What‘s new in fonts?

At WWDC 2024, Apple introduced several updates related to fonts and typography across different sessions. Here are the key highlights:

1. SF Symbols 6:

   • New Symbols: Over 800 new symbols have been added, expanding the library to over 6000 unique symbols. This includes new localized symbols for scripts like Greek, Cyrillic, and several Indic numeral systems, as well as new categories like automotive symbols (What’s new in SF Symbols 6).
   • Animation Presets: New animation presets have been introduced to enhance the expressiveness of symbols (What’s new in SF Symbols 6).

2. UIKit:

   • Text Highlighting: A new text highlight feature has been added, allowing for more advanced text editing experiences. This includes predefined color schemes and the ability to customize the formatting panel (What’s new in UIKit).

3. CarPlay Design System:

   • Variable Fonts: The SF family of typefaces, which are variable fonts, are used extensively. These fonts allow for qualities like weight, width, and corner softness to exist on a continuous scale, providing a wide range of stylistic options (Say hello to the next generation of CarPlay design system).

4. Genmoji:

   • Custom Text Engines: Updated text rendering APIs in frameworks like TextKit and CoreText allow for custom solutions, including the use of adaptive image glyphs for typographic bounds and rendering (Bring expression to your app with Genmoji).

These updates reflect Apple's ongoing efforts to enhance typography and text rendering capabilities across its platforms, providing developers with more tools to create expressive and accessible user experiences.