what's changed in SwiftUI in iOS18?

In iOS 18, SwiftUI has introduced several new features and improvements. Here are some of the key changes:

1. Graphics Capabilities:

   • New mix modifier on color to blend colors together.
   • Extended custom shader feature with precompilation to avoid frame drops.

2. Scroll View Enhancements:

   • Fine-grained control over scroll views with new APIs.
   • Ability to detect changes in view visibility due to scrolling.
   • More programmatic control over scroll positions and content alignment.

3. Swift 6 Language Mode:

   • Enables compile-time data race safety.
   • Views in SwiftUI are now marked with the main actor annotation by default.

4. Accessibility Improvements:

   • Additional accessibility information can be added to built-in labels without overriding them.
   • New accessibility features such as conditional modifier support and app intent-based actions.

5. Xcode Previews:

   • New dynamic linking architecture for faster iteration.
   • Easier setup with the previewable macro to use state directly in previews.

6. Text Management:

   • Programmatic access to and control of text selection within text editing controls.

7. Interoperability with UIKit and AppKit:

   • Improved integration of gestures and animations.
   • Ability to use UIKit gesture recognizers in SwiftUI views.
   • SwiftUI animations can now animate UIKit views.

For a detailed overview, you can watch the session What’s new in SwiftUI starting at 14:17.