iPadOS 15 Allows You to Build iPhone and iPad Apps on an iPad

Apple today announced that iPadOS 15 features the ability to build iPhone and iPad apps directly on the ‌iPad‌ in the Swift Playgrounds app.

swift playgrounds app swift ui
In iPadOS 15, Swift Playgrounds features the ability to create ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ apps using Swift UI. Swift Playgrounds app project packages can also be opened and edited in Xcode on a Mac, giving users the option to develop apps across the ‌iPad‌ and Mac.

Code is immediately reflected in the live preview when building apps, and users can run their apps full screen to test them out. Created apps can be submitted to the App Store directly in Swift Playgrounds.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2025

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Top Rated Comments

icymountain Avatar
48 months ago
"features the ability to build iPhone and iPad apps directly on an iPad"
-> Great start, hope going up...

"in Swift Playgrounds"
-> Big, big, big disappointment... :confused:
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ScreenSavers Avatar
48 months ago
This is likely to be a way easier learning curve than Xcode. Super exciting.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Slartibart Avatar
48 months ago

Boy oh boy, was I right ?
I am so sorry that your internet connection broke down… hope you can catch up when it’s running again. There is is definitively more. ?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
szw-mapple fan Avatar
48 months ago

"features the ability to build iPhone and iPad apps directly on an iPad"
-> Great start, hope going up...

"in Swift Playgrounds"
-> Big, big, big disappointment... :confused:
I think Swift playground is going to be used to test how development can work on iPad before full fledged Xcode is introduced.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Slartibart Avatar
48 months ago

Almost certain that this will require an M1 iPad.
Why should it?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unregistered 4U Avatar
48 months ago

Too bad you're probably right. Probably will have way too many "race to the bottom" apps rather high quality, AAA apps.
If a poorly produced fart App gives a budding programmer the vision that this is something they could do, then bring on the fart apps! I mean, it wasn’t like FaceBook in it’s initial implementation was supremely difficult to develop :)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)