WWDC23: Top 12 updates for iOS developers
On June 5, Apple held its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC23) for developers. In this article, we have compiled the top 12 most important updates introduced at the WWDC23 and explained how they can affect your work in the App Store. Read our review of the main events and expert opinions.
Apple announced iOS 17, which will be released in autumn 2023. The new OS is compatible with the iPhone XS and later models, which means that support for the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X will soon be discontinued. We have compiled 12 major iOS 17 updates and some other news from WWDC23 that could affect your app’s performance, promotion, and internal metrics.
Contents
1. WatchOS 10
2. Apple Vision Pro
3. Widgets and Live Activities
4. Advanced StoreKit features
5. Maps
6. SharePlay
7. Accessibility features
8. Passkeys
9. TipKit
10. SwiftData
11. App Shortcuts
12. Notifications
Conclusion
1. WatchOS 10
Apple previewed watchOS 10, which will feature new metrics, Workout Views, and Bluetooth connectivity for power meters. The new API enables popular coaching platforms such as TrainingPeaks to generate personalized workouts that can be seamlessly imported into the Fitness app.
Developers using HealthKit for workout tracking can now offer accurate calorie measurements for golf workouts by distinguishing between using a golf cart and walking on the green. Developers can also access data on cycling speed, pedaling frequency, and power, as well as mirror workouts from an Apple Watch to their iPhone.
Today, watchOS 10 is available as a developer beta and will be available as a free software update this fall.
Dasha, ASO Manager at GameGears
WatchOS 10 will allow you to develop more colorful, practical, and exciting apps for watches, and users can improve the quality of their workouts and evaluate their performances, which is especially important for various fitness apps.
2. Apple Vision Pro
A new operating system called VisionOS was unveiled at the WWDC23 conference. This OS is specifically designed for AR glasses and aims to facilitate the development of augmented reality applications across various industries, including education, medicine, and entertainment, amongst others.
VisionOS boasts impressive machine learning model creation and training tools, along with tools for working with graphics and sound. These features allow developers to craft captivating and highly effective augmented reality applications for AR glasses.
Dasha, ASO Manager at GameGears
Apple Vision Pro will be available in stores in 2024. Developers can already see signs of the development of meta-universes and can start developing AR/VR apps and games, as a new niche with great potential.
3. Widgets and Live Activities
Now, with WidgetKit, you can implement interactivity and animated transition features, allowing users to interact with your app via a widget.
After optimizing for iOS 17, you’ll be able to show your widgets to users in StandBy mode on iPhone, as well as on the iPad lock screen and the Mac desktop. This will help users stay up to date with your app’s current events in real-time directly from the lock screen.
Thanks to SwiftUI, the system automatically adapts the colors and spacing of your widget according to the context and expands the range of its use on various platforms.
Victoria, ASO manager at Matryoshka Games
The enhanced user interaction capabilities offered by widgets will ensure an improved user experience and have the potential to boost user engagement, ultimately resulting in a positive impact on app rankings within the store.
Dasha, ASO Manager at GameGears
The sports app can display live scores or send a text broadcast on the iPhone and iPad, while the taxi app can notify users about an approaching driver. These nuances will significantly improve the user experience. It is unlikely that users will choose a competitor’s app that does not use these functions.
4. Advanced StoreKit features
Apple has announced more advanced StoreKit features that showcase your products through Apple’s platform: StoreView, ProductView, and SubscriptionStoreView.
StoreKit Views opens up new opportunities for creating reliable and efficient in-app sales and subscription systems across all Apple platforms. Just one line of code can clearly reflect information about the description, cost, and duration of each level of the proposed purchase for the user. Apart from this, you can also get additional benefits from App Store Server API updates and improvements in StoreKit testing in Xcode, in the Apple testing environment, and in TestFlight.
Victoria, ASO manager at Matryoshka Games
By providing additional information about in-app purchases and subscriptions, you improve the user experience, which can boost app engagement and rankings.
5. Maps
Apple has added MapKit to SwiftUI to make it easier to integrate maps into your apps. In addition, you can create breathtaking map shots using the Detailed City Experience feature. You can also adjust the camera and viewing angle to provide users with spectacular views of city maps.
Victoria, ASO manager at Matryoshka Games
If your app has map functionality, new features can increase user engagement. The more diverse and exciting functionalities your app provides, the more likely a user is to continue using your app for a long time. It is also worth testing the display of this new feature on screenshots in the App Store. Unusual and unique features can drive more users to download your app. This feature will especially help those apps that need to show users the exact way to the office.
6. SharePlay
SharePlay will allow iOS 17 users to connect their devices to work together with any app that supports SharePlay, without the need for additional settings.
SharePlay allows you to share vivid experiences in real-time when using FaceTime and Messages. AirDrop in iOS 17 allows you to quickly connect devices to work together without additional configuration in any app that supports SharePlay.
