Apple Releases Swift Playgrounds App for Mac - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Releases Swift Playgrounds App for Mac

Apple today released a Catalyst-based Swift Playgrounds app for the Mac, which was built from the existing Swift Playgrounds app for the iPad.

swiftplaygroundsmac
Like Swift Playgrounds for ‌iPad‌, Swift Playgrounds for Mac is designed to provide exercises and challenges to help users learn the basics of coding. The app requires no coding knowledge to use and is ideal for students who are just starting out with coding.

swiftplaygrounds2

Swift Playgrounds is a revolutionary app for Mac and iPad that makes it fun to learn and experiment with code. You solve interactive puzzles in the guided "Learn to Code" lessons to master the basics of coding, or experiment with a wide range of challenges that let you explore many unique coding experiences.

Swift Playgrounds requires no coding knowledge, so it's perfect for students just starting out, from twelve to one-hundred-and-twelve. The whole time you are learning Swift, a powerful programming language created by Apple and used by professionals to build many of today's most popular apps. Code you write works seamlessly as you move between Mac and iPad.

Swift Playgrounds for Mac is available from the Mac App Store as of today, and it is a free download. [Direct Link]

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....

Top Rated Comments

Mythos99 Avatar
86 months ago
Sadly, only with Catalina. :/
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
86 months ago
Very cool . . . and then I looked at the screenshots. Catalyst apps still look like a mess.

Mac is *the* product to code with in the Apple platform. This should be a native app.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Appleman3546 Avatar
86 months ago
I’m glad that it is available on the iPad, but this will be more useful on the computer. I am surprised it took so long to accomplish this.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M.PaulCezanne Avatar
86 months ago
Long, long overdue.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Icy1007 Avatar
86 months ago
There is already a Swift Playgrounds app for Mac... it’s called Xcode.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
86 months ago

catalyst is native, or at least will be native. AppKit isn’t the future. Also iPad could become a very useful mobile development tool if Xcode and other development tools were allowed to thrive.
No developer is waiting to program on an iPad. You can keep saying the iPad is a pro device, but that doesn’t make it one. It’s suited for very specific niche tasks in a mobile environment or requiring touch like graphics design. But for even basic pro stuff like mail/office/project/file management it’s not suited (yet).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)