We all know how much secure and premium Apple gadgets are. Considering the better iOS of all the Apple products including watchOS and macOS. Swift features make it apple on a pie. The popularity of this all-new programming language is due to its peculiar and remarkable features.
In today’s article, we will cover a few things that an iOS app developer needs to know.
- What is the updated version of iOS app development?
- When the update has been launched?
- What are the new features it offers?
- What are the benefits if you switch towards the updated version?
- How you can migrate to the new version?
Starting with the first things first.
What is the updated version of iOS?
The first time when the swift language was launched is in the year 2014. It went open-sourced in 2015. The Swift 5 version was here in 2019 and after the addition of the new features, now Swift 5.0 is easier and simpler for the iPhone app developers to implement.
Swift 5 and Swift 5.0 is the updated version of iOS app development. Swift 4 updated to Swift 4.2, Swift 5 updated to Swift 5.1 and 5.2 in the year 2020.
Swift 5 programming language is the game-changer in the world of iOS app development. Here are a few things to consider using the Swift 5 feature while developing the iOS app.
Swift is the second language that came after Objective-C in the ecosystem of the Apple programming world. As swift is open-source, it is also used to develop the server and on the back-end for the use of web services.
Without any further ado, let’s directly jump into the new feature added to Swift 5.
Standard Updated Libraries
There are new features added to the standard library after Swift 4.2 and Swift 5. Updated libraries offer programmers flexibility to manage their libraries in the better way possible. Contiguous strings are now easy to handle. Improved performance to dictionary and set.
ABI Stability
Application Binary Interface (ABI) stability is one major update in Swift 5. This is binary equivalent to Application Programming Interface (API). iOS app developers use API libraries for writing codes using the all-new Swift 5. With the API stability, the UI Kit improved, and users don’t have to download all the code your apps need.
The updated version has all the codes in iOS in its libraries and framework. The newly installed app will use the code that is already present as the binary code in iOS. This will help to build new apps in an easier and smaller way.
The Result Type
The new type that has been launched with the update in Swift 5 is the result type. This feature is now available in the standard swift library which gives two types of states in terms of result i.e. passed or failed.
This feature encloses errors and returns values in a specific object. This feature is also helpful in writing more powerful and meaningful codes based on Swift 5.
Revamped User Experience
The main issue with iOS apps is they are extremely bigger. Apps built using Swift 5 programming language are small compared to the previous iOS version. This helps iOS app developers to develop the app faster, efficiently, and more rapidly.
This, in turn, gives a push to have a better user interface experience. Apps that are small in size are easier to install and gives better performance. The ultimate aim is to make a user-friendly interface and iOS app development companies continue to do so.
Updated Package Manager
There are a lot of lined-up features and functions added to the package manager in Swift 5. It has dependency mirroring, customized deployment, target-specific build settings. Without building an executable, you can now import the libraries in a REPL using the swift run command.
Updated Compiler and Systemic Coding
The systemic coding and updated compiler feature using swift 5 make your app-building performance smoother. Debugging codes and languages is now easier in the updated version.
Dynamic Callable Types
Swift 5 iOS app development now dynamically supports the callable code. This also helps in organizing the codes more effectively with programming languages like Ruby, Python, JavaScript.
Literal initialization is also added through coercion, dynamic user-defined callable types, identify key path as the updated version of swift. You can now pass any argument to it through Swift 5.
The names given to the header is not restricted, you can do dynamic call names as you prefer. Here are some ways to implement: Either doing with labels or without any kind of labels, wherein the order you put them does not matter using the Swift 5.
Raw Strings
Creating raw strings with Swift 5 is now possible. Literals symbols can now be interpreted as backslashes and quote marks rather than using string terminators and escape characters. The use of regular expressions in the coding language has now become easier for the iOS app developer.
Before the strings, you can use one or more than one # expression to use raw strings. The use of hashtags at the start and the end act as a string delimiter. Through swift, use of hashtag should be taken as quote marks and not ending the string.
However, the same happens with the use of a backslash (/) in the string which should be treated as a literal character and not the escape character.
String Interpolation
Flexibility and easiness can be achieved with the new update of Swift 5. There are a bunch of new features added in the swift 5 than that in swift 4.2. Making a user-friendly formatted output in a class you can now rely on the new Swift 5 feature that is string interpolation.
Reconstructed string interpolation helps you take over the appearance of objects that were not available on string 4.2. The default behavior has been set for structs which are followed by the properties. This feature makes the process of debugging more easily.
Future Enum Cases
The procedure for switching the cases is exhausting with all the versions of swift. Swift 5 offers to deal with default cases to cope up with this disadvantage. This can be easily handled by default cases.
Adding a new enum case will notify if the case is to be handled individually. Also, the future enum cases have a default syntax of @unknown default. This can only be used in place of the default case.
Benefits of Shifting towards Swift 5 to build an app
After knowing all the features of swift 5 to the core you can decide to migrate to the newest version. The flexibility, dynamic ranges, and superiority in terms of technical solutions it provides are winning over the market. There are more benefits in the new swift 5 version with the features it offers.
App Performance
Functionality and app performance using Swift 5 is overall improved. Glitches and bugs can be easily removed. A cost-effective app can be built on iOS using Swift 5 features.
Storage Capacity or Memory
As discussed, the app built on swift 5 is smaller in size and that overall improves the user-interface. This works on both hands, for the business and the customers. Small size apps perform better.
Quick Launching of the app
As Swift 5 now has dynamic libraries in it. There is an increase in the launch time of the app due to cache files that are now stored in memories. These cache files can be shared with other apps. This benefits and improves performance.
Migrating towards swift 5 will cause no damage. It is compatible will all the earlier versions of the Swift 4, Swift 4.2. All you need to migrate to the new version, use an Apple Xcode 10.2 migrator.
These changes can be automatically handled by the migrator. There is also a migrator guide available to switch and guide you through on the official website.
iOS app development has not only upped their app development game with the use of the programming language of Swift but also improved user compliance. The scope of creativity, easiness, and flexibility offered by the Swift programming language is immense. The iOS app development company has a great opportunity to work on the best platform.