iOS developers TwoLivesLeft have just released an interesting new app called Codify, which brings touch based programming to the iPad.
The app allows users to create their own programs using the Lua programming language by typing code directly on your iPad. Also included are various assets and programming examples to be used in your creations:
Apps such as Codify are now possible since Apple relaxed their App Store rules that originally prohibited interpreted code in iOS apps. Apple now does allow for interpreted code to be run in-app, but still prohibits the download of such code. As noted by TouchArcade, this means that anything you create in Codify can't be exported (or imported).
I've heard more than a few developers attempting to create similar tools for the iPad, but all of them have hit various roadblocks in the Apple approval process because they all (in one way or another) allowed you to get code and assets onto the device and execute it. Codify sidesteps this by coming with a wide variety of assets, but unfortunately all of your creations will be trapped on your own device.
The developer has already submitted an update that allows sharing, but the developer isn't certain if Apple will allow it.
Due to the limited nature of the environment, the tool is mostly useful for experimentation and prototyping, as you won't be able to send your creations to anyone else. Still, it's an interesting idea and pushes the iPad into more content creation areas.
Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store.
The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump.
...
Wednesday November 5, 2025 11:57 am PST by Juli Clover
The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google.
For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more...
Thursday November 6, 2025 2:45 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences.
The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more.
Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features.
Liquid Glass Toggle
iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass.
In the Settings app, under Display...
Friday November 7, 2025 6:40 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag.
This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked.
Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting...
Thursday November 6, 2025 4:37 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report.
Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for...
Thursday November 6, 2025 4:08 pm PST by Juli Clover
IKEA today announced the upcoming launch of 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products that will be able to interface with HomeKit and the Apple Home app. There are sensors, lights, and control options, all of which will be reasonably priced. Some of the products are new, while some are updates to existing lines that IKEA previously offered.
There are a series of new smart bulbs that are...
Wednesday November 5, 2025 3:54 pm PST by Juli Clover
It's been over a decade since Apple's HomeKit smart home platform launched, and it is overdue for an update. HomeKit and the Home app can no longer keep up with AI-powered solutions from other companies like Google and Amazon, but that's set to change with a smart home revamp that Apple has planned for 2026.
Home Hub
Apple is working on a home hub or "command center" that will serve as a...
Since you can't get your creations off the device I guess this'll be great for casual programming, but the actual stuff will still be done on computers :cool:
IMO, Apple's standard for the app store is pretty darn sensible: they require that all of the code be submitted with the app, and that code can't be changed at runtime.
I don't quite know what "artificial" would mean in this context. Their standards are in place to minimize the odds that a virus could corrupt a program or the entire iOS device. Limiting apps to the code submitted by the dev sounds like a good common-sense standard.
The Apple II maxed out at 48KB. Making anything run there required all sorts of Woznikian hacks.
We no longer need to have our computers run in such a promiscuous mode; it is a step forward.
Taking away the ability to program a computer is NOT a step forward. The iPad represents about 2/3rds of the vision Alan Kay had for the future of computers back when he did his groundbreaking work at Xerox Parc. Making programming pervasively accessible is the other 1/3rd, and done right, it may be the most powerful part.
I bought a copy of Codify as a show of support that Apple should allow apps that let people program on the iPad.
Quick answer: not awesome at all. Unless you mean touching a real keyboard, with real tactile input for fast typing, and fewer errors.
I realize that that a BT keyboard can be used, but until I can attach a few 30" monitors and ergo mice to my iPad, it is still a far cry from useful for programming.
I'd hate to see you about 15-20 years ago when we were still programming from a shell with no autocomplete, popup menus to choose functions, no mouse support let alone touch all on a 14" CRT.
