Hello Developer: February 2024

The word “Hello” in script in white text with a glowing blue outline.

Welcome to the first Hello Developer of the spatial computing era. In this edition: Join us to celebrate International Women’s Day all over the world, find out how the Fantastical team brought their app to life on Apple Vision Pro, get UX writing advice straight from Apple experts, and catch up on the latest news and documentation.

FEATURED

The words “A Force Together: International Women’s Day” appear over a purple background with red design highlights.

Join us for International Women's Day celebrations

This March, we’re honoring International Women’s Day with developer activities all over the world. Celebrate and elevate women in app development through a variety of sessions, panels, and performances.

FEATURED

A monthly calendar appears in a low-lit room on Fantastical.

“The best version we’ve ever made”: Fantastical comes to Apple Vision Pro

The best-in-class calendar app Fantastical has 11 years of history, a shelf full of awards, and plenty of well-organized fans on iPad, iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch. Yet Fantastical’s Michael Simmons says the app on Apple Vision Pro is “the best version we’ve ever made.” Find out what Simmons learned while building for visionOS — and what advice he’d give fellow developers bringing their apps to Apple Vision Pro.

“The best version we’ve ever made”: Fantastical comes to Apple Vision Pro

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Q&A

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Get advice from the Apple UX writing team

Writing is fundamental — especially in your apps and games, where the right words can have a profound impact on your app’s experience. During WWDC23, the Apple UX writing team hosted a wide-ranging Q&A that covered everything from technical concepts to inspiring content to whether apps should have “character.”

Q&A with the Apple UX writing team

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NEWS

The Apple Developer app on Apple Vision Pro in a living room setting.

Download the Apple Developer app on visionOS

Apple Developer has come to Apple Vision Pro. Experience a whole new way to catch up on WWDC videos, browse news and features, and stay up to date on the latest Apple frameworks and technologies.

Download Apple Developer from the App Store

VIDEOS

The Xcode Cloud icon next to the red Git logo.

Dive into Xcode Cloud, Apple Pay, and network selection

This month’s new videos cover a lot of ground. Learn how to connect your source repository with Xcode Cloud, find out how to get started with Apple Pay on the Web, and discover how your app can automatically select the best network for an optimal experience.

Connect your project to Xcode Cloud

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Get started with Apple Pay on the Web

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Adapt to changing network conditions

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BEHIND THE DESIGN

The opening screen of Blackbox, with the game’s title over a wispy black cloud in a living room setting.

Rebooting an inventive puzzle game for visionOS

Bringing the mind-bending puzzler Blackbox to Apple Vision Pro presented Ryan McLeod with a challenge and an opportunity like nothing he'd experienced before. Find out how McLeod and team are making the Apple Design Award-winning game come to life on the infinite canvas. Then, catch up on our Apple Vision Pro developer interviews and Q&As with Apple experts.

Blackbox: Rebooting an inventive puzzle game for visionOS

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Apple Vision Pro developer stories and Q&As

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MEET WITH APPLE EXPERTS

Sign up for developer activities

This month, you can learn to minimize churn and win back subscribers in an online session hosted by App Store experts, and meet with App Review to explore best practices for a smooth review process. You can also request to attend an in-person lab in Cork, Ireland, to help develop your alternative app marketplace on iOS in the European Union. View the full schedule of activities.

DOCUMENTATION

Explore and create with new and updated docs

View the full list of new resources.

Discover what’s new in the Human Interface Guidelines.

NEWS

Catch up on the latest updates

  • Swift Student Challenge applications are open: Learn about past Challenge winners and get everything you need to create an awesome app playground.
  • App Store Connect API 3.2: Manage your apps on the App Store for Apple Vision Pro and download new Sales and Trends install reports, including information about historical first annual installs.
  • New StoreKit entitlement: If your app offers in-app purchases on the App Store for iPhone or iPad in the United States, you can include a link to your website to let people know of other ways to purchase your digital goods or services.
  • New reports and sign-in options: You’ll soon be able to view over 50 new reports to help measure your apps’ performance. And you can take advantage of new flexibility when asking users to sign in to your app.
  • App distribution in the European Union: We’re sharing some changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store, impacting developers’ apps in the EU to comply with the Digital Markets Act.
  • App Store Review Guideline update: Check out the latest changes to support updated policies and provide clarification.

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