Apple unveiled new tools and technologies at Worldwide Developers Conference 2021 (WWDC21) to help developers design and create more engaging app experiences and make it even easier to build high-quality apps. Xcode Cloud brings together the multiple tasks and tools required to build, test, and deliver apps using powerful cloud services, enabling individual developers and teams to be more productive and provide great apps to their users. Swift takes a massive leap forward with concurrency support built into the language, and augmented reality (AR) technologies make it easier than ever to build immersive content in apps or on the web.

“We’re thrilled to provide our developer community with powerful new tools and technologies to help create even more compelling and higher-quality apps, while engaging with their users in all new ways through the App Store,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “With the robust set of tools included in Xcode Cloud, continuing innovation in the Swift programming language, a wide range of new APIs, and even more ways to reach users — Apple’s platforms have never been stronger.”

Xcode Cloud

Xcode Cloud is a powerful new tool for Apple developers that will make it easier than ever to build, test, and deliver apps more efficiently. Built into Xcode 13, Xcode Cloud offers a fast and simple way for developers and teams of all sizes to build, test, and deliver high-quality apps even more efficiently. Parallel testing in the cloud means developers can test on a simulated version of every current Apple device, then easily deploy a build of the app for internal testing or deliver to external beta testers through TestFlight for instant feedback.

Swift Playgrounds

Swift

Swift — Apple’s powerful and intuitive programming language — now features built-in concurrency support. This means developers can more easily write code that does work in parallel, which is key to building apps that are responsive to user input, while doing more work in the background. With concurrency in Swift, developers can write fast, modern, safe code with fewer mistakes, and take full advantage of the powerful multicore silicon across Apple’s devices.

SwiftUI has reinvented user interface development by making it easier to develop great-looking apps with as little code as possible. Now SwiftUI takes a huge step forward, helping developers bring more great experiences to all their users. This includes enhancements for improving list views, search experiences, in-app accessibility features, multicolumn tables, and so much more.

Swift Playgrounds is a great way to learn to code right on a Mac or iPad. With Swift Playgrounds 4, coming later this year, users will be able to create the visual design of an app with SwiftUI. App projects can be opened and edited in Swift Playgrounds or in Xcode, and when they’re ready, users can build a real app and submit it directly to the App Store right from their iPad.

Augmented Reality

Apple has the world’s largest augmented reality platform with over 1 billion AR-enabled devices powered by ARKit, a framework that allows developers to easily create AR experiences, and RealityKit, the rendering, animation, audio, and physics engine built from the ground up for AR.

RealityKit 2 introduces Object Capture, a simple and powerful API on macOS Monterey that enables developers — like Wayfair, Etsy, and more — to create high-quality, photo-realistic 3D models of real-world objects in minutes by taking photos shot on iPhone, iPad, or DSLR and transforming them into 3D models optimized for AR. These models can be viewed in AR Quick Look or added to AR scenes in Reality Composer or Xcode, making it easier than ever to build amazing AR apps. Developers like Maxon and Unity are using Object Capture to unlock entirely new ways of creating 3D content within some of the leading 3D content creation apps, such as Cinema 4D and Unity MARS.

With new APIs in RealityKit 2, developers can also create more realistic and complex AR experiences with greater visual, audio, and animation control, including custom render passes and dynamic shaders.

Object Capture makes it easier for developers to create high-quality and immersive AR content in just minutes.

Apple’s ARKit has powered more than 1 billion devices

Graphics and Games

New APIs and tools in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS will help game developers create the next generation of games and deliver all-new experiences to their users. A new Metal texture compression tool supports all of the latest formats, as well as optimized formats for Apple silicon, making it easier for developers to bring high-end games to all of Apple’s platforms. Additionally, a new Virtual Game Controller on iPhone and iPad provides an easy method to optimize games that build in Game Controller support.

Apple is providing developers with a range of new tools and APIs that will push their app experience forward and enable them to create entirely new features — all built with privacy at the forefront.