Alongside the release of iOS 10, Apple’s recently-launched educational coding game Swift Playgrounds is now available in the App Store.
Apple first introduced Swift during the company’s WWDC event this past June. The development of the app was discussed again during the launch event for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, with Apple claiming it would be available for download soon.
Swift Playgrounds is intended for students and young people who want to learn how to code. The app brings coding concepts to life by demonstrating the cause and effect of certain symbols in a window on the side of the screen. The app includes Apple-developed programming lessons, challenges and puzzles to guide three characters through an animated world.
According to a statement sent to MobileSyrup, Swift Playgrounds employs the same programming language used by developers to create apps for Apple’s various platforms.
The company has described it as simple enough for students with no coding experience to understand, but at the same time, powerful enough for experienced programmers to get creative with Apple’s platform.
“Everyone should have the opportunity to learn coding, and we are excited to bring Swift Playgrounds to the next generation of programmers looking for a fun and easy way to explore key coding concepts using real code,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, said in a statement.
“More than 100 schools around the world have already committed to adding Swift Playgrounds to their fall curriculum, and we can’t wait to see what students create with it,” he continued.
Swift Playgrounds comes with several features, including built-in templates that users can modify for their own use, the ability to share their creations with friends via Mail or Messages, or by posting to the web.
Furthermore, Swift Playgrounds uses Swift code, meaning that finished products can be exported to Xcode to create fully functional iOS and macOS apps.
Swift Playgrounds is now available on the App Store for free and is compatible with iPad Air and iPad Pro models, as well as iPad mini 2 and later running iOS 10.
Download Swift Playgrounds from the App Store, click here.
Related: Apple Swift Playgrounds has the potential to teach anyone to code
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