Swift Playgrounds 4.5.1 does not support Swift 6. I used Xcode 16 to develop my Swift Playgrounds, and I had to use @available(iOS 18.0, *) in a lot of cases. Will this void my application?

Hi everyone, I'm working on my submission for the Swift Student Challenge and wanted to clarify something—does the application need to be fully functional in every aspect to be eligible for submission? Or is it acceptable if some features aren't fully implemented, as long as the overall experience showcases my coding skills and creativity? Would appreciate any insights from past participants or anyone familiar with the guidelines! Thanks!

Hey, I was wondering if judges will use physical devices or simulated ones to judge out entries. Furthermore, what types of devices will the destination run on? (iPad, iPhone, Mac, etc)

It was mentioned in the Swift Student Challenge that outstanding winners will have the opportunity to visit Apple Park in the United States. However, as a challenger from China who is not currently in the U.S., this means that if I receive the outstanding award, I will need to apply for a visa to travel to Apple Park. Since I am under 18, my guardian would also need to apply for a visa. Therefore, I would like to know if Apple provides visa assistance for outstanding winners and their guardians from China, or if we are responsible for applying for the visas on our own.

I am interested in participating in the Swift Student Challenge. My application contains a significant amount of augmented reality (AR) content, necessitating access to the camera. It is evident that if the reviewer utilizes a simulator or operates on a Mac, they will not be able to experience the AR function. Therefore, the AR function in the camera experience application must be utilized to access a real iPad. However, it is mentioned in https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/773530 that the plan is to evaluate Xcode app playgrounds within the simulator. Additionally, I observed the statement “Note: Xcode app playgrounds are executed in Simulator” on the submission page. Consequently, it is clear that the reviewers are limited to using a simulator or running my application on a Mac. In light of this, I am seeking guidance on how to enable the reviewer to utilize a real iPad to access the AR function in the camera experience application. Alternatively, I may need to reconsider my strategy and discontinue utilizing AR.

I'm preparing my submission for the Swift Student Challenge, and I have a couple of questions regarding the development environment. Is it allowed to use Xcode to program my scene, or do I have to use Swift Playgrounds? Can I use iPadOS 18 for development? I noticed that Swift Playgrounds currently only supports up to iPadOS 17.5, but I would like to use RealityView, which is only available starting from iPadOS 18. I appreciate any clarification on this. Thanks in advance!

I intend to participate in the Swift Student Challenge. A link is provided within my application that directs users to an Internet HTML web page. Link(destination: URL(string: "https://url.com")!) { Label("Developer Website - .....com", systemImage: "arrow.right") .shadow(color: Color.white ,radius: 50) } This URL corresponds to my personal web page. Although it is not directly related to the experience interaction within the application, I have decided to include it as it serves as a logo and demonstrates my proficiency in HTML. However, the challenge’s rules stipulate that the evaluation environment is not permitted to connect to the Internet. Consequently, I am concerned that my work may be rejected due to its perceived incompleteness or errors. So should I keep it? Thanks!

Hello!!in the terms of swift challenge say that is required to be enroledl to the apple developer program paid or free version (to join to developer programs you need to be under 18 years old).How over 18 years old can join to swift challenge if he can't make apple developer account.

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As of June 28, 2023, South Korea has standardized its age-counting system to align with international norms, meaning that the traditional "Korean age" system is no longer used in official contexts. According to the SSC eligibility criteria, I found that participants from South Korea must be at least 14 years old. I'm confused whether if the eligibility criteria has applied this. (I'm 13 in global, which means that I could join the SSC if I was born in the US) With the recent change in age calculation, this requirement refers to my international age.. I am wondering if I still have to wait one more year.. Please be free to give more information if you know..

Can we use ai tools like chat gpt or claude if major part of the code is written by us?

Hi, I’m a 2 time Swift Student Challenge Winner (2021 and 2022). I was under 18 when I won the challenges, but I recently turned 18 and want to redeem my free Apple Developer Program Membership benefits. However, I had problems with my Apple Developer Account, so I contacted Apple Developer Support and they told me that there was something wrong with my Apple Account and they didn't know anything bout Swift Student Challenge Apple Developer Program Memberships. When I try to click the “enroll” button on the Apple Developer Website all it says is "Your enrollment in the Apple Developer Program could not be completed at this time.” I emailed swiftstudentchallenge[at]apple.com but didn't get a reply back either. I was wondering if anyone could direct me to someone who I could contact to resolve this issue.

