Xcode 26 was also announced by Apple at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025 on Monday. The next major update to the integrated development environment (IDE) for building apps for Apple platforms is getting a major artificial intelligence (AI) capability. The Cupertino-based tech giant is integrating OpenAI’s ChatGPT into the app development suite, and it can assist users in a wide range of coding-related tasks. Additionally, users can also access other AI models using application programming interfaces (APIs) from third-party providers.
Xcode 26 Comes With AI Capabilities
In a blog post, the tech giant detailed the new features in Xcode 26. The biggest inclusion in the IDE is the option to use AI models for coding tasks. Apple is adding ChatGPT to Xcode, letting developers use the chatbot to write code, run tests, file documentation, fix bugs, and more. Notably, users can access ChatGPT’s free tier without needing to create an account; however, for higher rate limits, paid subscribers can connect their account as well.
If developers do not prefer to use OpenAI’s chatbot, they can also add other AI models by using API keys from these companies. Additionally, those with a Mac device with Apple silicon can also run local AI models for coding tasks in Xcode.
Apple is also adding AI-powered Coding Tools to Xcode. These tools can be accessed while a developer is writing or editing code, and they can provide suggested actions such as generating a preview (or playground), fixing a bug or error, and handling specific prompts for other inline tasks.
Apart from this, Xcode 26 also introduces a redesigned navigation experience, improved support for Voice Control and an enhanced localisation catalogue.
The tech giant is also adding AI features to App Intents, its framework to let developers define actions in their apps that can be triggered by system apps such as Siri, Spotlight, Shortcuts, and more. With Xcode 26, Apple is adding support for visual intelligence in App Intent.
With this, developers can enable apps to provide visual search results by leveraging the AI technology. This means that when users look for an object using visual intelligence, the supported apps will show related results. This can be particularly useful for e-commerce apps, but can also be used by other category apps in specific scenarios. Notably, Etsy is adding support for the AI feature via App Intent.