The new sharing context menu in FaceTime and the SharePlay interface makes it easier to find SharePlay-enabled apps in iOS and iPadOS. Apps that support SharePlay are now able to efficiently transfer large files to all participants in a session.
Dasha, ASO Manager at GameGears
SharePlay allows you to share experiences in real-time, which can make your app more interactive and increase the engagement of users who will use these apps with their friends. Recommendations from friends and family often motivate users to download an app.
Victoria, ASO manager at Matryoshka Games
Apps with higher user engagement tend to rank better in the app store. In addition, the joint work capabilities provided by SharePlay can encourage users to continue using or download your app, so it’s important to highlight the SharePlay feature in your app description and screenshots.
7. Assistive Access
Apple has introduced a new Assistive Access feature, which will help users with cognitive impairment to use technology and apps on iPhone and iPad. This feature offers an interface with high-contrast buttons and large text labels and also allows you to use Personal Voice to create a synthesized voice to communicate with loved ones. For people with visual impairments, the Point and Speak mode has been added, which allows you to control smart home and other devices using voice commands.
Dasha, ASO Manager at GameGears
The new feature certainly makes it possible to build apps and make them accessible to more users without distinguishing between users with different physical abilities.
Victoria, ASO manager at Matryoshka Games
Making your app more accessible to users with cognitive impairments can expand your target audience and installs. In particular, you can include keywords in the app metadata so that your app can be found by users with disabilities.
8. Passkeys
Apple has introduced Passkeys, a new authentication technology, which will allow users to log in to sites and apps without the use of passwords. Instead, Passkeys use cryptographic keys that are stored on the user’s device and generated automatically. This will simplify the authentication process and increase user security on the Internet.
Victoria, ASO manager at Matryoshka Games
Highlighting security in screenshots or videos can attract users who prioritize security. This can increase the appeal of your app and boost install numbers.
9. TipKit
TipKit is a new tool that will help effectively introduce your users to the right features at the right time. This framework presents templates that easily adapt to the appearance of your app, and are similar to what users see in system apps. With TipKit, you can customize targeted tips to match the user’s current context and control how often they are shown to avoid the repetitions of tips, even if they have already appeared on another device of the same user.
Victoria, ASO manager at Matryoshka Games
With TipKit suggestions, users will be able to understand your app’s features faster and more effectively. This, in turn, contributes to the growth of user activity and improves audience retention rates.
Dasha, ASO Manager at GameGears
Use targeting techniques to inform users about features that are relevant to their current context, and carefully regulate the frequency of tips to prevent repetitive display, even across multiple devices. Users frequently express frustration when encountering identical notifications on all their devices.
10. SwiftData
SwiftData introduces a new framework for efficient data management within your apps. You can describe models using standard Swift code, eliminating the need for external editors. With SwiftData, you gain automatic relationship management, undo/redo action support, seamless iCloud synchronization, and several other helpful features. SwiftData also seamlessly integrates with SwiftUI, granting unrestricted access to data and ensuring up-to-date view counts at all times.
11. App Shortcuts
At WWDC23, Apple also unveiled the App Shortcuts feature that will allow users to quickly launch app features using voice commands or on-screen gestures. For example, you can set up a shortcut for sending a message to a specific contact or launching a specific app feature. This will simplify and speed up work with Apple devices.
By applying the App Shortcuts feature, you’ll be able to automatically highlight important features of your app in Spotlight. The new design makes working with your app’s shortcuts even more convenient. And thanks to advanced natural language processing capabilities, users can manage shortcuts with voice commands.
Dasha, ASO Manager at GameGears
The updated Shortcuts app allows you to discover and record key features in one convenient place. This allows users to have quick access to your apps.
12. Notifications
Push Notifications will allow developers to send more interactive and customizable notifications to users’ devices. New features include the option to add interactive elements to notifications, as well as to customize notifications depending on a user’s context and behavior. In addition, Apple introduced a new API for managing notifications, which will allow developers to more accurately configure and manage notifications in their apps.
Victoria, ASO manager at Matryoshka Games
Proper use of push notifications can play a significant role in optimizing apps for app stores, improving user engagement and retention. Users who actively use the app are likely to leave positive reviews and ratings, which can improve the visibility of your app in the app store.
13. Conclusion
The major updates introduced in WWDC23 encompass a wide range of enhancements, including interactive widgets, in-app purchase tools, SharePlay support, improved accessibility, the implementation of cryptographic keys (Passkeys) instead of passwords, the use of TipKit for user training, the introduction of the SwiftData framework for efficient data management, improvements to push notifications, and the ability to add a website to the Dock or home screen.
With these significant improvements, you will have the opportunity to elevate your app’s interface and offer users a more comprehensive set of useful tools and features. Using these advancements, you can optimize your app page to achieve higher conversion rates and enhance app visibility.
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