Xcode 11.3.1 Released Nearly One Month After Apple Last Seeded Betas of iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS

Apple on Monday released Xcode 11.3.1 with bug fixes and improvements, including reducing the size of dependency files produced by the Swift compiler, which can improve incremental build times and disk usage for targets with many source files. Full release notes are posted on Apple’s developer website.As with Xcode 11.3, version 11.3.1 supports developing apps for iOS 13.3, iPadOS 13.3, macOS 10.15.2, watchOS 6.1, and tvOS 13.3.

It has been nearly one month since Apple seeded new betas for its software platforms, which is an unusually long time. The first betas of iOS 13.3.1, iPadOS 13.3.1, macOS 10.15.3, watchOS 6.1.2, and tvOS 13.3.1 were seeded on December 17, but no further builds have been made available since then.

Apple always stops seeding betas over the holidays, but the cycle usually resumes in early January, including January 7 in 2019, January 3 in 2018, and January 9 in 2017, so there is a bit of a delay this year.

On an Xcode-related note, Apple has reminded developers that, starting April 2020, apps submitted to the App Store must use an Xcode storyboard to provide the app’s launch screen and must have an interface that supports any display size. Apple also strongly encourages supporting multitasking on iPad.

Apple:

Apps should look great on all models of iPhone and iPad, regardless of display size or aspect ratio. With features like Xcode storyboards and Auto Layout, your app’s interface elements and layouts automatically fit the display. As announced at WWDC19, starting April 2020, apps submitted to the App Store must use an Xcode storyboard to provide the app’s launch screen and must have an interface that supports any display size.

Support for Multitasking on iPad is strongly encouraged. Adding support for multiple windows, and adopting Multitasking capabilities, including Slide Over, Split View, and Picture in Picture, will ensure your app delivers a modern and complete experience on iPadOS.

Apple says it has addressed an Xcode bug in the storyboard canvas that could cause the development tool to crash.