Adam Kos Apple announced a new version of its developer app Swift Playgrounds at WWDC21 in June, with significant improvements set to arrive in its fourth version. However, the company did not say when it will be available. However, it is now inviting select developers to try Swift Playgrounds 4 before the official release. Here you will find everything you need to know about upcoming news.
According to sources 9to5Mac Apple has been inviting developers to join its Swift Playgrounds 4 beta program through the TestFlight app in recent weeks. However, developers must agree to a non-disclosure agreement in such a case, which means they cannot share any details publicly.
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What is Swift Playgrounds
It is an Apple app that helps developers and students learn the Swift programming language. It's such a great way to learn to code right on your Mac or iPad, and as Apple says, without any coding knowledge. With Swift Playgrounds 4, users will be able to create the visual design of the application using SwiftUI. These projects can then be opened and edited not only in Swift Playgrounds, but also in Xcode. Then, when the title is ready for release, users can submit it directly to the App Store. And this is one of the essential novelties of the 4th version.
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The app offers a complete set of Apple-designed lessons that walk you through the "Fundamentals of Swift" with real code that guides you through 3D world building. In this way, you gradually move to more advanced concepts, in which you also use more complex codes. In addition, you will find here a collection of many other challenges that try to deepen your knowledge even more. Learn more from Apple's official website.
News of the fourth version
This year, Apple will finally let developers working on iPads not only create, but also submit their projects in Swift Playgrounds directly to the App Store through App Store Connect, without having to create an app using Xcode on a Mac. Interestingly, when preparing an application for submission, users can quickly create a title icon by simply selecting a color and symbol. A custom icon can also be loaded from a file and the application will then automatically adjust it to the correct resolution.
Swift Playgrounds 4 also allows users to view and track their changes in real-time, right as they write code. These live edits also work when a developer shares their project with someone else via iCloud Drive, so multiple users can work on the same project at the same time. They can also test the app in full screen, explore SwiftUI controls, search all files in the project, use quick code suggestions, and easily switch between Swift Playgrounds and Xcode (or vice versa).
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It should be taken into account that some functions of the application require iPadOS 15.2, which, however, is currently only available to developers as a beta version of the system. This also suggests that Swift Playgrounds 4 could be released alongside iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2 later this year, or at least early next year. You can download the current version of Swift Playgrounds for free from the App Store.
