Tag: Developers

Spring is officially here. And we've got a good pack of articles to go through for this weekend.

• Swift blog announces Benchmark package to simplify performance testing – Introducing the Benchmark Package: Complementing Unit Tests with Performance Checks;
  
  
• WebKit team shares two articles: Implementing Vertical Form Controls on localization and internationalization approaches and Introducing Natural Input for WebXR in Apple Vision Pro helping to adapt WebXR apps for Vision Pro;
  
  
• Natascha Fadeeva guides on dark mode support in SwiftUI – How to support dark mode in SwiftUI programmatically;
  
  
• SwiftUI Inverting A Boolean Binding by Keith Harrison is a nice hint on how to use Boolean bindings in SwiftUI;
  
  
• Two interesting pieces by Wade Tregaskis – Including Services in contextual menus in SwiftUI which helps in making SwiftUI app a better citizen on macOS and getBitmapDataPlanes can break NSImages & NSBitmapImageReps outlining image issue and possible workaround;
  
  
• Sending trial notifications with provisional authorization on iOS by Natalia Panferova is about simple way of sending unobtrusive notifications without explicit request to user;
  
  
• Pasquale Vittoriosi navigates through user interface choices that will help making app more accessible – Preparing your App for VoiceOver: Headers and Heading Level;
  
  
• Majid Jabrayilov explains task contexts in Swift cooperative concurrency model – Where Swift Concurrency will run your function?;
  
  
• Jacob Eiting will help you answer new App Store Connect question properly – Am I a trader? And other existential questions for developers;
  
  
• Swift Isolation Intuition by Matt Massicotte covers data isolation in Swift concurrency model;
  
  
• Tiago Gomes Pereira guides through widgets in SwiftUI apps – Adding a Widget to a SwiftUI app.

And that is it for today. Come back next week for more interesting topics!

Several AI and LLM related updates were reported.

Apple publishes research paper on improved model training methods. Paper described privacy-preserving training methods on multi-modal generative AI models.

It is also reported that Apple is now in talks with Google on possible use of Gemini model. Same sources mention that Apple was also in talks with OpenAI on use of ChatGPT. Not much details are available on possible uses of MMLs at this moment.

References and further reading:

• New Apple AI training method retains privacy, and could make a future Siri more flexible
• Apple Publishes Details About New 'MM1' AI Model
• Apple in Talks With Google to Bring Gemini AI Features to iPhone
• Apple researchers reveal new AI breakthrough for training LLMs on images and text
• Apple Researchers Publish ‘Breakthrough’ Paper on Multimodal LLMs
• Is Apple Out of the Generative AI Game?

Apple no longer signs iOS 17.3.1, downgrade from iOS 17.4 is no longer possible. This includes changes relevant for EU.

If your workflows require use of previous platforms, avoid from updating.

Reference: Apple Stops Signing iOS 17.3.1, Downgrading No Longer Available

Several issues are reported with macOS Sonoma 14.4 update.

Some users report that USB hubs in monitors stopped working. Similar reports arise on printers not working after update.

Oracle blog post mentions possible issues with Java on macOS Sonoma 14.4.

An issue introduced by macOS 14.4, which causes Java process to terminate unexpectedly, is affecting all Java versions from Java 8 to the early access builds of JDK 22. There is no workaround available, and since there is no easy way to revert a macOS update, affected users might be unable to return to a stable configuration unless they have a complete backup of their systems prior to the OS update.

Aurelio Garcia-Ribeyro, Senior Director of Product Management

Another issue could result in iCloud files being deleted instead of being preserved after download is removed. Previous file versions are at risk.

Oracle: Java users on macOS 14 running on Apple silicon systems should consider delaying the macOS 14.4 update

References:

• Latest macOS Sonoma update is breaking some USB hubs in monitors
• macOS Sonoma 14.4 Causing USB Hub Issues for Some Users
• macOS 14.4 breaks USB hub support for some external monitors
• Oracle Warns macOS 14.4 Can Cause Java to Terminate Unexpectedly
• If you're reliant on Java, you shouldn't update to macOS Sonoma 14.4 yet
• macOS Sonoma 14.4: Reasons Not to Update
• macOS Sonoma 14.4 Bug 'Destroys Saved Versions in iCloud Drive'
• New macOS Sonoma 14.4 bug kills file versions in iCloud Drive

Apple launched new Developer Center in Singapore providing labs, sessions and workshops for developers in the region.

