At WWDC 2024, Apple introduced Swift Help, an AI-powered coding companion built-in into Xcode 16 that is designed to help builders by producing code from pure language prompts. On the time, Apple mentioned Swift Help can be coming “later this 12 months.”
We’re now three months into 2025, and it is nowhere to be seen.
Swift Help (Picture: Apple)
Not like Apple Intelligence, Swift Help by no means appeared in beta. Apple hasn’t introduced that it has been delayed or cancelled. The corporate has since launched Xcode 16.3 beta 2, and as Michael Tsai factors out, it isn’t even talked about within the launch notes.
Swift Help is totally different from the brand new predictive code completion engine in Xcode 16 that may recommend the code builders want and runs regionally on a developer’s system. Here is how Apple described Swift Help in its Platforms State of the Union.
Constructing an app is extra than simply typing code. It is about reworking total concepts into code. And the simplest means to do this is with pure language. So we created a bigger and extra highly effective mannequin that runs within the cloud. And crafted a novel expertise in Xcode that solely Apple may ship. Introducing Swift Help, a companion for all of your coding duties. And whether or not precisely what you are after, or need assist writing the most effective Swift code, Swift Help can reply your coding questions and assist with duties like experimenting with new APIs.Swift Help is aware of Apple’s newest SDKs and Swift language options, so you will at all times get up-to-date and fashionable code that mix completely into your undertaking. So now, duties like exploring new frameworks and experimenting with new concepts are only one request away. Like all Apple developer companies, Swift Help is constructed together with your privateness and safety in thoughts. Your code isn’t saved on the server. It is solely used for processing your request, and most significantly, Apple does not use it for coaching machine studying fashions. Swift Help and the brand new predictive completions will turbo cost the way in which you’re employed in Xcode. This marks the start of a journey so as to add extraordinary intelligence into our instruments. What an thrilling time to be growing for Apple platforms.
Sadly, any preliminary pleasure has lengthy been changed by frustration. Take a look at among the feedback from the developer neighborhood:
I may actually use Swift Help to cope with some SwiftUI issues I am having. Not one of the LLMs are significantly good at SwiftUI, and appear to be losing extra of my time than they’re saving. When, Apple???? You are the one ones with the information and the motivation to construct a very educated Swift coding LLM…. tremendous irritating.
Sadly Apple are up to now behind the AI curve proper now. They spent a lot time on the ineffective AR glasses that each different firm has killed off. I believe [Tim Cook] thought the AR was his iPhone second. Ought to have spent the money and time on AI like everybody else. Code full is a joke in comparison with VSCode with Copilot.
It is feeling an increasing number of like that is one thing that can get rolled again to Xcode 17 this summer season. Has anyone heard something about it? Perhaps it’s going to be quietly pulled all collectively, in favour of higher Xcode integration with Chat GPT and the like?
WWDC is beginning to really feel an increasing number of like a preview of what Apple would possibly launch over the approaching 12 months – however usually the dev instruments they present are shipped by the top of the summer season.
It is a dangerous search for Apple, particularly given the present controversy surrounding Apple’s delayed personalised Siri options. WWDC 2025 is lower than three months away, and plainly builders are starting to wonder if they will ever see Swift Help in Xcode 16 in any respect. We have reached out to Apple for remark.
