Ahead of the iOS 26.3 release, Apple revealed Xcode 26.3, which finally brings vibe-coding to its development platform. With that, developers creating or updating their iOS apps can use Anthropic’s Claude Agent and OpenAI’s Codex to help them with tasks and develop their software even faster.
Still available in Release Candidate, Apple developers can download this almost-ready version of Xcode 26.3 through the Developer’s portal. More interestingly, this new version is built on top of other intelligence features added with Xcode 26 last year. At the time, Apple had introduced a coding assistant for those writing and editing in Swift. Now, the company is going a step forward by offering third-party agents on its Xcode platform.
According to Apple, Claude and Codex go beyond code suggestions, as they can actively search documentation, navigate project file structures, settings, and even validate the developer’s work to avoid possible bugs. “At Apple, our goal is to make tools that put industry-leading technologies directly in developers’ hands so they can build the very best apps,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “Agentic coding supercharges productivity and creativity, streamlining the development workflow so developers can focus on innovation.”
2026 might finally be Apple’s AI year
Apple Intelligence has been available since the end of 2024. Still, it seems Apple is finally figuring out what to do with all its AI features. After the Siri fiasco with the company promising features it wouldn’t be able to deliver, Apple announced that Gemini models will power the new Siri, with rumors suggesting an even better personal assistant will be available later this year, with a teaser at the WWDC 2026 keynote.
Besides that, during Apple’s first earnings call of the year, CEO Tim Cook addressed some of the most popular AI features iPhone users have found with Apple Intelligence, which includes Visual Intelligence that can use a Circle to Search-like feature to help you translate, discover more information, and even Google a product, and Live Translation, which is available alongside some of the newest AirPods models.
Now with the Xcode 26.3 RC release, Apple is finally going full circle with AI, as it’s giving developers some of the tools they were already using, but now built into Apple’s development platform. Apple says that these integrations are available through the Model Context Protocol, which gives developers the ability to use any compatible agent or tool with Xcode, and will finally change how developers make apps, as this new workflow will help prevent coding bugs or bad implementation of new frameworks and APIs.
