Apple expands AI toolchain for developers with new “intelligence frameworks” and Xcode 27 agentic coding

Apple on June 8, 2026 announced a new set of developer tools designed to make it easier to embed artificial intelligence features in apps and to speed up coding workflows using AI-powered “agents.” The package centers on new intelligence frameworks for integrating models and app actions with Apple Intelligence, and on Xcode 27, which adds deeper agentic coding support and new ways for developers to preview and test changes while work is underway.

At the application level, Apple said updates to App Intents, a framework that lets developers define app actions that can be invoked by system experiences, will connect apps to “Siri AI” capabilities such as personal context understanding, app actions, and onscreen awareness. In practical terms, Apple is positioning these updates as a way to make app content and functions more discoverable across the operating system rather than requiring users to navigate directly into each app.

Apple also described an upgraded Foundation Models approach, now offered as a single native Swift API intended to streamline how developers integrate AI into their apps. Apple said the framework supports more powerful on-device models with image input, adds support for server models, and allows developers to build custom skills. It added that developers can tap Apple’s “next generation” Foundation Models, built in collaboration with Google and its Gemini models, to deliver integrated experiences across Apple platforms.

To reduce barriers for teams starting with large language models, Apple said developers enrolled in the App Store Small Business Program, defined here as fewer than 2 million total first-time App Store downloads, can access the next generation of Apple Foundation Models running on Private Cloud Compute at no cloud API cost. Private Cloud Compute is Apple’s offering for running model workloads with cloud resources, but within a privacy-focused environment managed by Apple.

Beyond Apple’s own models, Apple said developers can use models of their choice, such as Claude and Gemini, or other providers that implement a new language model protocol referenced by Apple. The framework also introduces “Dynamic Profiles,” which Apple described as a capability that lets developers update how models interact with their apps on the fly, a feature aimed at making adaptive AI behavior easier to deploy without rebuilding an entire application.

For developers who want to run their own custom models locally, Apple introduced Core AI, calling it a brand-new on-device framework designed to run models on device. Apple said Core AI uses an architecture optimized for Apple silicon’s unified memory and Neural Engine so developers can deploy full-scale LLMs locally. This positioning indicates Apple’s continued effort to keep more AI workloads on-device, where latency and privacy characteristics can be different from cloud-based execution.

In the developer environment, Xcode 27 was pitched as the hub for “agentic coding,” where AI tools plan and execute multi-step work. Apple said Xcode 27 brings the power of models and agents from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI directly into a developer workflow, including conversations that feature interactive planning, multiturn question-and-answer sessions, and a canvas that can render Markdown and show code changes and previews side by side.

Apple added that Xcode 27 gives coding agents tools to validate their own work so they can run autonomously for longer, including writing and running tests, experimenting in isolation with Playgrounds, checking visual changes with previews, and using the simulator through a new “Device Hub.” Device Hub is described by Apple as a unified workspace for managing physical devices, resizing simulators dynamically, and testing apps in a more integrated way.

Apple also laid out several additional improvements around Xcode and app UI. It said the Xcode 27 application is now Apple silicon only, 30 percent smaller, and includes a fully customizable toolbar and a new theme system that spans colors across the editor. Separately, Apple described Liquid Glass as a unified visual design system that adapts across platforms, including a transparency slider in Settings to personalize appearance and adjustments for accessibility settings. It also highlighted SwiftUI enhancements aimed at better responsiveness without requiring code changes, plus Swift 6.4 improvements that streamline everyday developer tasks through targeted warning suppression and simplified availability attributes like “anyAppleOS.”

What Apple did not fully spell out is how these features will behave across all target scenarios. The release notes emphasize that Apple Intelligence features are available only in supported regions, but the company did not enumerate which regions are included in this specific announcement. Apple also did not provide detailed performance benchmarks, data on how often Dynamic Profiles are expected to change model behavior in practice, or pricing and usage constraints outside the Small Business Program, even though it stated that the Private Cloud Compute access is at no cloud API cost for eligible developers.