Issue 726
12th September 2025
Written by Dave Verwer
Comment
New devices, and vapour-cooled ones at that! More importantly, we got a release date for all the operating systems, and in a slightly unusual move, macOS is shipping on the same day as iOS and friends this year.
Release day is the 15th, which is Monday. So, I hope you either have everything wrapped up already or have no plans for the weekend. 😬 App Store submissions for release day are open, so get those final builds tested and shipped.
It didn’t make the keynote, but Apple also quietly announced a brand-new feature, Memory Integrity Enforcement, debuting on the latest devices. Basically, it uses new hardware and updated operating system protections to enforce always-on memory safety, blocking entire classes of exploits that software alone often can’t prevent.
It’s not as flashy as the features announced in the keynote, but this will make Apple devices safer to use, which is wonderful.
– Dave Verwer
Sponsored Link
Ship better paywalls faster with RevenueCat’s native, customizable Paywall BuilderTry the beta for the new highly flexible, natively rendering Paywall UI framework from RevenueCat. With RevenueCat Paywalls you can remotely configure and edit your entire paywall view without waiting on App Review. See how it works.
News
Elevating Android’s security to keep it open and safeIn news from the Android world, starting next year, Google will introduce mandatory developer verification for all apps installed on Android devices, including those distributed outside the Play Store. Sideloading will remain possible, but only for apps from verified developers.
The only thing I’d question is the word “open” in the title. 😬
Code
Should you opt-in to Swift 6.2’s Main Actor isolation?Both main actor isolation and approachable concurrency are on by default in Xcode 26, which I think is sensible, but you should understand what they mean. Donny Wals has written a really thorough and balanced look at main actor isolation and has previously covered approachable concurrency, too. Both are worth reading. 👍
When should you use an actor?
As a great follow-up to Donny’s post, Matt Massicotte digs deep into when and why you should reach for actors in Swift. Matt is always worth listening to when it comes to Swift concurrency, so don’t skip this.
SDF in Metal: Adding the Liquid to the Glass
If you’ve an interest in how Apple has implemented the Liquid Glass “gloopy pulling apart”™ effect, then you should read Victor Baro’s latest post. He starts with an overview of what a Signed Distance Function (SDF) is, and then gets all gloopy with shapes! 😂
Swift Default Value in String Interpolations
In Swift 6.2, String interpolation has a new default value parameter that accepts a string regardless of the type of the optional value.
It makes me happy to see Apple still adding small, practical changes like this to Swift.
Design
You don’t need animationsThis article from Emil Kowalski should be required reading every time you reach for an animation API. It’s not that all animations are bad, it’s more that:
Step one is making sure your animations have a purpose.
Oh, and if you do decide you need one, keep its duration as short as possible.
Jobs
Founding Senior Mobile Engineer @ Neon – Lead mobile innovation at Neon, a fast-growing startup building a privacy-first app that lets users earn from their phone calls. Shape products with real-world impact in a creative, mission-driven environment. – On-site (United States in NY) with some remote work (within US timezones)