Apple Releases Swift Playgrounds 4.1 for iPad and Mac

[MacRumors]

Following the launch of iOS 15.5 and macOS Monterey 12.4, Apple today released Swift Playgrounds 4.1, the latest version of the iPad and Mac app that is designed to teach users how to code and build apps.

On the Mac, Swift Playgrounds 4.1 adds a host of new features including support for building Mac apps with SwiftUI with macOS 12.4 or later, guided walkthroughs that teach SwiftUI app building basics, live updates in App Preview as changes are made, and App Store Connect integration for uploading finished apps to the App Store.

Apple's full release notes for the Mac version of Swift Playgrounds are below.

Swift Playgrounds 4.1 introduces new features, new content and bug fixes. New features include:
- Build Mac apps with SwiftUI (requires macOS 12.4 or later)
- Guided walkthroughs teach SwiftUI app building basics
- App Preview shows live updates as you make changes to your app
- Apps built with Swift Playgrounds run and install to the Applications folder
- App Store Connect integration lets you upload your finished app to the App Store (requires Apple Developer Program account)
- Smart, inline code suggestions help you write code quickly and accurately
- Project-wide search finds results across multiple files
- Snippets Library provides hundreds of SwiftUI controls, symbols, and colors
- Swift Package support lets you include publicly available code to enhance your apps
- App Projects make it easy to move projects to Xcode and back

The iOS version of Swift Playgrounds 4.1 doesn't add quite as many new features, but it does include a new "Keep Going with Apps" feature to help users better understand how data moves throughout SwiftUI apps. It also adds "Animating Shapes" to teach users how to create, modify, and animate shapes, plus it includes "Capturing Photos," which offers an advanced look at creating a camera.

Swift Playgrounds for Mac can be downloaded from the Mac App Store, and Swift Playgrounds for iPad can be downloaded from the iOS App Store.

Article Link: Apple Releases Swift Playgrounds 4.1 for iPad and Mac

 

[Danfango]

I wonder if it’ll have a host of bugs fixed as well as a host of new features. The last one was missing, well, QA to put it bluntly.

 

[GeoStructural]

I love Playgrounds for kids, but when will XCode be available on iPad Pro?

 

[zahuh]

This message is for anyone at Apple that worked on Swift Playgrounds.... THANK YOU! Please please keep making more and more tutorials. I'm also happy you didn't wait for iOS 16 to add more. Please continue to add more and more throughout the year! They are great!

 

[Phogro]

I love Playgrounds for kids, but when will XCode be available on iPad Pro?

I really believe that they're using Swift Playgrounds as a way of figuring out how to build an Xcode for the iPad. I'm hoping we see either a Swift Playgrounds 5 or maybe even a sneak peak of Xcode on iPad at WWDC.

 

[Hogswarts]

Great resource.

 

[Sir_Macs_A_Lot]

Playgrounds is a great way to get kids and beginners into the Swift Language.

(If the M1 iPad is supposed to be so powerful...why won't Apple release a version of XCode for iPadOS?)

 

[PlayUltimate]

(If the M1 iPad is supposed to be so powerful...why won't Apple release a version of XCode for iPadOS?)

could storage space be the issue? Xcode + the various emulators takes up a ton of RAM. Albeit, I could see the emulators being stored in iCloud and downloaded as needed.

 

[User 6502]

What playgrounds need is a way for apps to hate persistent data. Core data or some simplified version of it.

 

[firewood]

(If the M1 iPad is supposed to be so powerful...why won't Apple release a version of XCode for iPadOS?)

Xcode was designed with UI that has a bunch of tiny icons, too many for a touch interface. To simulate how Xcode would look with fewer icons, try using Xcode restricted to only a 512x384 corner of your Mac's display, and see how that compares to Playgrounds on an iPad.

 

[akashagrawal]

I love Playgrounds for kids, but when will XCode be available on iPad Pro?

Would really like them to evolve playgrounds into a more full fledged app instead of bringing Xcode. The latter has accumulated a lot of cruft from its long years, and this is their chance to build something fresh and light that's built ground up for SwiftUI (Xcode supports storyboards and UIKit too).

 

[Sir_Macs_A_Lot]

Would really like them to evolve playgrounds into a more full fledged app instead of bringing Xcode. The latter has accumulated a lot of cruft from its long years, and this is their chance to build something fresh and light that's built ground up for SwiftUI (Xcode supports storyboards and UIKit too).

I agree.

 

[Phogro]

Playgrounds is a great way to get kids and beginners into the Swift Language.

(If the M1 iPad is supposed to be so powerful...why won't Apple release a version of XCode for iPadOS?)

There are only a few possible answers to this question.

1.) It's not ready yet
2.) They don't know how to
3.) They don't want to

I think with Swift Playgrounds 4 they have indicated that they are exploring what can be done and how to do it and it's just a matter of time before they figure out how to build a more professional solution than playgrounds.

 

[alien3dx]

Xcode the worst ide but swift programatic/swift ui is good. storyboard,oc is horrible, unsure the ipad can hold real project without crash.

 

[jeffmetanna]

could storage space be the issue? Xcode + the various emulators takes up a ton of RAM. Albeit, I could see the emulators being stored in iCloud and downloaded as needed.

I think you're confused about the primary storage (RAM) and the secondary storage (SSD/HDD). An SSD/HDD is a permanent storage device that allows you to "store" apps and data on your device. And the amount of RAM on your device decides how many apps you can run at the same time. Having more RAM does not allow you to have (not run) more apps on your device.

Going back to your point, I think the iPad Pros don't have the storage problem. Even the base model with 128GB should be enough for you to take on any app development work. Source: am an app developer. Also, the iPads don't need simulators since they can just run whatever apps you're building natively on the device.

 

[Orange Bat]

I’ve played around with some prototyping in SwiftUI In Playgrounds and it’s not bad. Still, I think Apple could make something more professional for those of us who need it. With SwiftUI it doesn’t need to be a full-fledged version of XCode, but perhaps an XCode Lite that provides more functionality without the excess overhead.

 

[PlayUltimate]

I think you're confused about the primary storage (RAM) and the secondary storage (SSD/HDD). An SSD/HDD is a permanent storage device that allows you to "store" apps and data on your device. And the amount of RAM on your device decides how many apps you can run at the same time. Having more RAM does not allow you to have (not run) more apps on your device.

Going back to your point, I think the iPad Pros don't have the storage problem. Even the base model with 128GB should be enough for you to take on any app development work. Source: am an app developer. Also, the iPads don't need simulators since they can just run whatever apps you're building natively on the device.

On my computer, Xcode uses 19GB of storage. However, the libraries (Developer folder) associated with Xcode add another 100GB. My concern is, assuming the storage requirements are similar, these numbers may be an issue for a base iPP to run a full version of Xcode.

 

[chipbutnodip]

Has anyone had difficulty updating Swift Playgrounds 4.1 from the Mac OS app store? Contacted Apple Support and one option was to contact the developer.

Really, Apple?

 

[MacBeast]

Has anyone had difficulty updating Swift Playgrounds 4.1 from the Mac OS app store? Contacted Apple Support and one option was to contact the developer.

Really, Apple?

I have not been able to install the 4.1 update. In the App Store it seems to reach the end of the download, and then I get a message popup that says “Unable to Download App” and “Playgrounds could not be installed. Please try again later.” I have tried repeatedly over the last couple of weeks.