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Just wait until you see what app developers do next.

iOS 8 is the biggest release for developers since the introduction of the App Store. It opens up new areas of iOS, allowing developers to extend the reach of their app content and functionality. It includes over 4000 new APIs to enable amazing features and capabilities. And it offers bold new technologies for game development. All of which means soon you’ll see exciting new apps and games that let you do things you’ve never been able to do before.

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We’re giving developers more ways to help you do more.

With deeper-than-ever access to iOS capabilities, developers will be able to create better, more customized experiences for you.

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Sharing Options

iOS lets you quickly share photos, videos, websites, and other content with social sites like Facebook and Twitter. For iOS 8, we’ve opened the sharing options to all developers, which means you’ll have more places to share what matters to you.

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Photo Editing

Developers can embed their filters and editing tools directly into the Photos app. So you could apply third‑party effects to images without leaving the app where you view your photos.

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Custom Actions

With a tap of the Action button, you can do things like assign a photo to a contact or print a document. iOS 8 allows developers to extend those capabilities. For instance, a developer could make it possible to watermark documents, add something to a wish list, or translate text to a different language.

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Notification Center

See more items in the Today view in Notification Center. For example, you could add widgets that update you on package deliveries, the latest surf reports, or breaking stories from your favorite news app.

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Keyboard

Developers will be able to create new keyboards you can install and use systemwide. Once they’re available, you can choose your favorite input method or layout.

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Documents

We’re expanding how iOS handles documents to enable you to open and edit documents using more apps, and to share documents between apps without creating unnecessary copies.

We’re unlocking amazing new capabilities.

iOS 8 gives developers over 4000 new APIs and services that can enable new categories of apps and features. Here are just a few of the new capabilities we’re unlocking.

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Touch ID

For the first time, you’ll have the option of using Touch ID to sign in to third-party apps — there’s no need to enter a password. Your fingerprint data is protected and is never accessed by iOS or other apps.

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PhotoKit

Developers can enable their photo apps to edit photos directly in the Camera Roll without having to import them first.

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Camera API

Now third-party camera apps can have precise control over exposure, focus, and white balance in addition to the controls they already have.

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HealthKit

Health and fitness apps can share their data with the new Health app and with each other. When apps can talk to each other, they work harder for your health.

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HomeKit

HomeKit introduces a new way for you to control supported devices in your home using Siri. That means you could use your voice to turn on lights or adjust the thermostat.

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CloudKit

Now developers can use the full power of iCloud in their apps and enable you to sign in with your Apple ID without sharing your personal information.

We’re introducing new gaming technologies.

iOS is already the most popular platform for mobile gaming, and iOS 8 will make it an even bigger platform thanks to bold new technologies for game developers.

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SpriteKit

SpriteKit enables developers to create high-performance, battery-efficient 2D games. In iOS 8, we’ve added several enhancements that will make 2D games even better. These new technologies will help in-game characters move more naturally and make it easier for developers to add force fields, detect collisions, and generate new lighting effects in their games.

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SceneKit

SceneKit enables developers to render game scenes in 3D and is designed for casual 3D gaming. SceneKit incorporates a physics engine, a particle generator, and easy ways to script the actions of 3D objects. It’s also completely integrated with SpriteKit, so developers can include SpriteKit assets in 3D games.

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Metal

Built for developers who create highly immersive console games, Metal is a new technology that will allow them to squeeze maximum performance from the A7 chip. It’s optimized to allow the CPU and GPU to work together to achieve optimal performance. It’s designed for multithreading, and there are great tools for putting it all together in Xcode.

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Introducing Swift,
a brand-new programming language.

To spur the next generation of iOS apps, we’re introducing something entirely new: A programming language that’s as powerful as it is expressive and intuitive to use. For app developers, it means a new level of creative freedom. For you, it means a new level of app.

Learn more