02 July 2020
While the world is battling the novel coronavirus around the world, Apple has decided to host their Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference online for registered App Developers. This was a great opportunity for all developers to join in to this great event which was difficult to attend to in normal circumstances. And what an experience this was! Apple managed to do an amazing job hosting this with very well thought-out videos, 1-on-1 lab sessions, code-alongs and a new forum for developers. We have learned so much! Here's a sneak peak of the most exciting stuff, which might be of interest to our clients and projects.
With App Clips, you can provide quick access to a small portion of your app. This is without the user having to download the whole app from the App Store. For example, if you have a take-away app, the user can scan a QR Code or an NFC tag at your shop and the user will gain immediate access to the ordering section of the app. It will only take a few seconds for a user to make an order. It is recommended that you provide the in-store menu straight away without introductions and tutorials. Use Sign In with Apple and Pay with Apple Pay to making orders easier and quicker. You can find out more on App Clips here.
Apple has released a new development platform for developers called SwiftUI. This is a modern approach to building apps which makes development more future-proof and stable. With the introduction of Apple's own chip into the Mac, building an app with SwiftUI would mean that you will immediately have your app compatible with iOS, iPadOS and macOS. The only downside is that SwiftUI is only available from iOS13 and over. However we recommend that new development is considered to be done on SwiftUI to gain more future-proof technologies. You can read more about SwiftUI here.
While widgets have been out for quite a while, widgets are now more flexible and available on the home screen. This provides a very easy way to provide glanceable and accessible information to users. These are very easy to build with SwiftUI mentioned above. You can read more about Widgets here.
Apple has also made a revamp to their privacy systems. While privacy policies were always required, developers now need to fill in a questionnaire which ask what data about the user is being collected and how it is being used. This will result in a graphical representation on the App Store which will help users gain trust in the app before downloading. There have also been new updates when it comes to requesting permission to gain access to only required photos. The app can also now request an approximate location instead of an accurate one.
Behind all of these updates are a bunch of hidden technological advancements announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference that will make the platform more stable and a delight! We can't wait to hear ideas from clients who wish to adopt these updates into their apps. Most of these updates can suit very well in apps based in Malta as well! If you have any ideas, feel free contact us from our website.
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