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Why iOS App Development Using Swift 5 is a Smart Choice for Businesses?

Swift is a user-friendly programming language designed to work with Apple’s iOS, macOS, and watchOS. It is gaining huge popularity due to its standout features and unique benefits.

The iPhone app development platform has gone through considerable changes till now. Further, Swift also went through multiple version updates and now two platforms have been released i.e., Swift 5.0 and Swift 5.1. The outstanding features and functionalities played a significant role in strengthening its place in the market. There is no doubt that these versions will make this programming language a game-changer.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur aiming to expand your business or a startup looking to scale, Swift provides the tools for exceptional, tailored iOS applications. Let’s first understand more about Swift 5 in detail and then we will check why iOS app development companies are turning towards it.

Major Features & Updates In 5.0 Of Swift Programming Language

Swift 5.0 was released in 2019 with a multitude of game-changing features. Along with the ABI stability, many other features made the 5.0 version of Swift programming language a success.

You can also read Swift 5 Release notes to get detailed information.

Below are the latest language updates:

  • Application Binary Interface (ABI Stability)

iOS app development with Swift 5 has gained popularity among developers because it brings stability with a fixed binary interface, ensuring consistent performance across compiler versions and platforms. This change makes Swift libraries a seamless part of iOS, tvOS, watchOS, and macOS, streamlining app development. This shift also reduces app sizes as libraries are no longer included.

  • Compiler Updates & Additional Languages

iOS app development with Swift gives access to memory for debugging and releasing builds. It also supports dynamic callable types which improves interoperability with languages such as Python, Ruby, JavaScript, etc. Swift 5 also includes the below language proposals:

  • Future enum case handling
  • Coercion for literal initialization
  • New user-defined dynamic ‘callable’ types
  • Supports ‘less than’ operator in compilation conditions
  • Identity key path support 

  • Standard Library Updates

Swift 5 brings exciting upgrades for iOS app development using Swift. The latest version offers:

  • Faster code with UTF-8 encoded strings.
  • Improved handling of raw texts in string literals.
  • New types like SIMD vector and Result.
  • Enhanced Set and Directory performance.
  • Flexible String implementation for text construction.

  • Package Manager Updates

In Swift 5, the Swift Package Manager includes some cool new features. It can now mirror dependencies, has specific build settings, and custom deployment targets, and can generate code coverage data. You can also import libraries in the REPL while building executables using a command. Swift 5 adopts Package Manager proposals from Swift’s evolution process, covering dependency mirroring, target-specific builds, and platform deployment settings.

Major Features & Updates In 5.1 Of Swift Programming Language

Swift 5.1 was built on the foundation of the Swift 5.0 version and introduced valuable enhancements such as module stability. These additions expand the language’s capabilities and standard library, including features like opaque result types, property wrappers, and new String APIs. Additionally, Swift 5.1 simplifies API design and reduces repetitive code, making development more efficient. Below are some outstanding features of Swift 5.1:

  • Module Stability

A cool new feature in Swift 5.1 is the ability to create and share binary frameworks. Because it now supports module stability, this is possible. As a result, developing iOS apps for users will be quicker and simpler for developers.

The framework’s API is described in a text-based module interface file created as part of the process. With the help of this file, you can compile the framework using various compiler versions.

  • Language Server Protocol

The Swift 5.1 Open Source Software (OSS) toolchain packages for Ubuntu and macOS now have built-in SourceKit-LSP binaries. This tool implements Language Server Protocol (LSP) for languages based on C and Swift.

  • Swift Syntax Updates

SwiftSyntax is a Swift library that enables the processing and generation of Swift code. In Swift 5.1, it received significant updates, enhancing Swift’s power. It allows developers to analyze and modify Swift source code programmatically. By representing code as data, it simplifies tasks like refactoring, linting, and creating code snippets. These updates empower developers to build better tools and utilities that understand and manipulate Swift code more effectively, fostering productivity and innovation.

  • Standard Library Updates

The latest Swift 5.1 standard library introduces user-friendly improvements, simplifying app development with Swift 5:

  • Easily update and manage differences in collections of specific types.
  • More options for initializing an array efficiently.
  • Enhanced String APIs, including handling contiguous strings, aiding Unicode text tasks, and convenient initializers for Range and String.index
  • Introduces the Identifiable protocol for extending reductions, vector swizzles, and vectors.

Popular Brands Using Swift To Develop Their iOS Apps

The rising demand and benefits of Swift 5 persuaded many popular brands to turn towards this programming language. Another reason behind their decision to select Swift for iOS app development is the amount of benefits it offers. iOS apps developed with Swift bring many benefits such as customer satisfaction, exceptional user experience, and high functionalities. Here are some famous business names who invested in iOS app development with Swift:

  • Uber
  • Lyft
  • Hotspot
  • Asana
  • Airbnb
  • LinkedIn

Related Read: Enterprise iOS App Development – Complete Deep Dive

What Are the Key Business Advantages of iOS App Development with Swift 5?

Each company is fighting the battle to become successful in this digital world. However, by investing in iOS app development with Swift 5.0 or Swift 5.1, they can increase the winning possibilities. It is advised to work with a professional and reliable iOS app development company such as Debut Infotech to leverage all the benefits of Swift 5. Now let’s have a look at some of its primary advantages:

  1. Less code: As mentioned above, the features of Swift 5, i.e., binary compatibility and ABI consistency help in writing concise and clear code. The source code will now run on any platform without external integrations or code. This means that the app code will be more minor and easy to run on various operating systems.

  2. Best Performance: No one wants to use a broken or error-prone app. Further, app glitches, app freeze, and app bugs are the popular reasons behind their uninstallation. This makes it necessary for businesses to fix them so as to increase customer satisfaction rate. ABI stability of Swift 5 assists in creating robust and error-free apps using strings and other features. This in turn increases the performance of the app.

  3. Low Maintenance: Swift is a preferred iOS app development method due to its user-friendliness. Unlike Objective-C, Swift minimizes its reliance on C, resulting in more straightforward upkeep. Notably, iPhone developers appreciate Swift’s detachment from C. Unlike C and Objective-C, which use two files for faster builds, Swift streamlines by combining them into a single .swift file. This change empowers iOS developers to focus more on app logic and code quality, ensuring smoother app functionality.

  4. Open-Source: As we know Swift is an open-source iOS app development platform that gives developers the opportunity to do wonders. It easily integrates with third-party tools & technologies and has the potential to grow which allows developers to leverage it in the best possible way.

  5. Reliability & Security: Swift prioritizes safety for developers, integrating contemporary language elements that thwart prevalent coding blunders like null pointer and array out-of-bounds errors. This curb crashes, bolstering app stability. It promotes default utilization of immutable variables and constants, curbing inadvertent data changes, and thus fostering more predictable and secure coding. Furthermore, Swift’s access control mechanisms empower the regulation of code component visibility, enhancing encapsulation and curbing unauthorized entry to critical code sections.

Conclusion

Swift is a valuable addition to the Apple ecosystem and a blessing for mobile app developers who want to excel in this field. It can help you develop more engaging, secure, and responsive iOS apps. Several startups and entrepreneurs have started investing in Swift app development due to its numerous advantages. If you have an exceptional app idea and you want to develop a user-friendly app, hire a professional mobile app development company. Leaving the development part to experts will give you peace of mind and more time to invest in quality work. So, stop waiting and wasting time on planning, consult a professional, and take a step forward to your business success.