The hottest iOS Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Is SwiftUI finally as fast as UIKit in iOS 26?

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 3717 implied HN points • 09 Mar 26
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. iOS 26 brings big SwiftUI improvements focused on List updates and scroll performance that Apple emphasized at WWDC.
  2. A brutal stress test was built—a chaotic scrolling feed with high‑res GIFs, complex layouts, autoplaying animations, variable cell sizes, and multi-gesture interactions—to force 120fps and compare SwiftUI vs UIKit.
  3. Early real-world results show noticeable drops in scroll hitches on the iOS 26 SDK, suggesting SwiftUI may be nearing UIKit parity for demanding feeds, though some edge-case features still require falling back to UIKit.

iOS System Design interviews in 2026

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 6122 implied HN points • 03 Mar 26
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. Use a simple, reusable framework (scoping, functional and non‑functional requirements, data model, API design, high‑level design, drill‑downs) to structure every system design answer.
  2. Prioritize data flow and architecture over UI framework debates; fully understand and scope the problem before drawing or choosing implementation details.
  3. Practice with real worked examples and focused prep notes so you can confidently handle common iOS system design prompts and make your study time efficient.

Ancient Secrets of the Objective-C Runtime

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 2842 implied HN points • 09 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. The Objective-C runtime has powerful internals that go well beyond @objc and selectors, and those capabilities can be leveraged in modern Swift apps today.
  2. Learning how message dispatch, objc_msgSend, and the runtime’s class/method structures work lets you apply practical techniques to simplify and extend UIKit and Swift codebases.
  3. Studying Objective‑C’s design and runtime is both interesting and immediately useful, giving you new tools and insights to improve current app development.

The 1-hour Swift Concurrency course

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 5904 implied HN points • 08 Jul 25
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. Swift concurrency is important to understand for effective development in modern iOS programming. Knowing how it works helps you make better decisions when writing code.
  2. The course focuses on two main areas: the reasons behind Swift concurrency and the available tools to use. Understanding when to use each tool is key to solving problems efficiently.
  3. Having a strong grasp of Swift concurrency allows you to predict how your code will behave in different situations. This makes you a more skilled and intuitive developer.

The Time Profiler

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 656 implied HN points • 07 Jan 25
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. The Time Profiler is an essential tool for improving iOS app performance. It helps find and fix slow parts of your code.
  2. It can identify specific issues like animation delays or overheating in your app. This makes it easier to solve performance problems.
  3. Learning how to use the Time Profiler effectively can lead to faster, smoother apps that users will enjoy more.
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Le futur de la messagerie instantanée

Venture Prose • 479 implied HN points • 12 Feb 23
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. Don't let yourself be overwhelmed by notifications, prioritize important connections over others.
  2. Consider using messaging platforms like Roze that prioritize privacy and control over who you chat with.
  3. Focus on quality interactions by selecting a limited number of close contacts for messaging, rather than being bombarded with irrelevant notifications.

I Wrote a Guest Post for Emerge Tools!

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 656 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. The blog post compares the Twitter and X iOS app binaries, revealing insights like extra app icons and heavy use of dynamic libraries.
  2. Emerge Tools offers valuable solutions for mobile engineers to monitor their app's size and performance.
  3. The author recommends subscribing to Jacob's Tech Tavern for more insightful posts and to show support for the work.

How to (consistently) get 4.8* App Ratings [Storytime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 1 HN point • 30 Mar 24
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. Consistently achieve high app ratings like 4.8". It's not easy, but it's simple. Understand two key concepts: asking for reviews and identifying 'wow' moments.
  2. Requesting app reviews is crucial. Users rarely leave reviews on their own, so ask for feedback using StoreKit APIs in iOS and strategically place these requests at key points in your app's critical path.
  3. Focus on delivering 'wow' moments in your app, ask for reviews at that peak point. Balancing user satisfaction with review requests on the critical path is essential for maintaining a high app rating.

Unit Test the Observation Framework

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 2 HN points • 13 Nov 23
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. Unit testing @Observable view models is crucial for ensuring reliability and stability in iOS development.
  2. The Observation Framework provides a solution for testing @Observable properties using withObservationTracking, improving the unit testing process.
  3. By leveraging the ObservationTestUtils package, developers can streamline unit testing of @Observable view models with less boilerplate code.

Advanced Swift Actors: Re-entrancy & Interleaving

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 2 HN points • 10 Oct 23
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. Understanding Swift actors is crucial for managing re-entrancy and interleaving in your code.
  2. Building an optimal authentication service involves utilizing Swift actors to minimize duplicate work and network overhead.
  3. Swift concurrency model utilizes cooperative threading, executors, and actors to create an illusion of single-threadedness and prevent data races.

Jacob's Substack

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 0 implied HN points • 20 Mar 23
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. Jacob is an experienced iOS Engineer with a passion for technology.
  2. He started his own technical blog to share knowledge and improve his writing skills.
  3. Expect well-structured engineering topics, hot iOS takes, and humor on his blog.

Use a Gradient As The Foreground Style of a Text

Type Safely • 0 implied HN points • 14 Apr 23
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. In iOS 15 and newer versions, using a gradient as the foreground style of text is simpler with the .foregroundStyle(_) modifier.
  2. LinearGradient conforms to both the ShapeStyle and View protocols, making it easy to pass gradients.
  3. Type Safely offers a 7-day free trial for accessing full post archives.

Apple Animation Through the Ages: 2014

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 0 implied HN points • 19 Sep 23
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. In 2014, Apple introduced Metal as a high-performance graphics API for iOS, catering to graphics-intensive applications like mobile games.
  2. Metal provided low-level access to GPU hardware, aiming to improve performance by reducing bottlenecks caused by OpenGL ES drivers running on the CPU.
  3. Developers using Metal had to work more closely with the hardware, writing shaders and managing rendering pipelines for efficient graphics processing.

Apple Teams Up with OpenAI to Integrate Generative AI into iPhones in 2024

AI Disruption • 0 implied HN points • 28 Apr 24
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are three major AI models competing for a significant opportunity, striving to work with companies like Apple for future advancements.
  2. Apple is seeking AI partnerships globally to enhance iPhones with AI capabilities, underlining a serious commitment to integrating generative AI technology.
  3. The collaboration between Apple and OpenAI to integrate generative AI into iPhones in 2024 demonstrates a major step towards enhancing user experience and functionality.

Mac–iPhone Tethering Settings for Maximum Speed

Kartick’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 21 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology iOS
  1. Turn off Personal Hotspot > Maximise Compatibility on the iPhone and disable Low Data Mode in the Mac’s Wi‑Fi (and USB) network details to get full tethering speed and let Apple Photos sync automatically.
  2. Set iPhone > Mobile Data Options > Data Mode to Allow More Data on 5G to boost tethering throughput compared with Standard or Low Data Mode.
  3. Wi‑Fi and USB tethering deliver similar speeds in tests, so pick Wi‑Fi for convenience and remote enabling or USB when you want to charge the phone; remember USB has its own Low Data Mode to disable.