Events now show up in events schedule.

Apple Newsroom: Southeast Asia’s first Apple Developer Center opens in Singapore

Reference: Apple Developer Center Singapore offers sessions, labs, and workshops to devs across the region

Great pack of reads for this weekend.

• Keith Harrison talks about concurrency in Swift – SwiftUI Tasks Blocking the MainActor;
  
  
• How to build a draggable bottom sheet with a scroll view in SwiftUI by Natascha Fadeeva is a great guide on how to build typical UI element for mobile app;
  
  
• Majid Jabrayilov talks about global actors in Swift – Global actors in Swift;
  
  
• Antoine van der Lee explains ideas of TDD in relations to Swift – Test-Driven Development (TDD) for bug fixes in Swift;
  
  
• Making a view accessible using the Accessibility Representation modifier by Pasquale Vittoriosi explains the process of making complex view more accessible;
  
  
• Wade Tregaskis shares two articles – Codable protocol hints – The privileges & challenges of being a primitive type for Codable in Swift and some investigation on linker errors in Xcode 15 – no platform load command found in ‘libxyz.a’, assuming: macOS;
  
  
• Using @_silgen_name to forward declare functions in Swift and improve build times by Bruno Rocha is about making your build process faster;
  
  
• Giusi Di Paola explains how to show 360 video in Vision Pro – Create an Immersive Experience with a 360-degree video in visionOS;
  
  
• The Power of Particle Emitters in Digital Creation by Domenico De Luca goes through use of particle emitters using various tools;
  
  
• Rauhul Varma publishes Byte-sized Swift: Building Tiny Games for the Playdate – great guide on use of Swift Embedded.

And one video to watch... Apple Treats has new episode – now on Vision Pro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-N1Iz_LVK4

And this is it for this weekend. Come back next Friday for more!

Apple allowed alternative marketplaces in EU in iOS 17.4. Now developers get additional option to distribute their apps in EU – by direct downloads through web sites.

There are limitations though:

• Developer must be enrolled in Apple Developer program for at least 2 continuous years and have at least one million app downloads per year.
• Core Technology Fee still applies to downloads after first one million downloads.
• Apps still need to be notarized via Apple's service.

In general, apps will follow similar restrictions as apps being distributed via alternative marketplaces, however, they'll lack the autoupdate mechanism provided by such marketplace.

Functionality is expected to be available in iOS 17.5 or next releases.

Apple Developer:

• More options for apps distributed in the European Union
• Getting ready for Web Distribution in the EU

References and further reading:

• Apple will allow users to download apps directly from a developer’s website, in latest EU App Store rule change
• Apple Announces Ability to Download iPhone Apps From Websites in EU
• Apple caves, EU developers will be able to sell apps directly from their websites
• Apple Announces New Distribution Options for iOS Developers in the EU
• Apple Adjusts DMA Plan to Offer Direct Download of Apps From the Web (With a Big Asterisk), Custom Link-Out Screens, and Marketplaces Solely for the Distribution of the Developer’s Own Apps
• Apple adds Web Distribution for iOS apps in EU, loosens other restrictions

PayPal and Venmo now support Tap to Pay – framework allowing business to take contactless payments directly on iPhone.

PayPal: Tap to Pay on iPhone Now Available for Venmo and PayPal Zettle Businesses in the U.S.

Reference: PayPal and Venmo Launch Tap to Pay on iPhone for U.S. Businesses

Happy International Women's Day! Today's list of great reads is actually quite impressive. We've also have a video too.

