iOS 8 Bigger and Better with Xamarin

We are excited to announce that we have just released our support for all of the new APIs introduced in iOS 8.

We have added support for the just-announced Apple Pay API, so developers can integrate this new payment system into their iOS apps, continuing our streak of shipping same day support for iOS since iOS 5 and enabling developers to add the latest features to their iOS apps immediately.

This release is the perfect companion to the iOS 8 GM developer release so you can start submitting apps to the App Store that take advantage of the new iOS 8 APIs.

To ensure you get the most out of these exciting changes in iOS 8 using Xamarin and C#, we’ve created an extensive set of resources to help you get started:

iOS 8 Samples

First off we have plenty of new iOS 8 samples that provide examples of using updated iOS features in Xamarin and C#

App Extensions

Extensions allow applications to deliver functionality throughout the system. Applications can now offer such things as today widgets that live on the notification screen, custom keyboards and sharing extensions to name just a few of the new ways to reach beyond the application itself.

TouchID Authentication

TouchID allows applications to tap into the authentication capability of Apple’s biometric touch sensor.

PhotoKit

Photo Kit is a new framework that allows applications to query the system image library and create custom user interfaces to view and modify its contents.  For an example of using the PhotoKit framework in Xamarin, see Mike Bluestein’s Build Great Photo Experiences in iOS 8 with Photokit blog post.

Manual Camera Controls

The AVFoundation Framework has been enhanced to offer many features that developers can use to deliver professional camera applications, including the ability to control the camera at a low level, with direct access to such things as exposure and focus.

HealthKit

HealthKit provides system-wide health API that applications can use to store and query a vast amount of health data provided by other apps and accessories.

HomeKit

HomeKit is a home automation API that allows iOS applications to control devices within the home. It brings home automation capabilities to third party applications, extending the reach of such functionality beyond the device makers themselves.

CloudKit

CloudKit allows applications to deliver server-based authentication and storage all from a client side API that is available out of the box to iOS 8 users.

Document Picker

The document picker provides a mechanism for applications to access documents beyond the applications sandbox in a consistent manner.

Handoff

Handoff allows applications to deliver seamless experiences between OS X and iOS, letting users pick up in an application on one platform right from where they left off on the other platform.

Unified Storyboards

Unified Storyboards allow a common design-time experience to create user interfaces that works across a variety iOS devices and screen sizes.

SceneKit

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 SceneKit framework in Xamarin, see Mike Bluestein’s Lights, Camera, Action – 3D in iOS 8 with Scene Kit blog post.

SpriteKit

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.

Installing Xamarin.iOS for iOS 8

• Download and install the iOS 8 SDK GM from Apple’s iOS Developer Center.
• Install it at the default location.
• Switch the Xamarin Studio Updater channel to the “Beta” channel.
• Install the Xamarin.iOS and Xamarin Studio updates.

Windows users with Visual Studio, in addition should:

• Switch Visual Studio Xamarin Updater Channel to “Beta”.
• Install the Visual Studio extension update.

You can browse our entire API change log and release notes to find out the latest features released today with Xamarin.iOS 8.0 and the new iOS 8 APIs.

Get Ready for iOS 8 Webinar

Xamarin Developer Evangelist Mike Bluestein provides an overview of the top new and updated APIs in iOS 8 in this pre-recorded webinar. View it now to incorporate all of these great new features into your app.