In this edition, we're covering a mix of topics, including recent iOS and Swift updates, some awesome libraries you might have missed and a few best practices for boosting your app's performance and user experience. Plus, we'll share some inspiring stories from female engineers that'll get your creative juices flowing.
So, without further ado, let's jump straight in.
Swift (5.8)
While numerous significant updates to Swift are in progress through Swift Evolution, Swift 5.8 primarily focuses on refining and enhancing existing features. This should facilitate a smoother adoption, especially considering the extensive modifications introduced in Swift 5.7.
Paul Hudson's concise summary of what's new in Swift 5.8 highlights key changes, examples and explanations. To follow along, use Xcode 14.3 or later versions; some updates require a compiler flag until Swift 6's release.
Swift 5.8 addresses some minor yet frustrating inconsistencies.
The first one relates to the annoyance of adding numerous 'self' references within closures. SE-0365 moves closer to allowing the removal of 'self' by permitting an implicit 'self' when a weak 'self' capture has been unwrapped.
The second inconsistency involves downcasting a collection, such as casting an array of ClassA to an array of a different type that inherits from ClassA. With Swift 5.8, collection downcasts in cast patterns are now supported. Additionally, Swift 5.8 enables calling generic functions using a protocol with optionals — a welcome enhancement.
Spatial Audio
Have you ever heard about Spatial Audio? If not, take a look at Endel: Focus, Sleep Relax and Odio – AR Soundscapes, which have implemented Spatial Audio to deliver outstanding sound experiences. It's amazing how great they sound, isn't it?
If you’d like to tailor your project's experience to convey narratives in fresh and captivating ways using Spatial Audio, don’t forget to check out Explore Spatial Audio before you start crafting it.
Live Activities
As an app developer, you know user experience is everything. Live Activity and the Dynamic Island timely updates keep users engaged and encourage them to take action. With ActivityKit push notifications, you can powerfully improve your app's UX.
You may encounter some challenges while implementing Live Activity notifications into your app. Read up on 10 questions with the Live Activities team for some highlights from the conversations at Ask Apple. It includes guidance on sizing and styling, when to dismiss a Live Activity and the difference between widgets and Live Activities. It provides answers to many questions you may have.
Celebrating Women in App Development
With March being International Women's Month, Apple celebrated it by featuring the journeys and stories of female founders, creators, developers and designers behind inspiring apps like Wylde Flowers, Ground News and many more in an article that'll get your creative juices flowing.
We hope this article motivates you to continue creating innovative, impactful apps that make a difference in the world. Keep on coding, and we'll see you in the next roundup!
