Xcode Mac Catalina

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You can make an app for iOS even if you’re on a PC running Windows 10.

I wish I had known this when I first started because I delayed myself for 3 years before biting the bullet and buying a Mac.

Had I known about running Xcode on Windows or about the solutions below, I might’ve started building iPhone apps much earlier!

Rent a Mac

Before committing to buying a new Mac, you can actually “rent” one for development. You’ll remotely access the Mac and Xcode through your PC.

It’ll be like having the Mac desktop in a window on your Windows Desktop.

The really nice thing about this option is that the cost is really low and it’s the fastest option to get up and running.

If you decide that app development isn’t for you, you just cancel your plan.

1. MacStadium
These guys were featured in the recent Apple keynote when they introduced the updated Mac Mini! They have the newest Macs available.

(Use coupon code “CODEWITHCHRIS” for 50% off your first month. If you do, please let me know in the comments below. I’ll get a small kick back at no extra expense to you so thank you for supporting my site!)

If you go down this route for iOS app development, make sure you get my Xcode cheatsheet with references and keyboard shortcuts for Windows users.

There are a couple other companies that provide this service:

2. MacInCloud
This is the most well known service out of the three. You won’t have to install Xcode because it comes preinstalled. You can also do pay-as-you-go so it’s a pretty low commitment. Some people complain that it’s slow but you can try it out for yourself since it’s only about a buck an hour!

3. XcodeClub
XcodeClub is run by Daniel who is a passionate developer himself. From the reviews I see, the service is fast and friendly. The pricing is less flexible than MacInCloud and you’ll have to commit to at least a month.

Virtualize MacOS

If you’re a little more technically savvy, you can use virtualization software and run a “virtual Mac” on your PC.

The services above are essentially doing the same thing on their servers and then they charge you a fee to access the virtual machine.

By setting it up yourself on your own PC, you essentially cut the middle man out of the equation.

Unfortunately it does take a little bit of technical know-how to get this up and running.

The two most popular pieces of software to do virtualization are VirtualBox and VMWare Workstation.

You can download them below and then use Google to find a guide on how to install the latest MacOS (Mojave) with either VirtualBox or VMWare Workstation.

After that, spin up your new virtual Mac and download Xcode. This is as close as you’ll get to running actual Xcode on Windows!

4. VirtualBox
VirtualBox is open source software which means that it’s free. That probably explains why it’s a lot more popular than VMWare Workstation when it comes to running MacOS on your Windows machine!

5. VMWare Workstation
Unfortunately you’ll have to pay for this piece of software and at the time of this writing, a license costs about half the price of a brand new Mac Mini which is perfectly suitable for iOS app development. I would recommend you try VirtualBox first or try to buy a used Mac Mini.

Build a “Hackintosh”

You can also build a “Hackintosh” which is a PC that has been customized to run MacOS.

This requires the most effort out of all the options presented so far but it can work for someone who wants a separate physical computer running MacOS.

6. Hackintosh.com
A great resource for all things Hackintosh. The first How-To section contains links to a number of great tutorials for building your own Hackintosh and installing High Sierra.

7. Hackintosh Subreddit
I love looking for Reddit communities on anything that I’m interested in because there are always interesting conversations happening. Reddit provides a way to have a dialogue with like minded individuals, to get help and to help others!

8. Hackintosh Articles on 9to5mac.com
I included this link because it contains up to date news and articles for Hackintosh builds.

Third Party Solutions

Lastly, there are many third party solutions that you can use to do iOS development on Windows.

You won’t be using Xcode in these solutions but you’ll be able to generate an app that can run on iOS devices.

Check out these great Xcode alternatives:

9. React Native
Use JavaScript to build native mobile apps.

10. Xamarin
Use C# to build a mobile app that you can deploy natively to Android, iOS and Windows.

11. Appcelerator
Build native mobile apps using JavaScript.

12. PhoneGap
Build hybrid cross-platform mobile apps using HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Learn about the key features available in Xcode, the integrated development environment for building apps for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. For detailed information on updates in the latest released versions, including each beta release, see the Xcode Release Notes.

