developers - page 2

Why it’s taking so long for apps to add Dark Mode

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Has your favorite app embraced the dark side yet?
Has your favorite app embraced the dark side yet?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

This week, I finally got around to adding Dark Mode support to Reps & Sets, the iPhone bodybuilding app I develop as a side hustle. That’s almost a year after Apple first announced the feature at its Worldwide Developers Conference.

What took me so long? Supporting Dark Mode is not as simple as it seems. It’s not just indie devs like me who have struggled with it, either. WhatsApp only recently added Dark Mode support, and Facebook is still beta-testing it.

So if you’re waiting for your favorite app to switch to the dark side, here’s why it might be taking so long.

Apple fine-tunes Safari Technology Preview with big batch of bug fixes

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safari-preview
Preview gives devs early access to advances in Safari web technologies.
Photo: Apple

Developers received a new build of Apple’s Safari Technology Preview this morning. The experimental browser gives devs a sneak peek at upcoming web technologies for macOS and iOS.

Safari Technology Preview release 104 contains a huge number of bug fixes and other under-the-hood improvements, and it’s available on both macOS Mojave and macOS Catalina.

For developers, WWDC going online-only ticks all the boxes

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Apple WWDC 2020
Most developers are just fine with WWDC 2020 being online-only.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s decision to cancel the 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California, and move to an online-only format was not only a good idea but a no-brainer, according to an international survey of more than 2,200 independent software programmers.

Apple surprises devs with new beta software for iPhone, Mac and more

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Even Apple’s update screens are beautifully minimal.
Apple is back with some new beta updates.
Photo: Apple

Just a week after Apple released iOS 13.4 and other big software updates to the public, the iPhone-maker is back with a big batch of beta builds for developers.

The first beta builds for iOS 13.4.5, iPadOS 13.4.5, macOS 10.15.5 and tvOS 13.4.5 were seeded to developers this morning, bringing a bunch of bug fixes to the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.

Apple Developer app readies for WWDC 2020 with new video features

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apple-developer
Everything you need to know about WWDC 2020 will be found in this app.
Photo: Apple

Apple is gearing up for its first-ever digital-only Worldwide Developers Conference in June with a fresh update to the Apple Developer app.

Formerly called the WWDC app, the Apple Developer app is the one-stop-shop for all the in-depth information developers need on iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS and all the other Apple platforms. Today’s big update adds some key new features that will make it easier and faster for developers to digest all the new info that comes out of WWDC 2020.

Check out the list of new goodies:

Google I/O 2020 goes online-only due to COVID-19 fears

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Sundar Pichai at Google IO
Sundar Pichai's annual keynote appearance will be a streaming-only event.
Photo: Google

The COVID-19 virus killed another major tech event Tuesday, when Google canceled the physical aspect of its annual developers’ conference, Google I/O 2020.

The company sent emails to attendees this afternoon notifying them that the event, scheduled to take place from May 12 to 14, has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns. The news came shortly after Adobe canceled its annual developers’ conference.

Apple gives developers the ability to distribute custom apps to schools

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Apple-in-school
Apple devices are now even more useful in schools.
Photo: Apple

Apple School Manager now gives developers the ability to distribute custom apps to schools for the first time.

The change will allow app-makers to better meet the individual needs of educational institutions, Apple said. It paves the way for new software that offers specific functionality for certain organizations.

Apple has paid out nearly double the amount to developers than Google has

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What’s it like to have your startup bought by Apple? Stressful
If you want to make money off apps, iOS is where the money is at.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Google’s Android operating system may have the biggest market share in the world, but if you’re a developer making apps, iOS is clearly where all the money is to be made.

In its latest quarterly earnings report, Google shared some surprising new numbers with investors, including the fact that the company has paid out $80 billion to Android developers to date. That may sound like a lot, but it’s just over half of what iOS developers have been paid so far.

Apple will enforce macOS app notarization requirements starting in February

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iMac
Apple wants to make macOS as safe as possible.
Photo: Apple

Mac app developers that distribute their apps outside of the Mac App Store will have to submit their software to Apple’s notarization process starting in February.

Apple detailed the upcoming changes in a note to developers this morning. The company originally said developers would have until January 2020 to submit for notarization but the window has been extended a bit.

macOS 10.15.1 beta 2 brings fresh bug fixes to Mac

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macOS Catalina is here. But proceed from Mojave with caution.
A few new features, a few bug fixes ...
Photo: Apple

Apple is making quick progress on the development of macOS 10.15.1, publishing its second beta build this morning.

macOS 10.15.1 beta 2 arrived for developers today, less than a week after the first beta dropped. The latest dev seed brings a host of bug fixes as Apple tries to patch up some of the holes in macOS Catalina, which launched earlier this month.

Apple seeds iOS 13.2 beta 3 to developers

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3-nanometer chips will be ready for 2022 iPhone
3-nanometer chips will be ready for 2022 iPhone
Photo: Apple

Apple is back with a brand new beta build of iOS 13.2 less than a week after seeding the second beta to developers.

iOS 13.2 beta 3 builds on the last two betas that added over 57 new emoji to iPhone and iPad along with Deep Fusion camera technology for the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro. Today’s update is joined by watchOS 6.1 beta 4 and tvOS 13.2 beta 3, bringing tons of improvements to iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV.

Devs ding Catalyst, Apple’s new system for porting iPad apps to Mac

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macOS Catalyst ports iPad apps to Mac
Developers say macOS Catalyst has a lot of potential, but plenty of limitations too.
Photo: Apple

Developers using Apple’s system to convert iPad software to macOS say Catalyst still needs lots of work before it can fulfill its promise.

