Tip-Toeing From Android Into iOS Development
I’m transitioning from an Android Engineer to a Mobile Engineer at Bloom & Wild. In this article, I’ll share how a supportive culture is helping me expand my skills across both Android and iOS.
Don’t worry — no technical deep dives or walls of code here!
I hope my journey inspires you to explore your own path, showing how a supportive environment can make all the difference.
Expanding Beyond Android
When I joined as an Android Engineer, my main focus was on building the best Android experiences. But the company’s culture — one that truly values continuous learning and growth — motivates me to stretch beyond my comfort zone. “Why not try to learn iOS?” I thought.
Is it worth becoming a Mobile Engineer?
As I gradually build this new skill set, I’m learning to move between different projects, starting to read and understand iOS code, and beginning to offer help to the iOS engineers when needed.
“It’s still not that common for developers to be proficient on both Android and iOS. In this survey, just 39% of respondents reported that 2–4 developers on their team were working on iOS and Android simultaneously.” (TechRepublic).
This quote highlights the rarity and value of being skilled in both platforms. Learning both Android and iOS not only makes us more valuable but also helps us become key contributors to any team.
Kate Grocott-Mason, our Senior Product Manager, shared the benefits this brings for the project:
- “The flexibility to ‘dial up’ or ‘dial down’ developer capacity per platform depending on where it’s most needed during a sprint, allowing us to be more responsive to business needs and deliver more effectively on sprint goals.”
- “It helps us align logic and implementation across platforms, spotting opportunities we might otherwise miss.”
- “Having expertise from both platforms aids in discovery, refinement, and delivery of new initiatives.”
Being comfortable with both platforms means I can contribute wherever the team needs me most.
Will I have the necessary time to learn it?
Expanding my skills requires time and resources. Learning and growing are always easier when your company gives you the time for it.
We get a full Learning Day each quarter to focus on whatever we’re interested in — no meetings, no interruptions.
I’ve used that time more than once to explore our iOS project and develop my own small iOS applications, trying to follow the same architecture we use in our iOS project. This has helped me start getting familiar with the technology.
We also follow the 70/20/10 model for learning and growth, which breaks down like this:
- 70% of our learning happens on the job — through solving problems, tackling challenging tasks, and taking on new responsibilities.
- 20% comes from working with others — whether it’s mentoring, collaborating, or getting feedback. The iOS engineers have been a huge help in guiding me through unfamiliar territory and answering questions along the way.
- 10% comes from formal learning, which can include courses, workshops, and e-learning. This takes place throughout the year, including during our quarterly learning days.
This mix of learning on the job, working with others, and having time set aside for growth has made a big difference for me.
But even with all that, diving into a new technology wasn’t without its challenges. I faced difficulties figuring out how to run or debug the application and how to try to apply the same concepts I was used to in Android, but in iOS.
Self-learning also plays a crucial role in this process. Beyond those dedicated days, finding personal time to explore and learn allows us to focus directly on the knowledge we want to gain.
The Role of a Supportive Environment in Professional Growth
Since I started learning iOS, the team has been eager to give me opportunities and autonomy to contribute, always providing the support I need.
I believe a great work environment is one where you can join a new team or project and still feel free to explore, pitch ideas, and experiment (when time and priorities allow)— knowing that your input will be valued.
I can say that this is exactly how I’ve always felt here. This environment drives me to keep challenging myself, contribute to the team, and help both the project and the company grow.
Here’s a quote from Dalia Danila, our Lead iOS Engineer, in Womanthology:
Bloom & Wild’s company culture is truly unique. This is the workplace where I feel most valued and supported from the leadership down, but what I appreciate most is the team spirit. Everyone is passionate about continuous improvement and learning from experiences. This focus on both individual and company growth makes it a truly inspiring place to work.
- (Dalia Danila, Growing my passion for iOS development: Challenging assumptions, exploring new possibilities and caring wildly)
Bridging Android and iOS Development
As I continue to learn both platforms, I’m gradually taking on a wider range of projects and collaborating more effectively with the team.
Here are some examples:
One project where this knowledge was valuable was changing the Rewards Widget in our iOS app. I updated the Rewards widget with new animations, such as progress bar updates and next loyalty reward indicators, using SwiftUI. Having previously worked on a similar feature in Android, I was able to apply these concepts effectively in iOS. Since SwiftUI and Jetpack Compose share similar approaches to UI development, transitioning between the two was smoother than expected.