Xcode 12

Xcode 12 includes Swift 5.3 and SDKs for iOS 14,iPadOS 14,tvOS 14,watchOS 7, and macOS Big Sur.

Universal apps

A single macOS Universal app includes native binaries for Intel-based Macs and Apple Silicon Macs
“Any Mac” destination in the toolbar builds a Universal app, even on Intel-based Macs
Standard Architectures build setting defaults to Universal, and Xcode offers to upgrade your project if needed
Run and debug the Intel binary within a Universal app by selecting “My Mac (Rosetta)” on a Developer Transition Kit (DTK) from the Universal App Quick Start Program

NOTE: Xcode 12.2 adds support for macOS Big Sur and Universal apps.

Refined user interface for macOS Big Sur

Document tabs open any type of document, including logs, asset catalogs, and UI files, in a lightweight editor tab
Toolbar, icons, and sidebar designs match the beautiful new aesthetic of macOS Big Sur
Navigator fonts track the size of the system setting or can be manually set to a custom size
Organizer is completely redesigned and reports new app metrics, such as hitches in animation and scrolling

Swift and SwiftUI

App lifecycle in SwiftUI enables entire apps to be written completely in SwiftUI for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS
WidgetKit built on SwiftUI makes it easy to share code for widgets that run on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS
SwiftUI performance is improved throughout, and new Lazy views efficiently handle enormous data sets
Multiplatform templates make it easy to share SwiftUI code across all Apple platforms, customized for each
SwiftUI Views can be turned into reusable components that appear in the Xcode library and in code completions
Swift Package Manager supports resources and localizations, making it great for sharing SwiftUI components
Improved Swift language diagnostics make it much easier to understand coding mistakes, especially in SwiftUI code

Mac Catalyst

Mac idiom displays your app’s user interface in 100% native Mac size and scale for total customization
Additional frameworks and controls are available, including HomeKit and AVCapture
Keyboard APIs and OS integration make it easier to completely control your app with the keyboard
Apps built with Mac Catalyst automatically inherit the new look and feel of macOS Big Sur

Other improvements

App clips target creates a small, focused experience from your app that installs quickly
StoreKit testing framework and transaction manager make it easy to test and debug in-app purchases

Xcode 11

Xcode 11 includes Swift 5.1 and SDKs for iOS 13,tvOS 13,watchOS 6, and macOS Catalina 10.15

This release adds many features to bring your apps to even more Apple platforms. SwiftUI is an innovative new user interface framework with a declarative Swift syntax that is easy to read, and natural to write. Amazing new preview tools let you manually type SwiftUI code, or modify the UI with rich design tools, with code and design always in sync. Get a head start on your Mac app by selecting the “Mac” checkbox in the project settings of your existing iPad app. And with support for Swift packages in Xcode 11, you can share code among all your apps, or make use of packages created by the community.

SwiftUI

Xcode 11 includes SwiftUI, a new Swift framework and accompanying design tools that empower a whole new way to build user interfaces. Design tools in Xcode make it as easy as drag-and-drop to construct or edit your interface, all while instantly editing the exact same Swift code file you can also edit by hand. Xcode is constantly running your real app interface live to see how it behaves directly in the design canvas, or you can instantly preview your app on an attached device.

SwiftUI includes:

Design tools read and write the same code you edit by hand for a single source of truth
Declarative syntax defines your user interface as easy-to-read Swift code
Animations are built using simple commands that describe the action you want to see
Library of controls and modifiers make it easy to design and build complex interfaces
Share common UI code across all Apple platforms, and add custom experiences for each OS
Previews show an exact rendering across various device types and accessibility settings
Interact with your interface live in the design canvas, or on an attached device
Hot-swap your edits into a live view of your app to instantly see and interact with changes

SwiftUI requires iOS 13,watchOS 6,tvOS 13, or macOS Catalina. To use the SwiftUI design canvas Xcode 11 must running on macOS Catalina.