• Bruno Rocha shares his list of book recommendations – Software engineering book recommendations;
  
  
• Great guide on TipKit – How to use TipKit to create tool tips in SwiftUI by Natascha Fadeeva;
  
  
• Antoine van der Lee goes through very common Swift type – Optional – Optionals in Swift explained: 5 things you should know;
  
  
• Sign in with Apple on a SwiftUI application by Tiago Gomes Pereira goes through Apple's first party sign in mechanism in SwiftUI app;
  
  
• Ole Begemann covers use if nightly Swift builds – Building with nightly Swift toolchains on macOS;
  
  
• Donny Wals covers Swift 5.10 features – Everything you need to know about Swift 5.10;
  
  
• Understanding real-world sizes for visionOS by Emanuele Agosta goes through window sizes in real world in visionOS;
  
  
• Tiago Gomes Pereira goes into charts customizations – Customizing a Chart in Swift Charts;
  
  
• How to create programmatic user interfaces using Xcode Previews by Chip Loder is a simple guide on how to build user interfaces in code;
  
  
• Swift team explains how to iterate over parameter packs in Swift 6 – Iterate Over Parameter Packs in Swift 6.0;
  
  
• App notarization questions are answered by Apple's notary service team – Q&A with the Mac notary service team.

And one interesting video on layout challenges.

https://youtu.be/p8gRlrYWxwc

With this – have a great weekend and come back next Friday for more great reads!

Apple updates its platforms after release of iOS/iPadOS 17.4 earlier this week. HomePod software is also updated to 17.4.

Apple also updates previous macOS releases with bug fixes – macOS Ventura 13.6.5 and macOS Monterey 12.7.4.

HomePod Software 17.4

This update enables Siri to learn your preferred media service, so you no longer need to include the name of the media app in your request. This update also includes performance and stability improvements.

macOS Sonoma 14.4

macOS Sonoma 14.4 introduces new emoji as well as other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your Mac.

Emoji

• New mushroom, phoenix, lime, broken chain, and shaking heads emoji are now available in emoji keyboard
• 18 people and body emoji support facing the opposite direction

This update also includes the following improvements and bug fixes:

• Podcasts Episode text can be read in full, searched for a word or phrase, clicked to play from a specific point and used with accessibility features such as Text Size, Increase Contrast, and VoiceOver
• Business Updates in Messages for Business let you get updates that you've opted into, like order status, flight notifications, fraud alerts or other transactions from trusted businesses
• Safari Favorites Bar adds an option to show only icons for websites

Some features may not be available for all regions, or on all Apple devices.

For detailed information about the security content of this update, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

watchOS 10.4

watchOS 10.4 includes new features, improvements, and bug fixes, including:

• Tap to Show Full Notification setting now allows you to double tap to expand the notification
• Using Apple Pay with Confirm with AssistiveTouch will require a passcode for additional security and will not support double clicking the side button
• Resolves an issue that causes some users to experience false touches on the display
• Fixes an issue that prevents contacts from syncing to Apple Watch for some users

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

visionOS 1.1

Mobile Device Management

• Enables account-driven device and user enrollment using Managed Apple IDs
• Support for device configuration (Wi-Fi, VPN, email accounts, single sign-on, and more)
• Support for deploying apps in volume including iPhone and iPad compatible apps, visionOS apps included in a Universal purchase, and proprietary in-house visionOS apps
• Support for remote erase via MDM and device inventory data

Messages

• Adds support for iMessage Contact Key Verification

Accessibility

• Closed captions can be anchored to the playback control while viewing Apple Immersive Video

Persona (beta) and EyeSight

• Adds an option to enroll your Persona hands-free
• Improves hair and makeup appearance
• Improves neck and mouth representation
• Improves rendering of the eyes for EyeSight

Virtual keyboard

• Cursor positioning for text input is now more accurate
• Resolves some instances where the virtual keyboard placement obscures the text input field
• Fixes an issue where in some cases, the text preview on the virtual keyboard may appear out of sync with the text field in the app
• Fixes an issue where the edit menu may appear unexpectedly

Mac Virtual Display

• Improves the reliability of discovering and connecting to a Mac using Mac Virtual Display
• Resolves an issue where Universal Control may stop working
• Addresses a connectivity issue that occurs when a previously paired Bluetooth device cannot be found

Captive Network Support

• Ability to set up your device while using a captive WiFi network such as those found at hotels, cafes and airports

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:

https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

References:

• Apple Releases HomePod Software 17.4 With Music Preference Update
• Apple Releases watchOS 10.4 With Fix for Ghost Touch Bug
• Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4
• macOS 14.4 brings 50+ security fixes, iOS 17.4 patch list expands to over 40
• visionOS 1.1 improves Personas, adds MDM support ↦
• macOS 14.4
• macOS 13.6.5 and macOS 12.7.4