Another change I made was in our iOS release process. I created Xcode Cloud workflows that automatically run every time we prepare a release, building our app and sending it to a testing platform where it’s tested. This ensures that any issues are caught early, making our development process faster and more reliable.
Clear communication between teams was crucial to implement these workflows and make these changes smoothly, so nothing was disrupted in the process.
Facing the Challenges of Switching Between Android and iOS
Working across both Android and iOS has been exciting, but like anything new, it comes with its own set of challenges. I’m still early in my journey, so I haven’t run into too many yet, but a few things have stood out.
For example, switching context between Android and iOS. When I’ve been deep into Android development, jumping over to iOS can feel like I’m shifting gears completely. Xcode works a bit differently from Android Studio, and although it’s not a huge difference, it’s enough to slow things down while I adjust.
Then there’s the language switch — Kotlin for Android and Swift for iOS. The syntax is different, of course, but what sometimes confuse me is how similar yet different the components are between Jetpack Compose (Android) and SwiftUI (iOS). Both frameworks do similar things, but the way they go about it isn’t always the same, and I’ve found myself mixing them up on more than one occasion.
Another challenge is keeping track of best practices. Each platform has its own way of doing things, and it can be a bit tricky to remember which approach fits where.
These challenges are part of the learning process, and all of these experiences showed me that with the right environment, even the toughest tasks can turn into great learning opportunities.
Inner Source in Bloom & Wild
Introduced by Tim O’Reilly, this approach brings the open-source collaborative spirit into our organization. The idea is to let engineers from different teams contribute to each other’s projects, even if they’re not directly involved in those codebases. We’re just starting to implement it, but it’s exciting to think about how it could further enhance our teamwork as we go along.
Why Discuss Inner Source Here?
Inner Source breaks down barriers between teams, making it easier for everyone to work together. By contributing to different parts of the codebase, engineers can learn new skills and gain a deeper understanding of the entire system.
How Inner Source Works?
With Inner Source, any engineer can suggest changes to another team’s codebase. These contributions are guided by a maintainer, who ensures that all changes meet the necessary standards for quality, security, and scalability. This approach helps teams collaborate more effectively, so we don’t have to wait for changes to be made.
Looking Forward
Although I’m planning to continue my journey with iOS, eventually I would like to start learning Ruby on Rails. Exploring this backend framework will help me work more closely with the Backend team and deepen my understanding of our product’s architecture. This aligns perfectly with the principles of Inner Source, as I’ll be able to contribute across various codebases, enhancing collaboration and helping our teams work more efficiently together.
As I continue to grow in my cross-platform role and eventually expand into Ruby on Rails, Inner Source will provide the perfect opportunity to apply these principles. It will allow me to contribute more broadly across our codebases, further strengthening collaboration and driving our projects forward.
Leadership on Growth and Collaboration
Joe Tinston, our Chief Product & Technology Officer, shared his thoughts on how fostering growth and collaboration impacts success:
- “Collaboration around shared problems is a really important part of understanding the problems we face and finding the most impactful solutions here at Bloom & Wild.”
- “By bringing together a diverse team of people from our business, product, design, and technology teams, we can combine our different perspectives, contexts, and ideas.”
- “This diversity of thinking helps us develop impactful solutions together — and pushes us to be bolder and more ambitious in our impact.”
Team Journeys at Bloom & Wild
I’ll also use this opportunity to share some exciting interviews some of my colleagues have done sharing their unique stories, and reflecting on their own paths in the tech world.
- “Growing My Passion for iOS Development: Challenging Assumptions, Exploring New Possibilities, and Caring Wildly”
An interview with Dalia Danila, our Lead iOS Engineer, where she discusses her journey and experiences at Bloom & Wild. - “Behind The Blooms: Catalina’s Journey As A Senior iOS Engineer At Bloom & Wild”
An interview with Catalina-Ionela Popa-Cornet Jones, our Senior iOS Engineer, where she discusses her career journey at Bloom & Wild.
Conclusion: Encouragement Leads to Growth
A supportive environment drives both personal and professional growth. When companies invest in their employees’ development and provide the resources to explore new skills, they don’t just foster individual success — they strengthen the entire team.
This journey of growth isn’t unique to me. Aleksandar Penev, our Engineering Manager, also began as an Android Developer and transitioned into a Mobile Engineer, before moving into Engineering Management. His path, like mine, reflects how the company nurtures development across all levels and roles.
If you’re considering a similar career shift, I encourage you to seek out environments that value learning and growth. With the right support, stepping outside your comfort zone can lead to some of the most rewarding experiences of your career.
Feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn — I’d love to connect and share more about my experience!
