iOS App Development: Swift 5 Features That Can Come in Handy

by Tech Geekk writer

iOS app development is the talk of the town and rightly so! Today, Apple devices are used by people all over the globe. iOS enjoys a significant share in the global OS market. So, then, it is clear as to why iOS app development is so much in demand. On to the next step in the process — what language does one use for the development of iOS apps? Well, there are plenty of options in the market and most of them are quite capable too. However, some names always stand out from the crowd and in this context that name would be Swift. Since it has been around for a while now, there have been a handful of iterations of this programming language and we are currently at model number five, i.e., Swift 5.

Now, Swift 5 is the most advanced version of Swift. But that’s not the only reason that makes so well-liked by not only folks across the entire development community but also amongst companies that develop iOS apps for their businesses. The natural progression of its abilities has translated into the programming language being empowered with a variety of new and novel features and functionalities that make Swift 5 indispensable for anyone who is looking to develop an app for an Apple device. If you are also considering using Swift 5 for your next project, we have listed some of its most essential features to help you make the final decision.

1. Source and binary compatibility: A big part of Swift 5 users are switching up from Swift 4. So, they have concerns about code compatibility, which is taken care of in an effortless manner. Instead of updating the code, one needs to leverage the new compiler. Furthermore, with Swift 5’s binary compatibility, the need to add Swift libraries in apps for existing as well as future iterations is eliminated.

2. Package manager: It is a cross-platform resource that allows developers to put together, execute, test, and package Swift libraries. In case you didn’t know, these packages are ideal for the efficacious distribution of both the source code and libraries to the global community for Swift.

3. ABI stability: This one is one of the most compelling benefits of Swift 5. And thanks to this provision, when users download the app, the device doesn’t have to download the entirety of the code because a substantial part of the code is already on their Apple phone via iOS’ libraries, frameworks, and more. Long story short, this means the app doesn’t have to be as heavy and also offers ease of development.

There you have it then — some of the top features and functionalities that make Swift 5 the leading choice of programming language for the development of iPhone apps. And then there’s also the fact that Swift 5 brings together robust type inference and its syntax is light as well. No wonder it enables the development of such high-quality apps.