{"id":4419,"date":"2018-02-23T18:12:55","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T15:12:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tubikstudio.com\/?p=4419"},"modified":"2025-08-05T10:37:47","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T10:37:47","slug":"ios-developers-looking-ahead-tools-updates-wishes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tubikstudio.com\/blog\/ios-developers-looking-ahead-tools-updates-wishes\/","title":{"rendered":"IOS Developers Looking Ahead to 2018: Tools, Updates, Wishes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here at Tubik, we are up to our elbows in projects but wanted to pause for a moment and talk about some of the changes that have occurred in the development field recently. There have been some great updates in the past few months, and we\u2019re hoping for more goodies down the road in 2018!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"ios<\/p>\n

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The Year That Was<\/span><\/h2>\n

We polled our developers about their favorite development tools<\/a> from the prior year. The clear winners? AppCode<\/a> and Xcode<\/a> support for Swift.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Swift gets a makeover<\/span><\/h3>\n

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The September 2017 release of the new version of Swift<\/a>, the programming language for iOS-development, introduced Encodable and Decodable protocols, which enable the conversion of data models to convenient formats for saving. For development and testing, the new ability to perform wireless debugging in Xcode 9 with iOS 11 simplifies the process of setting up apps on devices — no need to use a cable to plug in the device, it works on WiFi! This release also gives the developer the ability to launch several simulators at the same time on different devices, making UI creation faster and simpler. Overall, this version of Swift gets a big thumbs up as the demand for iOS apps continues to hold steady.<\/span><\/p>\n

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iOS 11 has some cool stuff for developers<\/span><\/h3>\n

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Speaking of iOS, version 11, also released in September, has a couple of features that make a life for app developers a little easier. Top billing goes to a simple but powerful expansion to the screengrab: you can now make screencasts from device screens. The lightweight videos are ideal for development logging tools like Jira that limit file sizes, and the ability to create quick QA visuals is a real winner as it saves time when developers don\u2019t have to bring in a third-party app for capture and file transfers. Every minute of time saved on a developer\u2019s day is a win for the client!<\/span><\/p>\n

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We are still AppCode fans<\/span><\/h3>\n

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Swift and Xcode are being actively updated and with them the EAP-version (beta-release) of AppCode, which is free to use and includes the latest improvements. Over the last couple of months, we have seen some updates that have made life in the development studio much easier, including the application of DerivedData Xcode which has significantly reduced the time to completion for our projects. The latest AppCode version also has better Swift refactoring support (which was included earlier than in XCode), and it now interprets Swift extension type bounds<\/a> correctly. It also displays the completion of frameworks such as RxSwift, which is a handy timesaver. These small tweaks add up to some major upgrades to the development process, and we continue to use AppCode for all of our iOS projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Xcode has improved<\/span><\/h3>\n

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The biggest change in Xcode<\/a> recently is the introduction of Swift refactoring that allows developers to change titles for variables, classes, etc. on the fly. Fewer code errors (and crashes) combined with shorter development times add up to a big win for Xcode users this year. And our favorite new feature? The ability to customize the layout<\/a> of the navbar!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"ios<\/p>\n

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Our Wishlist for 2018<\/span><\/h2>\n

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For many users, a phone device is the only way they access web content, and we are seeing a shift in focus to mobile app development first, with website development second. Increasing expectations for functional integration, such as social media, in a rapidly changing device and app <\/span>landscape, keep us scrambling to deploy updates on a frequent basis! So our wishlist for the coming year is all about getting things out the door more quickly and reliably.<\/span><\/p>\n

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On the Android front, we anticipate the release of a number of upgrades and new formats from manufacturers, some with edge-to-edge screens, and new security technology. Worldwide, Android still dominates<\/a> in the phone universe, and our interface designers and developers are going to continue to be challenged to create flexible apps and websites as new devices are released.<\/span><\/p>\n

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As iPhone users continue to outspend Android and Windows users when it comes to in-app purchases, our clients are always looking to stay on top of changes in the iOS world. If rumors hold true, we can expect to see at least:<\/span><\/p>\n

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