What are the new user-facing features that iOS developers should be aware of to integrate into their apps?

Generated on 8/28/2024

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iOS developers should be aware of several new user-facing features introduced at WWDC 2024 to integrate into their apps:

  1. New Controls API: iOS 18 introduces a new Controls API that allows developers to create controls that users can add to the control center or assign to the action button on the iPhone 15 Pro. This enhances app engagement by making frequent tasks more accessible across the system. Platforms State of the Union

  2. App Icon Customization: Developers can now customize app icons and widgets to appear in light, dark, or tinted versions, ensuring a consistent visual experience across the home screen. Xcode supports these variants directly in the asset catalog. Platforms State of the Union

  3. UIKit Enhancements: iOS 18 brings several enhancements to UIKit, including improvements to transitions and animations, tab bars, and a new document launch experience. These updates aim to streamline the user interface and improve the overall user experience. What’s new in UIKit

  4. Enhanced Suggestions for Journaling Apps: iOS 18 introduces updates to journaling suggestions, including support for landscape orientation and new asset types like "State of Mind." These features help make journal entries more meaningful and visually appealing. Enhanced suggestions for your journaling app

  5. App Intents: Developers can elevate their app's core features using App Intents, allowing users to interact with app functionalities directly from the home screen, lock screen, or control center without needing to open the app. Bring your app’s core features to users with App Intents

These features provide developers with new ways to enhance user engagement and improve the overall app experience on iOS 18.

Platforms State of the Union

Platforms State of the Union

Discover the newest advancements on Apple platforms.

What’s new in privacy

What’s new in privacy

At Apple, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right. Learn about new and improved permission flows and other features that manage data in a privacy-preserving way, so that you can focus on creating great app experiences.

What’s new in UIKit

What’s new in UIKit

Explore everything new in UIKit, including tab and document launch experiences, transitions, and text and input changes. We’ll also discuss better-than-ever interoperability between UIKit and SwiftUI animations and gestures, as well as general improvements throughout UIKit.

Enhanced suggestions for your journaling app

Enhanced suggestions for your journaling app

Find out how your journaling app can display journaling suggestions with richer content from the system. Explore new types of available content like state of mind data, reflection prompts, and support for third-party media content and motion-based activities.

Bring your app’s core features to users with App Intents

Bring your app’s core features to users with App Intents

Learn the principles of the App Intents framework, like intents, entities, and queries, and how you can harness them to expose your app’s most important functionality right where people need it most. Find out how to build deep integration between your app and the many system features built on top of App Intents, including Siri, controls and widgets, Apple Pencil, Shortcuts, the Action button, and more. Get tips on how to build your App Intents integrations efficiently to create the best experiences in every surface while still sharing code and core functionality.