Apple Developer App 11.0
The update also adds these changes:
- Refreshed look with Liquid Glass.
- List filtering by Unwatched, Bookmarked, and Downloaded, and preferred topics.
- Improved reliability of image capture during enrollment.
- Bug fixes and various other enhancements.
[It] has been ported from Catalyst-based to AppKit-based (it is a SwiftUI app in either case). Expect a whole new set of idiosyncrasies along with whatever new improvements/bugs it introduces.
(You can now fullscreen videos properly, for example)
I went to launch the old app so that I could compare it before downloading the new one and realized that I had deleted it because that was the only way to prevent WWDC session links from opening in the app instead of in Safari. So I don’t have a good feel for what’s changed aside from the list filtering mentioned above and the better support for full screen videos.
The current universal links behavior is that if I click a link within Safari it stays in Safari and shows a banner for opening the link in the Developer app. That’s an improvement. If I click a link outside of Safari, it opens the Developer app. There’s no command in the app to open the current session in your browser, though you can use Edit ‣ Copy Link and then paste it.
Previously:
Update (2026-06-04): I’ve deleted the Developer app again. I can’t stand how just having it installed makes NetNewsWire open links from Apple’s developer news site in the app instead of in my browser.
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@Michael does it not work the same on macOS as in iOS, where if you right click on a universal link and select "Open", it opens in the browser, where as if you click on the bar above, it will start opening it in the app? I hate that there is no proper UI somewhere in the godawful Settings app on macOS and iOS to manually specify where I want to open each link type (domain, scheme, etc.).
@Léo Which app are you right-clicking in? I have not found that to be the case with Mail and MarsEdit except that sometimes, instead of going directly, it trampolines through Safari to Developer without offering a choice.
If I’m already in Safari, I can choose to open it in Developer from the contextual menu.
I just tested by searching for "WWDC 2025" on Google in Safari. By default, it went to the app. I closed the app, right clicked on the link and selected "Open". Now it no longer attempts to use the associated domain feature, but there is a second layer of manure, where Safari asks me if I want to allow opening the Developer app. If I click Cancel, it opens the website. It does this every time I click on a link! I thought they were using a custom URL scheme, but I don't see any supported in the Developer app Info.plist. So I guess this is another "feature" of associated domains on macOS? That's a worse experience than on iOS.
@Léo It sounds like you are getting the same results as me in Safari. But I’m often clicking links that are not in Safari, and that’s where it’s worse. And, yes, the associated domains thing seems to be worse than a custom URL scheme because it can’t be intercepted.
The new version of the app is a SwiftUI app running over AppKit. Before it was still a Catalyst app (with some SwiftUI I guess).
Still a big wonky.
"that was the only way to prevent WWDC session links from opening in the app instead of in Safari"
There's a Mac app called OpenIn that has a Safari extension and can fix these kinds of issues (although I haven't tried fixing this particular one).
@Plume How is a Safari extension going to fix an issue with links in a third-party app bypassing Safari?
It's not a Safari extension; it's an app with a Safari extension. It routes URLs. I mentioned the Safari extension because you said that "it trampolines through Safari to Developer."
@Michael On iOS, once you long press and select Open in Safari, it is respected everywhere in the OS. Looks like that is not the case on macOS.
@Plume Thanks. Unfortunately, OpenIn does not seem to be able to intercept the universal links.
@Léo Correct.
The App store lists the new app as requiring Sequoia (MacOS 15) or later. So perhaps an older/non updated Mac or a VM could force the App store to download a prior version to compare.
Old versions of the app can be downloaded using ipatool. Installation is simple airdropping (same account on iphone requirement).
