Category: Apple Developer News

Make it easy for users to sign in to your apps and websites using the Apple ID they already have. With built-in privacy and security features, Sign in with Apple is a great way to help users set up an account, sign in, and engage with your app quickly and easily. All accounts are protected with two-factor authentication, and Apple will not track users’ activity in your app or website.

See the latest App Store Review Guidelines and Human Interface Guidelines to learn how to provide great user experiences with Sign in with Apple, and get new downloadable design resources, including left-aligned, center-aligned, and logo-only buttons. All new apps and app updates submitted to the App Store must follow these guidelines by April 30, 2020.

View the App Store Review Guidelines

View the Human Interface Guidelines

iOS 13 is now running on 77% of all iOS devices introduced in the last four years, worldwide. Deliver great user experiences by seamlessly integrating with Dark Mode, Sign in with Apple, and the latest advances in ARKit 3, Core ML 3, and Siri. Starting April 30, 2020, all iPhone apps submitted to the App Store must be built with the iOS 13 SDK or later.

Take advantage of Xcode features such as storyboards (including launch storyboards), Auto Layout, and SwiftUI, to ensure your app’s interface elements and layouts automatically fit the display of all iPhone models, regardless of size or aspect ratio. Starting April 30, 2020, all apps submitted to the App Store must use an Xcode storyboard to provide the app’s launch screen and all iPhone apps must support all iPhone screens.

Learn about submitting your apps

The App Store is dedicated to the best store experience for everyone. To continue providing a safe experience for users and help you successfully develop apps that are secure, high-quality, reliable, and that respect user privacy, the App Store Review Guidelines have been updated. The changes impact replies to reviews, spam, push notifications, Sign in with Apple, data collection and storage, mobile device management, and more.

Read the App Store Review Guidelines

Now you can learn and explore coding using Swift Playgrounds on Mac. Take advantage of the same great experimenting environment from iPad, updated with a unique Mac experience that includes a new sidebar, Touch Bar support, and code suggestions that provide additional help. You can even use the same playground file on both platforms. Swift Playgrounds is an easy way to try out new code for your app, then use that code for development in Xcode.

View on the Mac App Store

February 6, 2020

You can now meet the unique needs of educational institutions by privately offering apps you’ve customized just for them. Organizations that you identify in App Store Connect will see the app and be able to purchase it in volume on Apple School Manager, a service that lets educational institutions buy content, configure automatic device enrollment, and create accounts for students and staff. Educational institutions can also use this feature to distribute proprietary apps for internal use.

Learn about distributing custom apps

With the public release of watchOS 6.2, you’ll be able to offer in‑app purchases directly in your watchOS apps, so users can access premium content, digital goods, subscriptions, and more, all right from their wrist. Get started today by downloading Xcode 11.4 beta, implementing the StoreKit API, and build for the beta version of watchOS 6.2.

View WatchKit documentation

View StoreKit documentation

Starting in March 2020, you’ll be able to distribute iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS versions of your app as a universal purchase, allowing customers to enjoy your app and in‑app purchases across platforms by purchasing only once. You can choose to create a new app for these platforms using a single app record in App Store Connect or add platforms to your existing app record. Get started by building and testing your apps using a single bundle ID with Xcode 11.4 beta.

In addition, categories will be unified across the App Store and Mac App Store to align with this change, and to help make your apps more discoverable. The following changes will be made.

• You’ll be able to select the following categories for iOS apps: “Developer Tools” and “Graphics & Design”.
• You’ll be able to select the following categories for macOS apps: “Books”, “Food & Drink”, “Magazines & Newspapers”, “Navigation”, and “Shopping”.
• The “Photography” and “Video” categories on the Mac App Store will be combined into “Photo & Video”. Mac apps and pending updates with the “Photography” or “Video” category selected in App Store Connect will be moved automatically to the combined category.
• “Kids” will no longer be a subcategory within “Games” on the Mac App Store.

As a reminder, you can change the categories and subcategories associated with your app at any time with an app update.

Download Xcode 11.4 beta

We’re pleased to announce that Apple Developer Program membership is now available at no cost for eligible organizations based in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Mexico, and South Korea. Nonprofit organizations, accredited educational institutions, and government entities that plan to distribute only free apps on the App Store can request to have their annual membership fee waived.

Learn about membership fee waivers