iOS Newsletter
Hi folks!
Happy Friday! Winter is approaching, and with it comes a great opportunity to catch up on the latest iOS and Swift developments. Apple continues to deliver with new beta releases and tooling improvements — iOS 26.2 beta 3 arrived last week with “Edge Light” video-call lighting for macOS and refined UX across Reminders, News, and Podcasts apps. That makes it important to keep our apps updated as the platform evolves!
This week we’ve pulled together articles covering the full spectrum of iOS development. From platform modernization (iOS 26.2 betas) and developer tooling (package automation) to UI patterns (SwiftUI layouts and macOS interactions), state management (@Observable, @MainActor), security (DeviceCheck), design (data visualization), and strategic insights on project lifecycle decisions — there’s something for every engineer.
We’re grateful for your continued readership. Enjoy the issue!
SwiftUI
Enabling Selection, Double-Click and Context Menus in SwiftUI List Rows on macOS
Need native macOS list interactions with selection, double-click, and context menus? Gabriel Theodoropoulos demonstrates SwiftUI’s powerful contextMenu modifier for List rows.
Smoothly Switching Between Layouts in SwiftUI with AnyLayout
Need to switch between layouts without rebuilding your view hierarchy? Artem Mirzabekian shows how AnyLayout lets you animate between different layouts seamlessly.
Concurrency
MainActor by Default
Should Swift 6.2’s @MainActor be your default isolation? Matt Massicotte argues why understanding when to remove it is far harder than knowing when it’s needed.
Swift
Automatic property observation in UIKit with Observable
Want UIKit views to automatically track and respond to SwiftUI state changes? Natalia Panferova reveals how iOS 26’s native Observation support eliminates manual tracking logic.
iOS App Attest + DeviceCheck: Building Real Trust Into Your App (Without Losing Your Mind)
How do you cryptographically verify your app is legitimate? Wesley Matlock explores App Attest and DeviceCheck—the underrated tools for building real trust between your app and backend.
Data
Designing Humanist Data Visualization for Mobile
How do you transform raw data into stories your users actually remember? Giselle Katics unpacks humanist data visualization principles for mobile apps.
Automation
Improving Swift Package Scripts with GitHub Actions workflows
Tired of manually configuring Swift Package workflows? Daniel Saidi has streamlined the process with ready-to-use GitHub Actions workflows that handle building, testing, and documentation.
Talk
When To Kill A Project
How do you know when to kill a project? Jacob Bartlett and Dave Verwer dissect real case studies of successful failures—from apps nobody wanted to services that outlived their usefulness.