Bring your iPad app to the Mac

It is easy to bring your existing iPad app to millions of Mac users. When you click a single checkbox Xcode can transform your iPad app into a true native Mac app that performs great.

Clicking a checkbox in your iPad project adds a native Mac app, built with the macOS SDK
Use a single code base for iPhone, iPad, and Mac versions of your app, and customize parts of your app for Mac
Add new SwiftUI code to the existing shared UIKit code
Submit to the Mac App Store directly from Xcode, or notarize for outside distribution

Swift and Swift Packages

Swift packages are supported throughout Xcode workflows — build, debug, SCM, and more
Easily use Swift packages published on GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab, or your own hosts
Xcode automatically retrieves and manages packages based on dependency analysis
Create your own packages to share code among your own apps, or to publish for the community

iOS dark mode

Switch between light and dark mode instantly while developing and debugging
Asset catalog makes it easy to control images and colors for dark and light mode

Editor

Editor minimap gives a bird’s eye view of your code so you can quickly jump to any section
Each editor view or tab has its own preview, assistant, or other complementary views
Split any editor pane to layout your workspace exactly as you want

Other improvements in Xcode 11

Build stand-alone watchOS apps with a much faster debugging experience
Simulator launches much faster and uses the GPU to accelerate Metal code
Test plans give you greater control of your test harness with sharable results bundles
Automatically generate localized screenshots using UI tests as part of your test plan
Source control adds support for stash and cherry pick operations
Debug your app under simulated device conditions such as a slow network or thermal warnings
Metrics tab in the Organizer shows how efficiently your app runs on customer devices

Xcode For Mac Catalina

Xcode 10.2.1

Xcode 10.2 includes Swift 5 and SDKs for iOS 12.2,tvOS 12.2,watchOS 5.2, and macOS Mojave 10.14.4.

Swift 5

Swift 5 runtime is included as part of the OS in the latest Apple platform releases
App Store thins the Swift runtime from your apps for faster downloads to devices running latest OS
SIMD vector types are built into the standard library
String literals have an enhanced syntax that makes them easier to read and write
New Result enum type makes it easier to handle errors across asynchronous operations

Other enhancements in Xcode

Debugger console has a new frame variable command alias “v” that is faster than “p” or “po”
Playgrounds include various stability improvements and additional memory safety checks

Xcode 10.2.1 fixes a build time issue in large Swift projects, and includes additional bug fixes.

Xcode 10.1

Xcode 10.1 includes Swift 4.2.1 and SDKs for iOS 12.1,watchOS 5.1,tvOS 12.1, and macOS Mojave.

Xcode 10

Xcode 10 looks amazing in combination with Dark Mode in macOS Mojave, and makes it easy for you to adopt the new look in your macOS apps as well. Xcode 10 beta includes Swift 4.2 and beta SDKs for iOS 12,watchOS 5,tvOS 12, and macOS Mojave.

Dark Mode Interface and Mac App Support

All-new dark appearance throughout Xcode and Instruments
Asset catalogs add dark and light variants for custom colors and image assets
Interface Builder switches between dark and light previews of your interface
Debug your Mac apps in dark or light variants without changing OS settings

Source Control

Changes in the local repository or upstream on a shared server are highlighted directly within the editor. At a glance, you’ll see:
Changes made in your code.
Changes not yet pushed to the shared repository.
Upstream changes others have made.
Conflicts you should address before committing.
Support for cloud-hosted and self-hosted Git server offerings from Atlassian Bitbucket, as well as GitLab to go along with existing GitHub support.
Xcode offers to rebase your changes when pulling the latest version of code from your repository.
SSH keys are generated if needed, and uploaded to service providers for you.

