When building a project in Xcode, two settings specify what architectures are used: ARCHS_STANDARD and VALID_ARCHS. By using the intersection between the two, Xcode produces binaries that include those architectures. However, this is now different with Xcode 12. In Xcode 12, VALID_ARCHS is “discouraged” and superseded by EXCLUDED_ARCHS. So what happens when you had custom values set for architectures when you attempt to build arm64 projects on x86_64 machines in Xcode 12?...

Starting with this year’s releases, the OSes now support system-wide DNS resolvers that support DNS over TLS (DoT) and DNS over HTTPS (DoH). This is an important privacy and security feature for users as this allows for these devices to be less susceptible to traffic hijacking. That being said, resolvers that implement these features are rare, so APIs were added so that apps can use fallback resolvers in the event that the system resolver does not support encrypted DNS....

The developer community was interested to see how a remote WWDC would go and I think the general consensus is that this is how the conference should go from now on. By having the session be prerecorded, they are much more polished and the transcripts and sample code are available the same day. This has also allowed for sessions that don’t have to be 50 minutes in length, allowing for some quick videos on best practices or updates on smaller frameworks (very helpful)....

Even with a pandemic, the yearly major release cycle must continue. This year Apple is building upon their Catalyst project, Swift UI, Combine, and iPadOS. There is also a chance that ARM-based Macs make an appearance (or at least the transition is announced) and the announcement of a unified service bundle (Music, News, Arcade, and TV). tvOS With Apple Arcade, Apple is still pushing the gaming aspect of the iPhone, iPad, and TV....

If you have any external device connected to your Mac that has audio controls, you have undoubtedly run into the scenario where you push the button(s) and the Music app decides to open itself (iTunes for macOS < 10.15). Obviously, you don’t want this app open as maybe you are using a control on a device for teleconferencing or maybe you are trying to control Spotify or a browser, but alas, Apple really really wants you to use the music app....