Apple begins roll out of Xcode Cloud beta testing

Apple has started to invite developers to take part in the beta testing of its new Xcode Cloud service, which it first announced at WWDC '21.

On Monday, Apple appears to be notifying some developers that they can now test and use the Xcode Cloud platforms on their developer accounts. The Xcode Cloud service, which is built into Xcode 13, allows developers to built, test, and deliver apps in the cloud instead of on a Mac.

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.

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.

Apple first began allowing developers to sign up for the beta waitlist earlier in 2021.