Apple launched an app that lets you build apps on the iPad and submit them to the App Store

Apple promised that it would soon let its customers build apps on the iPad. And now they’re delivering with the announcement of Swift Playgrounds 4.

So what is this exactly? Swift Playgrounds 4 is an iPad app that lets folks create and build iPhone and iPad apps directly on the iPad. And what’s cool is that it offers users the ability to submit them directly to the App Store.

The app features a suite of features to help people create apps easily without previous coding experience. This includes real-time live previews, a public library of pre-built code, and access to the app’s “Snippets Library” that includes things like symbols, colors, and additional Swift UI controls.

From Apple’s blog post on the announcement:

“Swift Playgrounds is the best and easiest way to learn how to code,” Apple writes in a blog post. “Code is immediately reflected in the live preview as you build apps, and you can run your apps full screen to test them out. A new open project format based on Swift packages can be opened and edited in Swift Playgrounds for iPad, as well as within Xcode on Mac, offering you even more versatility to develop apps across iPad and Mac.”

READ MORE: New App Store ‘feature’ raises subscription fees without notice

All in all, this is an excellent opportunity to learn how to build apps for the iPhone and iPad without the required resources you would need on a PC or Mac.

If you’re looking to give it a go, Apple requires users to upgrade their iPad to iPadOS 15.2 or later. Swift Playground 4 is now available on the App Store for iPad.

READ MORE: Apple is reportedly purging older apps from the App Store

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Is Apple’s controversial CSAM photo detection feature dead in the water?
• How does 6 months of free Apple Music sound?
• Apple will let you pick who gets your iCloud data if (when) you die. Here’s how to set it up
• Apple’s new Android app will sniff out hidden AirTags

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.