It’s almost time for WWDC! 🎉Wait. What? It’s October. What’s happening? 🤔

As you’ll no doubt have seen by now, Apple announced a set of virtual Tech Talks this week. Similarly to the in-person Tech Talks of previous years, the schedule shows that the talks will be region-specific, just like the in-person events were.

Why would region matter for an online event? It appears that the sessions will be in some way interactive, so the timezone matters! The official Tech Talks page says:

Our live sessions can help you integrate the latest technologies into your apps, learn techniques and best practices, and get your questions answered in a group setting.

This tweet from Betsy Langowski confirms that there will be external Q&A of some kind. I have no details about how that will work, but we’ve not had Q&A even at the in-person events for many years, so it’s a little surprising they’re bringing it back for a virtual event! I guess they’ll take questions before the session, vet them and have someone from Apple ask the questions to a panel. We’ll find out!

There’s more, though. Like WWDC, there are labs, or “Office Hours”, as they’re referred to here. You can schedule a thirty-minute consultation with a whole host of teams and ask questions specific to your apps. Appointments will get booked up fast, so don’t delay when sign-up opens.

The most frequent request from the community after every WWDC is for more WWDC! I’m classing these events as exactly that, and that’s great news! 🚀

Dave Verwer

Capture and Fix Thermal Kills in Your iOS App

If the user’s device is overheating, sometimes the OS can shut down the phone or kill apps and processes that are using too much CPU so that the device can cool down. Only Bugsnag can capture thermal kills in your app with end-to-end diagnostics, including breadcrumbs and thermal state metadata.

bugsnag.com

Evolving our business model to address developer needs

The short story is that Google is reducing subscription pricing on the Play platform to a flat 15% rate, with no conditions. Presumably, the reduction to 15% in regular (non-subscription) for the first $1m earned that they announced in March is unchanged, meaning the vast majority of apps on the Play platform are now on a 15% rate.

One thing that struck me was the peculiar title and phrasing of this post. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's written in a very obtuse way for a straightforward announcement. It's almost like they're saying it through gritted teeth, which they may be. 😂

googleblog.com

Bring your in-app events to the App Store

Space in the App Store is valuable, so supporting a feature that makes your app stand out is always worth adding to your to-do list. Adding in-app events means you could appear more prominently in search results, be more likely to be featured in App Store editorial, and give your app a richer App Store listing once people land on it.

I can hear you saying, "but my app doesn't have events, Dave!" and that was my thought too, but this page clarifies what events are, and they can be as simple as a "Major update", so you've got no excuse to ignore this! 🤑

apple.com

Debugging on iOS 15 with Xcode 12

This time of year is always awkward with versions of software. When should you upgrade to the new macOS? Can you still run old versions of Xcode if you upgrade? If I stay on last year's macOS, can I run this year's Xcode? Marina Gornostaeva clears a way through the problem and explains how you can still keep working with Xcode 12 if you're unable to move forward immediately.

hybridcattt.com

SwiftUI under the Hood: Fonts

This is a wonderfully in-depth look at fonts in SwiftUI from Robb Böhnke. He explores what's possible and digs heavily into UIKit to give what's currently available some extra power.

movingparts.io

How do I customize the NavigationView?

This post from Mark Moeykens is a great tour through the various options you have when configuring the look and feel of a NavigationView in SwiftUI. Your app doesn't have to look like Mail.app!

bigmountainstudio.com

Logarithmic Volume Control

If you had asked me whether I'd ever link to an article about a better way to set volume levels if your app uses sound, I'd have been sceptical. However, after reading this short but fascinating article from David Cordero, here we are! 🎧

dcordero.me

Automate deleting your app from the simulator

This is next-level thinking from Mohammad Azam!

twitter.com

How does the MacBook Pro notch interact with apps?

Are you curious how the notch will interact with macOS apps? I was! At least until I read this Twitter thread from Linda Dong that answered all my questions. Some of the replies are worth reading, too. This was something I had wondered about, too.

twitter.com

IOS Developer @ Reframe – An opportunity to join the core team at one of Y-Combinator's fastest growing companies and help millions of people cut back on alcohol use. – Remote (within US timezones)

Founding iOS Developer @ Bloom – We’re building an app that will capture and save sounds (specifically, human voices) and allow us all to learn more about the people in our lives in a fun, game-like way. In a way, it saves people. And together, we can use it to save everyone. We're looking for the first engineer to join our team. – Remote (within US timezones)

iOS Developer @ Bontouch – At Bontouch, we have a simple but ambitious idea: to make the world’s greatest apps for the best brands on the planet, and to have the greatest impact on users all over the world. Come join us working with fun and passionate coworkers, creating world-class digital experiences for million of users! – On-site (Sweden) with some remote work (within European timezones)

Staff iOS Engineer @ Turo – Help us build product features that delight guests who book vehicles on our platform & enable hosts with the tools they need to manage their fleet. We're actively transitioning our codebase from Objective-C to Swift, and learning SwiftUI together as we migrate our internal, watchOS, and tvOS apps. – On-site (United States in CA)

iOS Developer @ Konrad Group – Konrad is looking for iOS developers of all experience levels to join our mobile team building native (UIKit and SwiftUI!) apps for the world’s most exciting companies. Our team of 200+ developers is always looking to solve challenging problems, learn, and have fun! – Remote (Anywhere) with some on-site work (Canada)

Senior iOS Developer m/f/n @ intive GmbH – At intive, you will be supported in developing a long-term career plan that will expose you to the latest technologies at your individual pace. Want to learn more about Flutter? We'll give you the opportunity! – Remote (within European timezones) with some on-site work (Germany)

Software Engineer iOS (f/m/x) @ Elli - a brand of Volkswagen Group – We follow agile ways of working and code reviews. Our workspace is modern and you’ll be whiteboarding ideas with colleagues in our private breakout space. You’ll be joining a progressive organisation that cares about empowering individuals and meeting you with challenges to grow your career. – On-site (Germany) with some remote work (within European timezones)

iOS Engineer (Junior) (f/m/x) @ Elli - a brand of Volkswagen Group – We follow agile ways of working, use automated tools and code reviews. Our workspace is modern and you’ll be whiteboarding ideas with colleagues in our private breakout space. You’ll be joining a progressive organisation that cares about empowering individuals to grow your career. – On-site (Germany) with some remote work (within European timezones)

Looking for a job? There are more than 60 open opportunities listed on iOS Dev Jobs right now.

For when you didn't buy a new MacBook Pro, but still want to fit in… 😅