The iOS Weekly Brief – Issue #26
Swift 6.2, iOS 26 release, concurrency, custom layouts, lifecycle handling, and Alfred boosts your workflow
🆕 What’s New
Swift 6.2 is here, and it’s a big one. The release focuses on making concurrency more approachable with defaults like MainActor isolation, clearer async behavior, and the new concurrent attribute. Worth a deep dive if you’re planning your migration.
iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and watchOS 26 now available to users
Apple released iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and updates for all other platforms. The new Liquid Glass design makes everything look fresh, and Apple Intelligence adds tools like Live Translation and Workout Buddy. There are many more changes, so make sure to update and check them out in action!
📚 Must Read
How to use [weak self] in Swift Concurrency Tasks?
Using [weak self] in Swift Concurrency tasks can be tricky, unwrapping it at the start often keeps self alive longer than intended. This article shows how to safely capture self only when needed, helping you avoid hidden memory leaks.
How to manage app lifecycle events in SwiftUI
SwiftUI gives us scenePhase to track when the app is active, inactive, or in the background. With .onChange you can easily refresh data on foreground entry or save state when the app moves to the background. A clean, declarative alternative to UIKit notifications and a must-know tool for modern app lifecycle handling.
Creating custom layouts with SwiftUI
SwiftUI’s built-in stacks and grids don’t always cut it for complex designs, and GeometryReader can get messy fast. The new Layout protocol lets you build custom layouts with precise control, better performance, and full animation support. This article walks through creating your own layout container, giving you the tools to design beyond HStack and VStack.
🛠️ Toolbox
I’ve tried many productivity tools on macOS, but Alfred always stays at the top of my list. For example, I use a simple Workflow to launch Xcode projects: I hit the hotkey, type xc + the project name, press Enter, and Alfred opens it instantly. It feels like Spotlight, but far more powerful, and it saves me hours every week.
🍬 One More Thing…
🗳️ Weekly Poll
🗓 Upcoming Conferences
September
18-19 — NS Spain 2025 (Logroño 🇪🇸)
23-30 — Meet with Apple (Global 🌎)
24–26 — FlutterCon Europe (Berlin 🇩🇪)
26-27 — Swift Bharat 2025 (Bengaluru 🇮🇳)
29–30 — Swift Connection (Paris 🇫🇷)
October
2–3 — ServerSide.swift (London 🇬🇧)
6–8 — SwiftLeeds (Leeds 🇬🇧)
24 — DevFest.cz (Prague 🇨🇿)
30–31 — Pragma Conference (Bologna 🇮🇹)
November
December
13–15 — Mobile Developers Week Abu Dhabi 2025 (Abu Dhabi 🇦🇪)
👋 That’s it for this week
If you enjoyed this issue of The iOS Weekly Brief, consider forwarding it to a colleague!
Until next Friday — keep shipping 🍏