At its WWDC 2021 virtual event, Apple today unveiled new tools and technologies designed to help developers create more engaging app experiences. The company also announced Xcode Cloud, which will help developers build apps even faster.
“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.
Built into Xcode 13, Xcode Cloud is a new continuous integration and delivery cloud service designed specifically for Apple developers.
It offers a fast and simple way for developers and teams of all sizes to build, test, and deliver high-quality apps even more efficiently. Xcode Cloud can automatically build apps in the cloud to free up developers’ Macs for other tasks.
With more apps and games featuring events like live competitions, movie premieres, live-streamed experiences, and much more, it’s now easier for users to discover these events right on the App Store in personalized recommendations, editorial selections, search results, and on app product pages.
Apple is also introducing new product page tools that offer developers greater flexibility and new ways to connect with users right in the App Store.
Meanwhile, Apple’s powerful and intuitive programming language Swift 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.
Lastly, new APIs in RealityKit 2 allow developers to create more realistic and complex AR experiences with greater visual, audio, and animation control, including custom render passes and dynamic shaders.
Xcode Cloud will be available as a limited free beta starting today, with expanding access throughout this summer and fall.
