iPadOS 15 Allows You to Build iPhone and iPad Apps on an iPad - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

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

TMRS 196 Siris Make or Break Moment Thumb 2

The MacRumors Show: What to Expect at WWDC 2026

Friday June 5, 2026 9:58 am PDT by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the major rumors surrounding Apple's announcements at WWDC 2026. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos The event's tagline, "All Systems Glow," is widely seen as a hint at Siri's new design. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has reported that Apple is rebuilding Siri as a full chatbot to compete with...
WWDC26 Mock Feature 2

Will Apple Launch New Hardware at WWDC Next Week?

Friday June 5, 2026 7:56 am PDT by
Apple has several hardware releases in the pipeline, but will we see any of them unveiled at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference? WWDC is primarily a software event where new versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS take center stage, but it's not unusual for Apple to introduce new hardware during the developer conference. Take WWDC 2017, for example, where Apple...
macOS 27 Wishlist What Do You Want From Apple at WWDC 2026 Feature

macOS 27 Wishlist: What Do You Want From Apple at WWDC 2026?

Thursday June 4, 2026 2:54 pm PDT by
We have four days to go until Apple's WWDC keynote event begins on Monday, June 8. iOS 27 has been the focus of most of the rumors, but we're also going to get a new version of macOS, macOS 27. Some of the same features that are coming in iOS 27 will come to macOS 27, like the new version of Siri and the dedicated Siri app, but we want to hear from MacRumors readers. What are you hoping to...

Top Rated Comments

66 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
66 months ago
This is likely to be a way easier learning curve than Xcode. Super exciting.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Slartibart Avatar
66 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
66 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)
66 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)
Slartibart Avatar
66 months ago

Almost certain that this will require an M1 iPad.
Why should it?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)