what is new with xcode?

At WWDC 2025, Apple introduced several new features and improvements in Xcode 26. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Intelligence Features: Xcode now integrates large language models like ChatGPT to provide coding assistance. This allows developers to ask questions about Swift and receive project-specific answers or even have changes made automatically. A lighter weight menu is also introduced for quick code changes (What’s new in Xcode).

2. Optimizations: Xcode 26 is 24% smaller in download size compared to previous versions. Simulator runtimes no longer include Intel support by default, and the metal toolchain is only downloaded if needed. Text input latency has been improved by up to 50% in complex expressions, and workspace loading is now 40% faster (What’s new in Xcode).

3. Workspace and Editing: Editor tabs have been improved for more intuitive use, similar to Safari. A new search mode called Multiple Word Search helps find clusters of words across documents, enhancing code navigation (What’s new in Xcode).

4. Debugging and Performance: Xcode now better supports debugging Swift concurrency code, following execution into asynchronous functions and displaying task IDs in the debugger UI (What’s new in Xcode).

5. Builds and Testing: Xcode 26 introduces enhanced security capabilities and significant upgrades to UI testing, including a new code generation system for UI Automation Recording (What’s new in Xcode).

These updates aim to make Xcode more efficient, intuitive, and powerful for developers working on Apple platforms.