I am currently filling out the Swift Student Challenge form, and I have two questions that I hope to get clarified: One of the options asks, “Did you use open source software, other than Swift?” I would like to know what is meant by “open source software” in this context. Does it refer to IDEs (like Xcode) or programming languages and frameworks (such as Python, ARKit)? Are Apple frameworks (e.g., SwiftUI, ARKit, etc.) and certain third-party tools (such as Xcode, Blender, etc.) considered “open source software”? I would like to provide a demo video to ensure that the reviewers can use the app properly and experience all of its features in the shortest amount of time. For certain reasons, I do not plan to play the video directly in the App Playground. Instead, I intend to include a link in the “Comments” section at the end of the form, which will redirect to a webpage (requiring an internet connection) containing the demo video. Will the reviewers be able to view the link and access the video as intended? I would greatly appreciate any responses to these questions!

Hi. I've been developing an app that uses Mapkit. Is Mapkit allowed in the Swift Student Challenge? If not, does anyone know of any offline alternatives to Mapkit or a way to make mapkit offline? I've been developing my app for way too long until I questioned whether its allowed. Thanks, Creeper25

Hello everyone, I’m currently developing a Playground App for the Swift Student Challenge, and its core functionality relies heavily on Shortcuts Automation, App Shortcuts, and interactions with the Focus Mode status (e.g., reading Focus Status or execute Focus Filter). Before finalizing my submission, I’d like to clarify whether these features will function as expected during the review process. Specifically: Shortcuts Automation: My app uses custom shortcuts to trigger actions within the Playground. Will reviewers be able to test these shortcuts seamlessly, or do I need to provide explicit instructions for enabling/setting them up? App Shortcuts: The app integrates system-level App Shortcuts (via App Intents). Are these supported in the test environment, and will reviewers see them during testing? Focus Status Interaction: The app dynamically responds to changes in the device’s Focus Mode (e.g., adjusting UI and function based on FocusStatus). Does the evaluation environment allow access to Focus Status data, and are there restrictions on simulating Focus Mode changes? I want to ensure these features are testable and don’t lead to unexpected issues during review. Any insights or advice from past participants, mentors, or Apple experts would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance for your guidance!

When I was working on my project for Swift Student Challenge, I found an interesting fact regarding camera access. If I create an App project on Xcode, the camera capture works well on it. However, if I copied and pasted the code on an App Playground project on Xcode, it crashed and output several errors. I am wondering why this is happening.

I was just filling the submission for the swift student challenge and there is a note below adding the zip file saying Note: Xcode app playgrounds are run in Simulator. Now my xcode app playground(.swiftpm) is an AR app and needs an ipad or an iphone to run . So will my submission still be eligible for assessment and checked on ipad???

Hello guys, I have a question regarding the submission requirements. My app uses ARKit and requires Metal files for shaders, which are not supported by Swift Playgrounds. Therefore, I developed my app using Xcode. (swift playgrounds returning error for metal file) Since my app relies on a real device for proper functionality, I would like to know if, under these circumstances, the scene build is performed by Xcode. If the build were instead done by Swift Playgrounds, my scene would not function correctly. I'm asking that because of this note Thank you for your time and assistance.

I have learned that the Swift Student Challenge will be reviewed by judges within three minutes of interaction. What I want to know is whether the three-minute limit is strictly enforced or if there is some flexibility for an extension. This is because I am creating an interactive game with different scenarios, and I need to manage the duration of my game accordingly. I hope to receive your reply as soon as possible.

Hi! I have a concern for the SSC: I worked on the Playground app, but on MacOS. My app has been developped to be firstly used on a mac, as the playground app let you directly download your app on you mac and act as a real one. When i wanted to submit, I noticed there is nowhere to specify whether your app should be tested on iPad or on MacBook. I saw Playground apps would be tested on an iPad, does it mean I have to refactor my app to work on one, or i can mention on a comment that it is a MacOS app, and should therefore be tested on a mac? Thanks for your help on this