Where is Swift Assist? Developers Still Waiting for Apple’s Promised AI Coding Tool
At WWDC 2024, Apple announced Swift Assist, an AI-powered coding assistant integrated into Xcode 16. Designed to make coding more efficient, Swift Assist promised to generate code from natural language prompts, helping developers tackle tasks like experimenting with APIs or exploring new frameworks. The feature was originally set to launch “later this year,” according to Apple.
We’re now three months into 2025, and Swift Assist still hasn’t arrived. Developers are growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of updates or clarification from Apple regarding its status.
No Betas, No Updates
Unlike Apple’s other AI features, such as Apple Intelligence, Swift Assist has yet to appear in beta versions of Xcode. Despite Apple releasing Xcode 16.3 beta 2, Swift Assist isn’t even mentioned in the release notes. As Michael Tsai pointed out, Apple hasn’t confirmed whether the feature has been delayed or canceled, leaving developers in the dark.
What Was Swift Assist Supposed to Do?
Swift Assist was meant to go beyond Xcode 16’s new predictive code completion engine, which already suggests code locally on a developer’s device. Apple described Swift Assist during its Platforms State of the Union:
“Building an app is more than just typing code. It’s about transforming entire ideas into code. And the easiest way to do that is with natural language. So we created a larger and more powerful model that runs in the cloud. Introducing Swift Assist, a companion for all your coding tasks.”
Apple emphasized that Swift Assist would provide up-to-date code, tailored to Apple’s latest SDKs and Swift language features, while maintaining privacy—code would not be stored on servers or used for machine learning training. The feature was marketed as a game-changer for app development, blending AI innovation with Apple’s focus on security.
Developers’ Frustrations
The excitement surrounding Swift Assist has turned into disappointment for many developers. Some have expressed their frustration in online communities:
Jbmaxwell: “I could really use Swift Assist to deal with some SwiftUI problems I’m having. None of the LLMs are particularly good at SwiftUI, and seem to be wasting more of my time than they’re saving. When, Apple???? You’re the only ones with the data and the incentive to build a really knowledgeable Swift coding LLM… super frustrating
Asteng88: “Unfortunately Apple are so far behind the AI curve right now. They spent so much time on the useless AR glasses that every other company has killed off. I think [Tim Cook] thought the AR was his iPhone moment. Should have spent the time and money on AI like everyone else. Code complete is a joke compared to VSCode with Copilot.”
Rennarda: “It’s feeling more and more like this is something that will get rolled back to Xcode 17 this summer. Has anybody heard anything about it? Maybe it’ll be quietly pulled altogether, in favor of better Xcode integration with ChatGPT and the like?”
A Bad Look for Apple
Apple’s silence on Swift Assist comes at a time when the company is already facing criticism over other delayed AI features, such as personalized Siri updates. With WWDC 2025 less than three months away, developers are beginning to wonder if Swift Assist will ever make it to Xcode 16—or if the project has been scrapped entirely.We’ve reached out to Apple for comment and will update this story if we hear back. For now, developers are left waiting, frustrated by the lack of transparency around what was supposed to be a groundbreaking tool.
