Apple recently announced that the WWDC 2021 developer conference will take place from June 7 to June 11. The company will unveil the latest of its operating systems across all Apple products. These will include iOS 15, macOS 12, watchOS 8, tvOS 15, and iPadOS for respective devices. But shortly after announcing the event date, Apple has released a significant update to its Developer app, an iPhone and iPad app that serves as a hub for news and watching WWDC sessions. The new update brings a new design to the app and improved search functionality.
While the WWDC 2021 date is set for June 7th, it seems like Apple wants to improve the watching experience of its online-only developer conference. The company has redesigned the Developer app and released an update through the App Store. The new design makes the sidebar of the Developer easier to manage. The search functionality of the app has also been improved and content categories can now also be collapsed. Have a first look at what the new Developer app update brings.
Apple Developer App New Design, Features
As aforementioned, the first change that appears in the Developer app is in the navigation sidebar. While the sidebar is now easier to manage, content categories such as Design, Frameworks, and Graphics and Games on the iPhone and iPad can now also be collapsed. This is a great option to reduce the amount of vertical scrolling when browsing news and sessions. Apart from this, the update has used a more compact and tile-based layout for the Discover tab on iPhone and iPad versions of the app.
In the iPad version of the Developer app, Apple has eliminated the tab bar and moved the content from there into the sidebar. The collapsible sidebar section makes the app even more easier to navigate and also provides more room for content on the iPad. So, the new versions of the Developer app on both the iPhone and iPad are now easier to navigate and rich in content — better than ever.
Dedicated Search Tab and Improved Functionality
Apart from the basic redesign, the new update for the Developer app has also added a dedicated Search tab to search content. The search functionality has also been improved. Now, instead of a vertical list of search results in the sidebar, the app displays the search results in its main view. Moreover, the Search page now organizes the results by videos, articles, and news and shows top results with the ability to “See all.” Further, the Favourites tab has been replaced by Bookmarks, although the functionality remains apparently the same.
Developer has been a very useful companion app for watching WWDC events, especially during these times when the events have gone completely online. Last year’s WWDC conference was also held online and now this one, the WWDC 2021, is also an online-only event. So the new changes to the app appear to make it easier for developers to find news, sessions, and events.
