Apple introduces new AI APIs and smart tools to boost app development
Apple made good on the expectation it would bring AI to its developers, introducing new intelligence frameworks and advanced tools.
These included new APIs for integrating AI models and extended agentic coding in Xcode 27.
“Developers are at the heart of the Apple ecosystem, and our goal is to provide them with the best possible tools and technologies to build the future,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “With new intelligence frameworks and agentic coding in Xcode 27, developers have the tools they need to focus on what they do best: bringing their incredible ideas to life.”
Here’s a short summary of what it introduced:
Intelligence Frameworks
Updates to the App Intents framework mean developers can make their apps’ content and capabilities more discoverable and accessible across the system, enabling them to boost Siri AI capabilities like personal context understanding, app actions, and onscreen awareness.
The Foundation Models framework is now a single native Swift API supporting more powerful on-device models with image input, server model support, and the ability to build custom skills. Developers can tap into Apple’s Foundation Models (built in collaboration with Google’s Gemini) or use models of their own choice, including Claude and Gemini, via a new language model protocol.
Small Business Program developers with fewer than 2 million App Store downloads can access the next generation of Apple Foundation Models on Private Cloud Compute at no cloud API cost.
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A brand-new Core AI framework is designed specifically for running custom models entirely on device, optimised for the unified memory and Neural Engine of Apple silicon to support full-scale LLMs locally.
Xcode 27 & Agentic Coding
Xcode 27 brings the full power of models and agents from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI directly into the developer workflow, with interactive planning, multi-turn Q&A, and a canvas that renders Markdown and displays code changes and previews side by side.
Xcode 27 also gives coding agents the tools to validate their own work, so they can run autonomously for longer, such as writing and running tests, trying ideas in isolation with Playgrounds, checking visual changes with previews, and interacting with the simulator in the new Device Hub.
Plug-in support lets developers extend Xcode with custom skills via the Model Context Protocol, and connect any agent using the Agent Client Protocol. GitHub and Figma are the first partners to offer seamless Xcode integration.
Xcode 27 itself is now Apple silicon only, 30% smaller, faster, and more customisable. Xcode Cloud is now up to 2x faster with new Metal and visionOS build support.
Design & UI Frameworks refined
Liquid Glass continues to evolve with better legibility, customisability, and a new transparency slider in Settings so users can adjust the visual appearance to their preference.
SwiftUI is designed to handle the complexities of layout, animation, and platform integration so developers can focus on what makes their app unique. This year, SwiftUI makes apps more responsive without requiring developers to change their code through more efficient state initialization and faster layout rendering.
Developers can now write less custom code using new reorderable containers, and the new Spatial Preview framework allows 3D models from Mac apps to be viewed spatially when streamed to Apple Vision Pro.
Game Developer Tools
Four key updates for game developers: Managed Background Assets intelligently deliver only the language packs a player needs, reducing install sizes; Game Porting Toolkit 4 uses open source AI skills to speed up Mac game development with Metal best practices; official Unity plug-ins for StoreKit and Background Assets enable native In-App Purchase support within Unity; and Reality Composer Pro 3 adds Live Previews with Mac Virtual Display for instant spatial editing feedback.
Developer betas for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and Xcode 27 are available at developer.apple.com starting today.
Apple Intelligence features are available only in supported regions.
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