Objective-C

What is Objective-C, really?

Before Swift, every iPhone app was Objective-C. Apple still maintains it because their entire history of code uses it. If you join a company with an iOS app from before 2016, you will probably touch some Objective-C.

Why learn it in 2026?

For new iOS apps, learn Swift instead. Only learn Objective-C if you specifically join a team maintaining a large legacy iOS codebase. There is occasional premium pay for these specialist roles.

What it looks like

// Objective-C method call
[NSString stringWithFormat:
    @"Hello, %@", userName];

[button addTarget:self
    action:@selector(buttonTapped:)
    forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];

▶ Try this code live →

What you can build with it

• Maintaining legacy iOS apps
• Bridging old code with Swift

Major apps using Objective-C

These are real platforms with public engineering posts confirming they use Objective-C in production:

How to get started with Objective-C in 5 steps

1. Install Objective-C Download Objective-C from the official site or use a package manager like Homebrew (Mac) or apt (Linux).
2. Set up your editor Install VS Code (free) and add the official Objective-C extension for syntax highlighting and autocomplete.
3. Write Hello World Create a file, write your first 'Objective-C Hello World' program, and run it from the terminal.
4. Build a small project Pick something tiny — a calculator, a to-do list, a number guessing game. Building beats reading.
5. Join a community Join the official Objective-C Discord, subreddit, or Stack Overflow tag. Ask questions when stuck.

Should you learn it first?

Only if your specific goal needs it. Objective-C serves a clear purpose but is not the broad starting point. Make sure you have a project in mind before committing.

Frequently Asked Questions about Objective-C

Sources & References

Salary ranges, popularity data, and tech stack information on this page were verified using:

• Official Objective-C documentation — Primary language reference and getting started guides
• Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025 — Salary, popularity, and trend data
• GitHub Octoverse 2025 Report — Most-used languages and growth trends
• Naukri.com & LinkedIn India job listings — India salary verification (Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune)
• OneCity internal hiring data (2020–2026) — 650+ client projects across web, mobile, and AI work

Last verified: April 26, 2026. See an error? Email hello@onecity.co.in and we will fix it.