What is Xcode 26 and why 26?

Xcode 26 is the latest version of Apple's integrated development environment (IDE) for macOS, used for developing software for Apple's platforms, including iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. The version number "26" aligns with Apple's decision to unify version numbers across all their platforms, as mentioned in the Keynote. This unification brings greater consistency to the naming of their software releases, with all major platform updates being versioned as "26" for the year 2026.

Xcode 26 introduces several new features and improvements, such as enhanced support for Swift concurrency, integration with ChatGPT for coding assistance, and optimizations in build efficiency and debugging tools. These updates are designed to make the development process more efficient and to support the creation of innovative apps across Apple's ecosystem. For more details on the new features in Xcode 26, you can refer to the session What’s new in Xcode.