Developers

Apple seeds OS X 10.11.4 beta 3 to developers

Cody Lee ∙ February 8, 2016

In addition to several other releases, Apple on Monday pushed out the third developer beta of OS X 10.11.4. The update is available either via the Updates tab of the Mac App Store for current 10.11.4 testers, or on Apple's developer website as a standalone download.

Today's beta 3 comes two weeks after beta 2 and nearly a month after the original version of 10.11.4 was released. The update is mostly under-the-hood improvements, but it does include a few new features such as support for Live Photos and password-protected Notes.

Apple opening iOS App Development Center in Italy

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 21, 2016

Apple on Thursday announced it is opening Europe's first iOS App Development Center in Italy. Located at a partner institution in Naples, it will support teachers and provide a specialized curriculum to give students practical skills and training on developing iPhone, iPod touch and iPad apps. This new program should expand to other countries around the world.

Across Europe, iOS developers have earned over €10.2 billion thus far, or about $11.11 billion, with the App Store having helped create more than 75,000 new jobs in Italy alone.

Apple seeds tvOS 9.2 beta 1 with support for Bluetooth keyboards and app folders

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 13, 2018

Apple released a slew of developer betas on Wednesday, including iOS 9.3 and tvOS 9.2. This is the first 9.2 beta for tvOS, the operating system for the just-released, fourth-generation Apple TV.

Developers can find the new tvOS beta, which is labeled build 13Y5179e, either over-the-air on an Apple TV set with the previous beta or as a standalone download via Apple's developer portal here.

Apple seeds OS X 10.11.3 El Capitan beta 2 to developers and public beta testers

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 6, 2016

Three weeks after releasing the first beta of OS X 10.11 El Capitan's third major software update, and 48 hours after seeding iOS 9.2.1 beta 2 to developers and public beta testers, Apple on Wednesday released a second beta of OS X 10.11.3 El Capitan.

It can be installed on machines running a prior beta through the Mac App Store's Updates tab and downloaded through Apple's portal for members of the Apple Developer Program.

The pre-release software is also available to public beta testers who signed up for Apple's Beta Software Program.

Apple seeds iOS 9.2.1 beta 2 to developers

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 4, 2016

Less than three weeks after releasing the first beta of iOS 9.2.1, Apple on Monday seeded iOS 9.2.1 beta 2 to its registered developers. The software is also available to public beta testers who are signed on Apple's Beta Software Program,

The new pre-release software has a build number of 13D14 and can be applied over-the-air on iPhones, iPads and iPods running a prior beta via Software Update.

A standalone firmware download is available to members of the Apple Developer Program through the company's official portal for developers.

Apple seeds OS X El Capitan 10.11.3 beta 1 to developers

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 16, 2015

After releasing the first beta of iOS 9.2.1 to developers earlier today, Apple also seeded OS X El Capitan 10.11.3 beta 1 to members of the Apple Developer Program.

The first beta of what would become El Capitan's third major software update since its October 2015 debut carries a build number of 15D9c and is available as a standalone download through Apple's portal for developers or through the Mac App Store's Update tab on Macs enrolled in the beta program.

Apple officially makes its Swift programming language open source

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 3, 2015

Introduced in the summer of 2014 with the goal of becoming open source, Apple's new programming language for iOS and OS X development, called Swift, is now officially available for download via Swift.org.

A wealth of resources is available at the website, including the official documentation to get you up to speed, various Swift downloads, Getting Started guides, the source code and more.

Apple TV apps can now implement Facebook Login and sharing features

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 29, 2015

If you own Apple's fourth-generation Apple TV, you have probably noticed that apps and games for the set-top box currently lack common social features such as Facebook Login and sharing.

But that's about to change soon as Facebook earlier this week announced immediate availability of the first beta of its Facebook SDK for tvOS, which gives developers the means to build immersive social experiences on tvOS.

Holiday shutdown: don’t expect new apps or updates between December 22-29

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

Apple on Friday announced to developers that it will be performing its annual iTunes Connect shutdown for the holidays next month. The company posted the bulletin on its developer portal this afternoon, saying that it will not be accepting new app or update submissions beginning on December 22 through the 29th.

Instagram clamping down on apps that read feeds, offer auto-following, liking or commenting

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 18, 2015

As part of Instagram's most recent platform update, third-party applications will be no longer allowed to present a user's Instagram feed, a significant change in policy that'll affect numerous mobile applications which pull Instagram feeds.

Going forward, they'll be shutting down services and apps that offer auto-following, liking or commenting.

Photo-editing apps that show only individual Instagram photos won't be affected by this change. All apps must comply by June 1, 2016. The new policies and reviews will go into effect for new apps starting December 3, 2015.

Tapity puts Grades and Languages apps for sale, shares revenue stats

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 29, 2018

The latest developer success story comes from Tapity, an Apple Design Award winner and the brains behind education app Grades and Languages, its popular offline translation app.

They've now put both Grades and Languages for sale in order to focus exclusively on Hours, a gorgeous time-tracking software that I reviewed in the summer of 2014. What's really interesting about this is how forthcoming Tapity's been about stats for these apps.

You might find it interesting to learn what kind of revenue Grades and Languages have been pulling thus far and what potential bidders can look forward to after buying Grades and Langauges.

Apple seeds OS X 10.11.2 beta 4 to developers and public testers

Cody Lee ∙ November 17, 2015

Apple on Tuesday released the fourth beta of OS X El Capitan 10.11.2. The update is labeled build 15C47a, and is available to developers and public testers via the Updates section of the Mac App Store, or through Apple’s beta test site.

Today’s release comes just one week after Apple pushed out beta 3 of OS X 10.11.2, suggesting the firmware is nearing completion, and it has been nearly a month since the last public update to OS X (10.11.1), which added 150 new emoji.