iPadOS 15 Allows You to Build iPhone and iPad Apps on an iPad

Apple today announced that iPadOS 15 features the ability to build iPhone and iPad apps directly on the ‌iPad‌ in the Swift Playgrounds app.

swift playgrounds app swift ui
In iPadOS 15, Swift Playgrounds features the ability to create ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ apps using Swift UI. Swift Playgrounds app project packages can also be opened and edited in Xcode on a Mac, giving users the option to develop apps across the ‌iPad‌ and Mac.

Code is immediately reflected in the live preview when building apps, and users can run their apps full screen to test them out. Created apps can be submitted to the App Store directly in Swift Playgrounds.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by
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...
Finder Siri Feature

Apple's New Siri Will Be Powered By Google Gemini

Wednesday November 5, 2025 11:57 am PST by
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...
Apple Logo Spotlight

Report: Apple to Launch These New Products in 2026

Sunday November 2, 2025 5:34 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch at least 15 new products in 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman outlined what to expect from Apple in 2026 in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter. He said the company is heading "into one of its most pivotal years in recent memory," with the rollout of major new Apple Intelligence features, intense regulatory pressure on the App Store,...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.1 With Liquid Glass Toggle, Slide to Stop Alarm, New Apple Intelligence Languages and More

Monday November 3, 2025 1:11 pm PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.1, the first major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.1 comes over a month after iOS 26 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.1 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings > General >...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
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. ...
Early Black Friday Deals 2

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals

Sunday November 2, 2025 10:04 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
tvOS 26 Feature

Apple Releases tvOS 26.1

Monday November 3, 2025 1:07 pm PST by
Apple today released tvOS 26.1, an update to the tvOS 26 operating system that came out in September. tvOS 26.1 is available on the Apple TV 4K and the Apple TV HD models, but Liquid Glass is only available on the second-generation Apple TV 4K or later. tvOS 26 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌‌Apple TV‌‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the ...
apple one  cpqesecbv342 upscaled feature

Apple One Gets New Colorful Logo Following Apple TV Rebrand [Updated]

Monday November 3, 2025 3:22 pm PST by
Apple updated the logo and name for its Apple TV streaming service today, and it looks like Apple One might be next. On the revamped Apple TV website, there's a new, more colorful Apple One logo available. The logo features an Apple icon that's split into six slices, and each slice includes the color that Apple uses for one of the services included in Apple One Premium. Apple One is...

Top Rated Comments

icymountain Avatar
58 months ago
"features the ability to build iPhone and iPad apps directly on an iPad"
-> Great start, hope going up...

"in Swift Playgrounds"
-> Big, big, big disappointment... :confused:
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ScreenSavers Avatar
58 months ago
This is likely to be a way easier learning curve than Xcode. Super exciting.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Slartibart Avatar
58 months ago

Boy oh boy, was I right ?
I am so sorry that your internet connection broke down… hope you can catch up when it’s running again. There is is definitively more. ?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
szw-mapple fan Avatar
58 months ago

"features the ability to build iPhone and iPad apps directly on an iPad"
-> Great start, hope going up...

"in Swift Playgrounds"
-> Big, big, big disappointment... :confused:
I think Swift playground is going to be used to test how development can work on iPad before full fledged Xcode is introduced.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Slartibart Avatar
58 months ago

Almost certain that this will require an M1 iPad.
Why should it?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unregistered 4U Avatar
58 months ago

Too bad you're probably right. Probably will have way too many "race to the bottom" apps rather high quality, AAA apps.
If a poorly produced fart App gives a budding programmer the vision that this is something they could do, then bring on the fart apps! I mean, it wasn’t like FaceBook in it’s initial implementation was supremely difficult to develop :)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)