WWDC: Xcode gains a little AI of its own, making coding easier

While it didn’t make the main keynote announcement Apple did introduce a host of new tools and resources for developers during day one at WWDC. These included enhancements to Xcode and Swift and new APIs developers can use to build apps.

“At Apple, we are dedicated to providing developers everywhere with the cutting-edge technologies and resources to build incredible apps,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “With thoughtful innovation behind Xcode 16 and our latest platform APIs, we’ve created the best tools for developers to create outstanding apps. We’re excited to see what they build next.”

The big news, Xcode 16 (with a little AI)

Kind of like Github copilot, Xcode 16 introduces Swift Assist and predictive code completion.

The new predictive code completion engine in Xcode uses a unique model specifically trained for Swift and Apple SDKs which can suggest the code developers need. Code completion is powered entirely by Apple silicon and machine learning enhancements in macOS Sequoia, and runs locally on a developer’s device

Swift Assist is seamlessly integrated into Xcode, and knows the latest software development kits (SDKs) and Swift language features, so developers will always get the latest code features that blend perfectly into their projects.

Swift Assist uses a powerful model that runs in the cloud, but it is built with privacy and security in mind. Developers’ code is only used to process requests and never stored on servers, and Apple will not use it to train machine learning models.

Xcode previews now offer a new dynamic linking architecture that uses the same build artifacts for previews and code execution. Developers can also now localise and test their apps’ privacy policies, license agreements, and subscription group display name.

Swiftly arriving has arrived at v.6

WWDC24 marks the 10th anniversary of Swift. Today, nearly 1 million apps use Swift, and it’s utilised throughout Apple’s software stack. Swift 6 introduces compile-time data-race safety, which diagnoses concurrent access to memory across a developer’s project at compile time. This allows errors to be caught and fixed with minimal changes to the entire codebase, enhancing code safety and maintainability for the future.

Furthering its expansion, an all-new GitHub organisation dedicated to Swift will host a number of critical projects for the Swift ecosystem — including the Swift compiler, Foundation, and other key libraries. The new cross-platform Swift Testing framework offers developers expressive APIs that make it simple to write tests.

Game Porting Toolkit 2

Game Porting Toolkit 2 delivers some of the most-requested capabilities from game developers, making it even easier to bring advanced games to Apple devices. Thie iteration promises improved compatibility with Windows games, powerful new shader debugging tools, and updates to Xcode that let developers unify their game code and shaders across devices,

Additional Platform APIs

• Developers can adopt the new Controls API to let users accomplish even more tasks from even more places, such as to quickly unlock their vehicle or open their favourite third-party camera right from the Control Center.
• AccessorySetupKit allows developers to seamlessly and securely pair Bluetooth accessories through their app without relying on access to all nearby Bluetooth accessories, keeping other devices private.
• With updates to the Smart Stack on Apple Watch, developers will be able to use cues like time and date, location, wake up and bedtime, and more to make their apps show up as suggested widgets. And for the first time ever, apps that support Live Activities will automatically show up on Apple Watch.
• Developers also now have access to a new watchOS double tap API so they can assign the gesture to key parts of their Apple Watch app experience.
• TestFlight has also been improved.

App Store improvements

The App Store adds new app discovery and monetization features.  This includes a tool that lets them pre-announce new features, custom product page deep links,  and support for tools to try to woo lapsed subscribers back to an app. Enhancements to StoreKit views give developers new options to organise and present in-app purchases.

App Analytics has been expanded to help developers get even more insight into their business and their apps’ performance.

App Store Connect for iOS and iPadOS features an updated user interface and introduces a new way for developers to promote their apps.

More WWDC coverage, please also read

• WWDC: Will Apple lead the world in AI?
• WWDC: Apple announces Apple Intelligence
• WWDC: Private Cloud is the future of cloud services
• WWDC: What’s new in iOS 18 which ships this fall?
• WWDC: This is what’s coming to the Mac with Sequoia
• WWDC: iPads get smarter, gain calculator, more
• WWDC: visionOS hits 2.0, Vision Pro goes international
• WWDC: Xcode gains a little AI of its own, making coding easier
• WWDC: Apple ramps up its developer support
• iPhone + AI will launch an Apple upgrade cycle

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