What Is the FileMaker iOS App SDK?

By Joéllie Sprumont

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August 29, 2026

The Claris FileMaker iOS App SDK is a development kit for turning a FileMaker custom app into a standalone application for iPhone and iPad.

Instead of asking users to install FileMaker Go and then select a FileMaker file, an organization can distribute its own iOS app with a dedicated name, icon, launch screen, and identity.

The application continues to use FileMaker technology internally, but it appears on the device as a separate, branded business app.

From a FileMaker custom app to an iOS app

The database structure, layouts, scripts, calculations, security, and workflows are first developed in FileMaker Pro.

The iOS App SDK then provides the resources required to incorporate that custom app into an Xcode project. The developer can configure the application, add the FileMaker files it requires, apply its visual identity, sign it, and build it like another iOS application.

The resulting app can work with FileMaker files included locally on the device or connect to custom apps hosted by FileMaker Server or FileMaker Cloud.

Why use the iOS App SDK?

FileMaker Go already provides an easy way to run FileMaker custom apps on iPhone and iPad. The iOS App SDK addresses situations where an organization needs greater control over branding and deployment.

It can provide:

A dedicated application name
A custom app icon and launch screen
Direct access to the intended FileMaker custom app
Distribution as an organization-specific iOS application
Integration with mobile device management
Support for compatible FileMaker plug-ins
Integration between native Swift or Objective-C code and FileMaker scripts
An experience that does not require users to launch FileMaker Go separately

For employees, the application can therefore look and behave like any other business app installed on their device.

Is it a native iOS application?

An application built with the iOS App SDK is packaged, signed, and distributed as an iOS application.

However, the business application itself remains a FileMaker custom app. Its layouts, scripts, calculations, records, and security continue to use the FileMaker platform.

The SDK does not convert a FileMaker file into an independent Swift application. It embeds the FileMaker mobile runtime within a customized iOS application.

This is one of its principal advantages: an organization can create a dedicated mobile app without rewriting its entire FileMaker solution using a conventional native development framework.

Integration with native code

The iOS App SDK can go beyond visual branding.

Developers can include compatible FileMaker plug-ins and add Swift or Objective-C code to the Xcode project. Native code can also request the execution of a FileMaker script using the SDK’s FMX_Queue_Script function.

This makes it possible to combine FileMaker workflows with capabilities developed specifically for the iOS application.

Such integrations require knowledge of both FileMaker and Apple’s development environment. For simpler mobile applications, using FileMaker Go may remain more practical.

Authentication

Current versions of the iOS App SDK support FileMaker authentication as well as Claris ID and supported third-party OAuth identity providers.

The application still respects the accounts, privilege sets, and extended privileges configured in the FileMaker custom app.

Packaging the application with the SDK does not bypass FileMaker security. Access to hosted files and business data must be designed and tested in the same way as for FileMaker Go.

Building and distributing the application

Creating an application with the iOS App SDK requires:

A Mac
A compatible version of Xcode
Membership in the appropriate Apple Developer Program
Application signing certificates
A bundle identifier
Provisioning and distribution profiles
The appropriate version of the FileMaker iOS App SDK

The FileMaker and Xcode versions must be compatible. For example, applications built with the FileMaker iOS App SDK 26.0.1 require the iOS SDK provided with Xcode 26.

Applications must also be rebuilt when required by changes to FileMaker, iOS, Xcode, signing certificates, or Apple’s application requirements.

The SDK is therefore an active development and deployment tool, not a one-time conversion utility.

iOS App SDK or FileMaker Go?

Both technologies run FileMaker custom apps on iPhone and iPad, but they address different requirements.

FileMaker Go

FileMaker Go is the standard FileMaker client available from the App Store. It is easy to install, maintained directly by Claris, and can open multiple local or hosted FileMaker custom apps.

It is generally the simplest choice when custom branding and independent application deployment are not required.

iOS App SDK

The iOS App SDK is appropriate when the organization wants a dedicated app with its own identity and deployment lifecycle.

It provides more control, but the organization also becomes responsible for the Xcode project, Apple certificates, testing, distribution, and updates.

The choice is therefore not based on the complexity of the FileMaker app alone. It also depends on branding, device management, distribution, native integration, and long-term maintenance requirements.

Connecting to FileMaker Server

An iOS SDK application can connect to files hosted by FileMaker Server in the same general way as FileMaker Go.

Hosting provides:

Centralized business data
Multi-user access
Immediate sharing of committed changes
Server-side scripts
Scheduled automation
Backups
External authentication
Secure access through SSL

A properly hosted application allows mobile users to work with the same live information as users in FileMaker Pro, WebDirect, or other connected systems.

Depending on the project, local files can also be used for offline workflows, with synchronization managed by the custom application.

iOS and FileMaker expertise from fmcloud.fm

Creating a successful FileMaker mobile app requires more than packaging an .fmp12 file in Xcode.

The application must be designed for smaller screens, touch interaction, changing network conditions, authentication, security, and mobile workflows. The hosting infrastructure must also provide reliable and secure access to the underlying FileMaker data.

At fmcloud.fm, we combine FileMaker development expertise with managed FileMaker Server hosting. We can help determine whether FileMaker Go or the iOS App SDK is the right deployment model, adapt an existing custom app for mobile use, and provide the secure hosting infrastructure behind it.

We can also assist with OAuth authentication, server-side processing, offline architectures, API integrations, and the ongoing FileMaker Server requirements of a deployed iOS application.

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