June 6, 2022
press release
Apple will provide developers with more powerful technologies to push the app experience forward
New APIs provide deep platform integration and advanced capabilities for third-party applications
Cooperino, California Apple today unveiled new tools, technologies and APIs designed to help developers create more rich experiences for their users. Gadgets on lock screen allow developers to retrieve key information from their apps in a new way, allowing other new APIs to build more unique features on Apple platforms. WeatherKit gives developers the ability to integrate Apple weather forecast information directly into their apps, and Xcode Cloud – Apple’s continuous integration and delivery service built into Xcode – is now available for every Apple developer program to help you quickly create high-quality apps. Metal 3 allows game developers to create stunning graphics with accelerated performance, and the build for Apple platforms is best known with improvements to Swift, SwiftUI and Xcode. And with the improvements made on SKAdNetwork, ad networks and developers better measure how ad is run while protecting user privacy.
Susan Prescott, vice president of Apple International Development and Enterprise and Education Marketing, said: “With the help of powerful new APIs, new services like WeatherKit, the availability of Xcode Cloud to help every Apple developer build apps faster, and with Metal 3 new game capabilities, developers have more tools than ever before to create app experiences. Their users love it.
Xcode Cloud is now available.
Xcode Cloud now comes with a variety of subscription plans to better suit the needs of developers, from 25 hours per month free to December 2023 for all Apple Developer program members and 1,000 hours per month.
The Xcode Cloud built into Xcode is a continuous integration and delivery cloud service specifically designed for Apple developers. Allows all-size developers and teams to build, test, and deliver high-quality apps by automatically building applications in the cloud to free Mac for other tasks. And in parallel testing in the cloud, developers can test every version of the Apple device simulation, easily deploy for internal testing development or deliver it to beta testers via TestFlight.
Developers can find more information about Xcode Cloud plans here.
Xcode 14 upgrades
Xcode 14 offers new enhancements to further improve developer productivity. Project builds are up to 25 percent faster, thanks to improved visibility, and the Xcode app is now 30% less downloadable, with simulator running times watchOS and tvOS. The new multi-platform target creates a Swift UI interface for use on iOS, iPadOS, macOS and tvOS. It is easy to keep developer code to use the unique capabilities of each platform, but it is also very customizable. SwiftUI Live Previews are now interactive in Xcode by default, so the changes take place immediately, and developers can create variations of each preview without changing any code, color scheme, text size, device layout or accessibility mode. The new app icon feature in the Asset Catalog allows developers to provide a single icon size for all platforms, and Xcode automatically generates all the resources needed for the app. Xcode includes intelligent auto-completion of language and editing enhancements, and more dynamic clips will get developers the code they want to write faster.
New game skills
Metal 3 – The latest version of Apple Graphics Framework – comes with new features that allow game developers to tap into the power of Apple Silicon for greater gaming performance. MetalFX Upscaling allows developers to quickly display complex scenes using small computing-based frames and then implement high-quality space upgrades and temporary anti-aliasing. The result is accelerated performance: games that have more responsive and stunning graphics. Game developers also take advantage of the faster Resource Loading API, which reduces downtime by providing a more direct path from storage to GPU, so games can easily access the high-quality textures and geometry needed to create a world of precise and immersive gaming.
Game developers integrated with Game Center can now add action views to the dashboard, allowing their users to see the games they are playing with their friends and their top scores. And with SharePlay support users are instantly able to play together instantly.
Upgrades for Swift and Swift UI
Swift and Swift provide the best way to build an UI application, and now they have come up with new features that facilitate the development process.
Swift allows developers to quickly check the accuracy of their standard expressions and extract information with less code, adding a new standard expression capability to a powerful stereo with direct support. With the new package plugins in Swift Package Manager, it is now easier for developers to run custom commands on their projects and upload and share commands.
SwiftUI, Apple’s next-generation user interface framework, has an enhanced browsing API to make it easier for developers to control their app from view to view. With custom layouts, developers can create versions that work better for their app designs beyond the usual app layouts. And because Swift Charts can be customized for any chatting needs, developers can better see the data in their apps.
Introducing WeatherKit
WeatherKit allows developers to integrate the world-class weather forecast that Apple brings weather directly to their apps. Combining high-quality meteorological models with machine learning and forecasting algorithms, Apple provides weather forecasts, 10-day time forecasts, day forecasts and historical forecasts.1 WeatherKit is available to developers through both native Swift and REST APIs and comes with over 500,000 API calls a month for Apple developer program membership. Developers who need more can purchase additional service levels in the Apple Developer app from this fall.
Developers can find more information on plans for WeatherKit here.
A personalized approach to measuring ads
The SKAdNetwork API comes with new features designed to better help ad networks and advertisers better measure how they advertise in apps or on the web, while protecting user privacy. Horizontal source identifiers increase the developer’s ability to increase the risk of tracking shortcuts. SKAdNetwork provides hierarchical conversion values to allow developers to receive more information about conversions for small campaigns, and developers can better calculate advertising costs by providing multiple conversions over a set period of time.
New APIs for more powerful applications
Apple developers have more APIs than ever before to create the app experiences their users enjoy. Some of the latest APIs available for developers include:
- Gadgets on the lock screen: By enabling iOS 16 widgets on the iPhone Lock Screen, developers can now seamlessly share the same code between their lock screen and Apple Watch based on the same new WidgetKit API.
- Live text: Developers can now give users the ability to capture text from photos and videos in their app or directly from the camera feed. Live text is run on the device for greater user privacy and performance.
- Collaborative toolsEnhanced collaboration features built into Messages are available for third-party applications. Developers as well as users can highlight content from their app in their newly shared app section in their messaging app, making it easier for recipients to return to that content later.
- PasswordsPasswords are next-generation credentials that are much safer, easier to use, and easier to operate in apps than they do on the web.
- Map KitTake a look at the 3D City Experience list and third-party apps for more user experience. New Apple Maps Server APIs provide fast and easy map integration.
- Focus filters: Developers can customize the content of their app according to the user’s current focus.
- Automatic shortcutsDevelopers can now use App Intents to enable their apps to be used by Siri and Shortcuts without any user configuration.
- watchOS 9VoIP calls are now supported by CallKit; The Sharing Paper allows users to share directly from their favorite app to iMessage and other popular messaging apps. And third-party apps can now access the Photos app with Photo Selection and even join Apple TV.
- Class planDeveloped by ARKit, developers can now use LiDAR scanner on iPhone and iPad to create features such as dimensions and furniture to create a 3D floor plan for a room.
- Live activities: Using WidgetKit, developers can update their users with the most up-to-date information about the activity on the lock screen.2
About Apple
When Apple launched Macintosh in 1984, it improved personal technology. Today, Apple is leading the world in innovation on iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apples and Apple TVs. Apple’s five software platforms – iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS – offer seamless experiences across all Apple devices and promote new services, including App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are determined to produce the best product on earth and leave the world as it is.
- Historical weather information is not available in all regions. Visit developer.apple.com/weatherkit for feature availability.
- Live activities will be available to developers later this year.
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