An easy way to draw a circle is to create a CAShapeLayer and add a UIBezierPath.
objective-c
CAShapeLayer *circleLayer = [CAShapeLayer layer];
[circleLayer setPath:[[UIBezierPath bezierPathWithOvalInRect:CGRectMake(50, 50, 100, 100)] CGPath]];
swift
let circleLayer = CAShapeLayer();
circleLayer.path = UIBezierPath(ovalIn: CGRect(x: 50, y: 50, width: 100, height: 100)).cgPath;
After creating the CAShapeLayer we set its path to be a UIBezierPath.
Our UIBezierPath then draws a bezierPathWithOvalInRect. The CGRect we set will effect its size and position.
Now that we have our circle, we can add it to our UIView as a sublayer.
objective-c
[[self.view layer] addSublayer:circleLayer];
swift
view.layer.addSublayer(circleLayer)
Our circle is now visible in our UIView.
 
If we wish to customise our circle's color properties we can easily do so by setting the CAShapeLayer's stroke- and fill color.
objective-c
[circleLayer setStrokeColor:[[UIColor redColor] CGColor]];
[circleLayer setFillColor:[[UIColor clearColor] CGColor]];
swift
shapeLayer.strokeColor = UIColor.red.cgColor;
shapeLayer.fillColor = UIColor.clear.cgColor;
 
Additionall properties can be found over at 's documentation on the subject https://developer.apple.com/.../CAShapeLayer_class/index.html.