Need to learn Apple’s Swift development language? Help is at hand with these handy online resources, including free & paid courses.
Apple’s Swift is billed by the tech giant as a programming language that “lets everyone build amazing apps.” Now, that may be true, but don’t expect to dive into Swift coding today and write the next Candy Crush tomorrow. As with any language, spoken or coded, learning it takes both time and effort.
Help is at hand, though, with both free and commercial resources available online covering the language in depth. Whatever your ability, you’ll find plenty here to advance your skills.
Before you get started, Swift 5.0.1 is available to download now here, and you can get it along with Xcode 10.2.1 and start learning the new language straight away.
You should be careful to check which version of Swift and Xcode your training materials are using, because there may be some variations.
Getting started
You’ll want to start at the source with Apple’s dedicated Swift documentation. You don’t need a Developer account to access the files or to download Xcode from the Mac App Store, so you can get started right away.
The Developer documentation includes sample code, links to the reference material and, most useful for anyone switching from another language, videos from the latest Swift updates.
We’ve got a comprehensive article that’ll introduce you to Swift 5, too. It covers everything you need to know about writing apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac using the developer language, including what’s new in Swift 5 and why this is the programming language for you.
Take a look: How to make apps with Swift 5
Apple’s iBooks
Put your commute to good use by working your way through Apple’s free Swift programming materials available from the iBooks Store. There you will find books including The Swift Programming Language, which offers a tour of the language, a details guide to each feature and a formal reference for the language.
The Everyone Can Code is available for free there too. Apple has said that the curriculum, which is primarily designed for high school and college students but is accessible to all, will teach students to “code and design fully functional apps, gaining critical job skills in software development and information technology.”
Try an online course
Udemy
Udemy’s most popular Swift course, with almost 10,000 ratings and over 62,000 students enrolled, is iOS 12 & Swift – The Complete iOS App Development Bootcamp. It includes a whopping 527 lectures and 54.5 hours of video. Keep an eye out for special offers at Udemy, as you can often get courses with enormous discounts.
There are other courses at Udemy that might be worth checking out too:
- Swift 5 Programming For Beginners
- iOS 12 & Swift 5: Build a To-Do List App
- iOS 12 & Swift 5 – App Design, UI/UX plus Development
- Complete Guide to New Features in Swift 5
Lynda
If you need to get started with Swift as quickly as possible, check out Lynda.com’s Swift 5 Essential Training.
There are plenty of other Swift courses available at Lynda.com too, and the difference between this site and Udemy is that, with Udemy you pay to download individual courses, whereas Lynda.com offers a monthly subscription that gives you access to unlimited courses, so you can try lots of them.
Lynda.com charges £19.99/$25 per month if you sign up for the annual plan, and once you’ve paid you can access all of its courses, whatever the subject, alongside this series of Swift lessons. If you’re not sure whether you’d suit this kind of tutoring, try out a free preview account first.
Podcasts about Swift development
If all of this solo study is sending you stir crazy, sign up to a programming podcast. iDeveloper focuses entirely on iOS and macOS development, discussing tools and techniques, and offering tips and advice. If you’re serious about making some money from your work, it also concerns itself with the business side of selling your apps.
The content is chatty and engaging, but can get technical at times, so if you find it going above your head, hang in there and assimilate as much as you can – at least you’ll be getting familiar with terms and phrases used within the realm of programming.
You can preview individual episodes and read a synopsis of each one at the podcast homepage.
Write your first app
Once you’ve mastered the basics of Swift, the next step is to get some hands-on experience: it’s time to actually try writing an app for yourself. Once you’re ready, we’ve got a few guides to help you out.
First up, our guide to using the language runs through the fundamentals, along with some practical advice on writing apps in it. If you want to get more specific, we have separate guides to writing apps for iOS and for watchOS.
Finally, if you want to make sure you’ve got the right tools for the job, we have Mac buying advice specifically for developers, to help you get the best value Mac that has the power and features you need for app development.