Apple's new Xcode Cloud allows development teams to more easily collaborate, even when working remotely, and it automatically builds apps for all Apple devices and platforms, freeing up a developer's Mac to accomplish other tasks.
Xcode Cloud will be available to developers in a limited beta starting today. Apple said it will expand access to its free beta throughout the summer and fall, with a full launch in late 2021.
Pricing and availability details were not given at Monday's WWDC keynote, but Apple promised that more information will be shared with developers this fall.
With Xcode Cloud, Apple says teams will be able to find and fix issues faster. Developers can commit a change to their code, and because it is stored and compiled in the cloud, everyone on a team can see the changes.
Xcode Cloud will run automated tests in parallel, allowing them to be completed in a fraction of the time. Apps will be simulated running on every Apple device and platform.
Once compiled, the app can be automatically distributed not only to testers on a team, but also to external beta testers with TestFlight.
Accordingly, Apple also announced that its TestFlight beta service will be coming to the Mac.
Apple also emphasized security with Xcode Cloud, noting that the source code for apps is used in a temporary build environment. Xcode Cloud will only store the products of the build, ensuring code is kept private.
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