iOS App Development: 3 Upcoming Realities Developers Need to be Aware of
Juned Ghanchi
iOS as of now has been the most innovation driven, and sophisticated platform with many accolades for launching futuristic features can solely be credited to it. From the early heyday of iPhone and App Store when it was the only device indeed synonymous with a smartphone to the present avatar of most sophisticated and upmarket mobile device, iPhone and iOS platform together with iPad and Apple Watch has come a long way. In this journey, even for a day it never seemed that the promise of the platform to lead innovation is taken over.
Naturally, for any iPhone app development company, it is hugely important to stay updated about the promises and possibilities that are about to appear adding value to the users and developers. Just before the launch of iPhone 8, the next big flagship Apple device we can predict three imminent promises for the developers and users that are going to be a reality soon. Let's explain each one of them in detail.
Making design part of the app code
For some years from many quarters, we are listening that app prototyping is soon going to be an integrated part of app building as sophisticated tools for this will be unleashed in the context of an API. Many experts argued for some time that a prototype typically delivers a real feel of the finished product it also ensures faster time to market.
But if you look at the so called prototyping process, it is still left outside of the core development process for apps. Still, the developers need to build the app from scratch while a prototype just helps to make the process smooth. Prototypes can be used to get feedback and accordingly to get things right. But when it is about developing the actual product, they cannot be used.
What happens if this so called design prototyping becomes part of the development workflow? An array of design specific information is already incorporated inside the code structure such as typeface, shapes and vectors, the layout of design specific elements, etc. But still, the entire design cannot be unleashed as the programming code.
Qwikly, a new tool was launched a year or so ago allowing both design and development teams to work hand in hand so that the entire set of information representing the design can be used through code. Referred as design code, this will help to merge the work process of both developers and designers.
What Qwikly offers with its new beta version launched specifically for the Sketch-to-iOS app, is quite a breakthrough in this respect. Thanks to its unique merger of both the processes, developers do not need to undergo any repetitive design oriented tasks, and this will save a lot of time for the project. Thanks to this the app design can be realised a long before the finished app is ready.
With development and design brought close to one another within a single workflow it would not only make life easier for the developers, but it would also add immense value to the users in respect of user experience free of design glitches.
Evolved and more powerful Swift
Ever since Swift came as the new programming language for all iOS apps, the development standard went through a massive paradigm shift. Swift is all ready to accommodate the next round of futuristic innovations that Apple is going to deliver through all iOS devices. In many ways, Swift is supposed to make developers feel easy with less workload and more scopes of automation. Combining both the Objective-C header(.h) and implementation files (.m) within just a single code file named Swift it helps developers concentrating on the core development logic.
There are so many other reasons that make Swift the future ready development language. Swift comes with a dynamic library comprising readily to use code allows using them for any app. This allows a never-before flexibility of integration while cutting the development time significantly thanks to reusable codes. This dynamic library Swift with ready to use code made it much equipped for future changes and demands than any other language you can think of.
Lastly, Swift boasts a huge developers community all over the globe that allows consulting on any practical coding problems. With regular meet up of thousands of Swift dev, you can always be in the best company who can offer you valuable development advice from time to time.
But considering its tremendous potential, whatever discussed as of now can just be described as the tip of iceberg only. This open-source programming language is starting its journey since December 2015 came a long way and is about to come with advanced Swift 3.0 features and ease of use. In the coming months, Swift 3.0 will be extended in capability helping to build standalone apps for Apple's wearable and HomeKit apps including watchOS, and tvOS.
Siri getting the power of AR
Siri, the voice controlled digital assistant of iOS devices is going to incorporate the power of augmented reality. Voice search and voice control which has already been pioneered by Apple with Siri, continued to be more contextual and equipped with every subsequent update. Now Apple is going to allow users using voice commands for the Siri to offer him with real time directional guidance based on the user location. With the launch of iPhone 8 which is scheduled later this year, for the first time augmented reality is going to be part and parcel of quintessential Siri experience.
In the upcoming iPhone 8, Siri would have the edge of augmented reality based on voice commands. Working as your assistant, it would guide you in real time throughout your experience across situations and contexts. For example, when you are searching for a place while having a journey or just having a walk, with your voice command Siri can guide you with directions in real time and that too with detailed images of the place and the route map.
This new AR based Siri apart augmented reality is going to be a regular part of the iOS experience as third party apps will also be allowed to incorporate this into their user experience for the platform. For example, while watching an event on Facebook, the AR support will allow viewing it from different angles.
So, iOS as a platform is going to get several high techs pushes allowing iPhone app development company more scope to deliver sophisticated UX and making users delighted in many ways. It's time for iOS developers to pull their socks and get ready for the new and more powerful iOS.