The functionality is mostly there, but some features are missing and there are complaints about the style of the resulting apps.

iOS 13 beta 8 brings Apple’s big update closer to launch

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iOS 13 on an iPhone X
Have you upgraded yet?
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple is picking up the pace on its iOS 13 development by seeding the eighth beta build of the upcoming software release to developers today.

iOS 13 beta 8 and iPadOS 13 beta 8 arrive less than one week after Apple released the last beta build to developers. It’s a clear sign that the last of the bugs are getting squashed in order to ready the big update for the public launch next month.

You can now search transcripts of every 2019 WWDC dev session

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WWDC transcripts
It's a crash course in all things developer.
Photo: Apple

WWDC may be best known to casual Apple fans for its keynote speech, but it’s a whole educational week for devs.

While the best way to experience the Developer’s Conference is to attend live, not everyone is able to. With that in mind, Apple has just made videos of all its 2019 instructional sessions available. And they’re fully searchable.

Apple names top 9 apps of 2019

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flow
Flow by Moleskin is one of Apple's favorite apps.
Photo: Moleskin

Apple revealed the 2019 Design Awards at WWDC highlighting nine apps that offer a unique approach to design.

This year’s selections come from Italy, France, Lituania and the U.S. A lot of games are included in mix but there are also some breakthrough apps for sports, drawing, photo editing and medical imaging.

Watch all of Apple’s wonderful WWDC 2019 videos right here

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WWDC 2019
Apple's love letter to developers this year was great.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2019 bug Apple’s WWDC 2019 keynote was so action-packed that we’re still trying to process all the amazing new software and hardware that was shown off on stage.

Luckily, Apple already published the fantastic videos it made for the keynote so we can relive the greatness.

Check out all five videos and the new TV show trailer right here:

Apple ramps up efforts to promote coding to kids in India

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iPhone sales are showing signs of life in India
Apple has been focusing increasingly on the Indian market.
Photo: Apple

Apple is ramping up its efforts to promote coding in India, one of its biggest untapped markets.

According to a new report, Apple is actively nurturing young talented coders in schools and colleges across India. These Apple Distinguished Schools teach curriculums based around Swift app development.

iOS 12.3 beta 1 arrives with new TV app [Updated]

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iOS 12 features
There's a new iOS beta out for iPhone and iPad.
Photo: Apple

Apple has one more major update for iOS 12 before it unveils iOS 13 at WWDC 2019.

Developers just received the first beta build of iOS 12.3 this morning, bringing a bunch of new features and bug fixes to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. There is also a new beta for tvOS 12.3 available.

UPDATE: The public beta is out now too.

Apple acquires Italian startup that specializes in backend automation

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stamplay
The Stamplay team.
Photo: Il Sol 24 Ore

Apple recently acquired a startup that could soon help the iPhone-maker deliver better backend tools to iOS and macOS developers.

Stamplay, an Italian startup that specialized in building a “low code workflow automation” platform, was reportedly purchased by Apple for about $5.6 million. The acquisition hasn’t been confirmed by Apple but there are some telltale signs that Stamplay’s tech has found a new home.

Apple reveals WWDC 2019 set for June 3 – 7 [Update: Register now!]

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WWDC 2019
It’s going to be big!
Photo: Apple

Update: Heads up developers! Today is the last day to register for WWDC 2019.

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference officially has a date.

This morning, Apple revealed that it will host WWDC 2019 in San Jose, California, from June 3 to 7. The event brings together thousands of developers from across the world, giving them access to Apple’s engineers for hands-on training. It’s also the place where Apple unveils its biggest software updates of the year. Based on early rumors, it could be one of the most exciting WWDC’s in years.

Apple design dictate: Make apps look good on our latest devices

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The iPhone XS Max screen delivers more of that OLED awesomeness.
You want your app to look as good as possible, right?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

All new apps and app updates must support the iPhone XS Max and latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro starting March 27.

In a post on its developer portal, Apple notes that apps must be built with the iOS 12.1 SDK or later. New Apple Watch apps must also support the Apple Watch Series 4.

iOS 12.2 inches closer to launch with sixth beta

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iOS12
iOS 12.2 is bringing a bunch of new features to iPhone and iPad.
Photo: Apple

Apple is back with an all-new iOS 12.2 beta for developers, just one week after the iPhone-maker released iOS 12.2 beta 5 into the wild.

iOS 12.2 beta 6 could be the last beta build Apple puts out before making it available to the public. The new beta build packs a ton of bug fixes and performance improvements for iPad and iPhone to go with some UI changes and new features Apple added in previous builds.

App Store devs can offer discounts to win back subscribers

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App Store subscriptions
There are three new subscription options to choose from.
Photo: Apple

Apple is giving iOS, macOS, and tvOS developers the ability to offer discounted subscriptions in an effort to win back past subscribers.

A new article posted to App Store Connect details the change and explains the three options developers will have to choose from — including a free trial period like those offered to new customers.

Apple faces challenges with pirate developers abusing enterprise certificates

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Pokémon GO is blasting off again with new GO Battle League
A hacked version of Pokémon GO was one of the apps available.
Photo: Niantic

Apple is currently dealing with a number of apps abusing its enterprise certificate program.

According to a new report, software pirates have used the technology to distribute hacked versions of many popular apps. These include the likes of Spotify, Pokémon GO, Angry Birds, Minecraft, and others. Apple originally introduced its enterprise certificates to let companies make business apps for employees, without going through the App Store.