit tracker — an App Store fixture since 2013

I was brought in to clean up problems left by earlier developers, and I’ve been the iOS developer ever since. I’ve built and evolved the sync system, added numerous new features, and refined design, all while keeping the app stable and fast, year after year.

11 yrs
as its iOS developer
4.8★
App Store rating
19,000+
ratings
See it on the App Store
Strides
Strides charts and reports

My own app

Tinseltown

A movie & TV tracker — designed, built, and run by me

Everything here is mine, end to end: what it does, how it looks, how it’s built, how it grows. It’s been a chance to build something I use in daily life, explore design opportunities, and learn about new platform features and frameworks.

See it on the App Store
Tinseltown
Tinseltown
Tim is an amazing developer! Working with him for 11 years he's proven his skills in organization, time management, communication and perseverance. He loves solving (and preventing) problems — which makes him an invaluable partner for iOS app development.
— Kyle Richey, CEO of Strides

What experience changes

The good decisions happen before any code is written.

Writing code has never been easier. I use AI every day, and it’s genuinely good at helping me move faster. But nobody has ever hired me because I type quickly.

The hard part of any app is deciding what to build, how it should work, and why. That’s where experience earns its keep — seeing where a choice leads, noticing the detail that matters, remembering why a decision was made two years later. That’s the part I’m actually here for.

Away from the screen

I’m a dad first — which is its own daily lesson in patience and paying attention. I’m an experienced choral singer, where every part has to listen to every other, and I keep a garden from seed to harvest. The same instincts that make those work well are the ones I bring to an app: care, patience, and a long view.

Let's build something worth keeping.

A new app, an existing one that needs experienced hands, or a fractional role on your team — whether you have a full spec or just the start of an idea, I'd like to hear about it. I read every note myself.

tim@brightpixelapps.com