Add Some Punch to Your Apps with iOS 8

With over 4,000 APIs, and 12 major new or upgraded frameworks and features, iOS 8 is one of Apple’s biggest OS releases yet. Now, Xamarin is here to get you started with the new goodies and 64 bit support with the iOS and Mac Unified API.

To get building apps that take advantage of the new iOS 8 frameworks and features today:

1. Download and install the latest Xcode.
2. Update Xamarin.
3. Check out the Introduction to iOS 8 Guide.

While you’re downloading Xcode and installing the updates, watch the Get Ready for iOS 8 webinar for a curated overview of the new features, hosted by Xamarin Developer Evangelist Mike Bluestein.

If you want to see the new features in action for yourself, you can also download and play with our new iOS 8 Samples.

iOS 8 has a ton of new frameworks and features, so when you’re ready to continue your journey and dive deep, check out the Xamarin guides, which will help you utilize the new features and add some sparkle to your apps.

Provide Rich OS Integration with App Extensions

App Extensions allow for apps to deliver unprecedented functionality through deep OS integration. With Extensions, applications can now offer features like the Today Widgets that live on the notification screen, custom keyboards, and sharing extensions, to name just a few. To learn how to create your own, check out the Intro to App Extensions guide.

Access Secrets Biometrically with Touch ID

The new TouchID APIs allow app developers to integrate with Apple’s biometric touch sensor to authenticate users and restrict access to data and functionality within your apps. Additionally, with TouchID, access to the keychain and secure storage is available biometrically. For more information, check out the Introduction to TouchID guide.

Build Custom Photo Galleries and Create the Next Instagram with Photo Kit

Photo Kit is a new framework that makes working with the image library a snap. With Photo Kit, you can more easily fetch photos, create custom galleries, and even apply filters and modify them en masse. For an example of using the Photo Kit framework in Xamarin, see Mike Bluestein’s Build Great Photo Experiences in iOS 8 with Photo Kit blog post.

Use Manual Camera Controls to Create Highly Stylized Photos

The AVFoundation Framework got a big upgrade in iOS with the addition of the all new manual camera controls. With them, you can get low-level access to the camera hardware, enabling the iPhone’s camera to be controlled more like traditional cameras. Jump in and read the Intro to Manual Camera Controls guide for more information.

Take your iCloud Integration to the Next Level with Cloud Kit

Cloud Kit expands on the existing iCloud APIs to enable much more sophisticated integration with iCloud, and is targeted at developers who want to take advantage of iCloud to handle cloud-based data persistence and retrieval. It offers a much simpler integration story than previously, while offering a much more feature-rich experience. For more information, check out the Intro to Cloud Kit guide.

Share Documents with other apps with the Document Picker

The Document Picker allows applications to reach beyond the app sandbox to share and access documents with other applications. With the Document Picker, you can now create complex document workflows between more than one application. For more information on working with it, check out the Intro to the Document Picker guide.

Work with Calendars and Events in Event Kit

With iOS 8, Apple expanded on the Event Kit framework to allow easier access to, and manipulation of calendars and events. For more info, check out the Intro to Event Kit guide.

Simplify UI Creation Across All iOS Devices with Unified Storyboards

With the introduction of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+, creating user interfaces that work well across all iOS devices got much more complicated. Fortunately, Apple introduce Unified Storyboards to simplify the process by allowing you to create single screens that scale for different devices. For more information, see the Intro to Unified Storyboards guide.

Integrate 3D Graphics into your App with Scene Kit

SceneKit is a 3D scene graph API that makes integrating 3D content into your application and causal 3D games a breeze. For an example of using the Scene Kit framework in Xamarin, see Mike Bluestein’s Lights, Camera, Action – 3D in iOS 8 with Scene Kit blog post.

Create 2D Games Quickly with Sprite Kit

Sprite Kit, the 2D game framework from Apple, has some interesting new features in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, including integration with Scene Kit, lighting, and physics enhancements. For an example of using the SpriteKit framework in Xamarin, see Mike Bluestein’s New Sprite Kit Physics Features in iOS 8 blog post.

Browse the Entire List of New APIs and Features

These are some, but not all, of the new features in iOS 8. For a comprehensive list, check out the API change log and release notes.