Editor Enhancements

Place multiple cursors in your code editor to make many changes at once.
Code folding ribbon can now hide any code block surrounded by braces.
Over-scroll makes it easy to center the last lines of code in the middle of your screen.

Playgrounds Built for Machine Learning

New REPL-like model reruns your existing playground code instantly.
Run your code up to any specific line, or type shift-return to run the code you just added.
Import the Create ML framework to interactively train new models, and then write code to test the model right in the playground. When finished, drag the model into your app.

Testing and Debugging

Debugging symbols are downloaded from a new device five times faster than before.
Xcode will spawn a collection of identical Simulators to take advantage of your multi-core Mac, and fan tests out to run in parallel, completing your test suite many times faster.
Run tests in random or linear order.
Instruments automatically show OSLog signposts you add into your code.
Build and share your own custom instruments package to provide unique data visualization and analysis for your own code.
Memory debugger uses a compact layout to make it easier to investigate your memory graph.
Metal shader debugger lets you easily inspect the execution of your vertex, fragment, compute, and tile shader code.
Metal dependency viewer provides a detailed graph of how resources are used in your Metal-based app.

Build Performance

New build system enabled by default with improved performance throughout.
Swift compiler builds each individual file significantly faster.
Large Swift projects build for debugging dramatically faster when using the incremental build setting.

Xcode 9.3

Xcode 9.3 includes Swift 4.1 and SDKs for iOS 11.3,watchOS 4.3,tvOS 11.3, and macOS High Sierra 10.13.4

New Energy tab in the Organizer window includes logs generated when your app consumes too much power
Swift build tasks and other commands are run in parallel more often to improve build performance
Swift compiler adds new code size optimization, enabled with the -Osize build setting
Quick access to callers is available by clicking on a symbol while holding the command key
Asset catalogs support AR Reference Image files that can be detected in the real-world by your ARKit apps
New xccov command line tool lets you inspect code coverage reports
Improved source editor performance when working on extremely large files

Xcode 9.2

Xcode 9.2 includes Swift 4 and SDKs for iOS 11.2,watchOS 4.2,tvOS 11.2, and macOS High Sierra 10.13.

Updates to the latest platform SDKs

Xcode 9.1

Xcode 9.1 includes Swift 4 and SDKs for iOS 11,watchOS 4,tvOS 11, and macOS High Sierra 10.13

Fixes an issue in Simulator that impacted the performance of OpenGL ES and maps
Improves support for iPhone X

Xcode 9.0.1

Xcode 9.0.1 includes Swift 4 and SDKs for iOS 11,watchOS 4,tvOS 11, and macOS High Sierra 10.13

Simulator improvements for iPhone X
Fixes a problem where the Test Navigator could become out of sync with available tests

Xcode 9.0

Xcode 9 includes Swift 4 and SDKs for iOS 11,watchOS 4,tvOS 11, and macOS High Sierra 10.13

Mac Catalina Xcode Command Line Tools

Refactoring makes it easy to modify the structure of Swift, Objective-C, C, and C++ code
Code editor is blazingly fast and responsive and adds native support for Markdown syntax
Fix-its apply multiple improvements to your code in a single click, and can even add required protocol methods
New Source Control navigator and integrated GitHub accounts make it easy to manage code across a team
Wireless installation and debugging for iOS and tvOS apps on devices over the network
Simulator looks and behaves more like a real device and can simulate multiple devices at a time
iOS playground templates create documents that work in both Xcode and Swift Playgrounds on iPad
Find navigator is incredibly fast and results show up instantly
Project navigator automatically keeps files and groups in sync with Finder and source control
Xcode Server no longer requires macOS Server and can be fully configured in Xcode preferences
Next-generation build system improves reliability and performance when building many projects (optionally enabled)
Swift 4 compiler can also build Swift 3 code to enable staged migration, one module at a time
Latest SDKs include the Core ML framework for machine learning and ARKit for augmented reality