Apple held its WWDC 2026 State of the Platform Union yesterday, detailing a wide range of updates to its developer tools and platforms, headlined by a major expansion of the Foundation Models framework.
The main announcement was free access to Apple Foundation models running on Private Cloud Compute for developers with fewer than two million first downloads from the App Store, removing infrastructure costs that were a barrier to building AI-driven features. The framework also benefits from image grabbing support, server-side template integration allowing developers to call third-party templates like Claude and Gemini through the same Swift API, and a new dynamic profile system for creating multi-agent workflows.
Apple also confirmed that the Foundation Models framework will become open source later this summer. Key announcements from the session include:
- Framework of foundation models: Free private cloud access for small developers, support for image grabbing, support for server-side models (Claude, Gemini and others), dynamic profiles for multi-agent workflows, and open source release later this summer.
- Basic AI: An all-new framework for running custom models on-device, with ahead-of-time compilation, dedicated instruments, and Python tools to convert PyTorch models to Apple silicon. Powers Siri under the hood.
- App Intents and Siri: New entity and intent schemas allow applications to contribute content to Spotlight’s semantic index, making it discoverable and actionable through natural language. A new View Annotations API allows Siri to act conversationally on on-screen content.
- Xcode27: 30% smaller and only Apple Silicon, with iCloud settings syncing, customizable toolbar, per-project themes and a new Device Hub replacing Simulator. Agent coding is significantly expanded: agents can now interact with the simulator, locate applications, run tests, and fix crashes pulled from the Organizer. Xcode Cloud builds are up to twice as fast.
- Forced migration of liquid glass: Support for disabling Liquid Glass design language is removed. Applications recompiled with Xcode 27 will automatically adopt the new design. Liquid Glass itself has been refined with better content streaming, a new dark edge for depth, and a user-facing transparency slider.
- Intel Mac deprecation complete: macOS Tahoe was the last version from Intel. Developers can now offer silicon-only Apple binaries on the Mac App Store.
- iOS app resizability: iPhone apps on iPad and in iPhone Mirroring now support resizing, with apps automatically enabled when rebuilding with the latest SDK. Speculated to be related to the upcoming foldable iPhone.
- SwiftUI Updates: Reorderable containers and swipe actions for any container, layouts that resize up to twice as fast, lazy state initialization, and new document infrastructure with first-class URL access.
- Rapid 6.4: Includes anyAppleOS availability shortcut, suppressable compiler warnings, asynchronous support in deferred blocks, and improved type checker diagnostics. Parts of the operating system kernel are now written in Swift.
- Concept of migration to SwiftUI: Apple cited Notion as a major application transitioning its user interface from cross-platform web technologies to native SwiftUI for performance and consistency reasons.
- Game porting toolbox: Major update adding AI skills for Coding Agents and new Metal command line tools to speed up game delivery to Apple platforms.
- MLX: Apple’s open source ML research framework now supports Metal 4 and can scale model training across multiple Macs via RDMA over Thunderbolt.
- Spatial preview framework: Mac applications can now extend 3D models in space around Apple Vision Pro wearers in real time.
Apple also mentioned that its fifth Apple Developer Center will open this fall in Berlin, joining Cupertino, Shanghai, Singapore and Bangalore.
See Apple’s full address video for more information. All WWDC 2026 sessions are available via the Apple Developer app, the Apple Developer website, and YouTube.
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