Apple recently updated its Xcode integrated development environment and analysts are saying that this may mean that Swift Playgrounds 4 could be coming out soon. In relation to that, the Xcode 13.2 update is providing software development kits (SDKs) for the upcoming Apple operating systems.
Apple Xcode 13.2 with New SDKs for Apple Operating Systems
According to the story by Apple Insider, Apple has just released its Xcode 13.2 which is providing SDKs for iOS 15.2, tvOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, WatchOS 8.3, and macOS Monterey 12.1.
The brand new release features on-device debugging for both the iOS 9 as well as later versions like tvOS 9 and the watchOS . In addition to this, under the new features header for the Xcode update, Apple has also pointed out that it will finally be supporting app projects created with Swift Playgrounds 4.
As of press time, the Swift Playgrounds 4 has not even been released yet. No difinitive date has been provided as to when it will launch.
What is Swift Playgrounds?
For those that don't know what Swift Playgrounds is, it is an Apple development environment that helps in teaching novice coders to write in Swift. Swift is known as Apple's custom coding language.
Swift Playgrounds 3 was first launched for the iPad back in May 2019. Swift Playgrounds 3.3, on the other hand, brought support for the Apple macOS back in 2020.
Apple officially announced Swift Playgrounds 4 during the WWDC 2021, which showcased features that would allow users to publish an app directly to the App Store even from within Swift Playgrounds.
Other Xcode 13.2 Updates Include Smart Insights and Notifications
Xcode 13.2 also updates the Xcode Organizer feature by adding support for smart insights. It now also includes notifications showing the app's performance and power metrics.
Metal has also gained new features and the new Texture Converter 1.1 is adding support for decompressed textures during build time, as well as error metrics, and even skipping compression whenever output textures are up to date.
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Bug Fixed with New Update
The new update also includes the expected bug fixes for certain known issues. In order to update, users will need to make sure that they are using a Mac that's running on the macOS 13.3 Big Sur or other later updates.
Other new features include added support for smart insights notifications. Thanks to the new feature, users can finally receive notifications whenever they are monitoring power and performance metrics on their apps.
Prior to the update, users have to click the bell icon in order to enable notifications. The bell icon is located at the top right of the Xcode Organizer's Regressions view.
New Built in System Result in Faster Builds
The new build system and Swift compiler will have a new mode that better utilizes the available cores which. This will result in faster builds for Apple Swift projects.
To add, the mode is opt-in and users can simply enable it globally via a convenient user default.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
