How to customize the appearance of WhatsNew screens?

Use properties like titleColor, buttonBackgroundColor, and itemTitleFont on the WhatsNewViewController instance. The README lists all customizable options for colors, fonts, and text.

WhatsNew or building a custom update screen from scratch?

WhatsNew saves development time by handling version tracking and presentation logic automatically, but if you need unique animations or complex layouts, a custom solution might be better. It's ideal for standard Apple-style designs.

Does WhatsNew support SwiftUI?

No, WhatsNew is built for UIKit and does not natively support SwiftUI. You would need to wrap it using UIViewRepresentable to integrate it into a SwiftUI app.

Can I use WhatsNew for minor app updates or bug fixes?

Yes, you can control presentation with the presentationOption property, which allows settings like 'always' or custom logic, so it can be shown for any version change.

How to test WhatsNew without actually updating the app?

Manually trigger the presentation or adjust version tracking in your code—for example, by not marking versions as presented during development to simulate update scenarios.

Is there an Android equivalent of WhatsNew?

Yes, the README links to a separate Android version, but it's a different project and not integrated with the iOS library, requiring separate implementation for cross-platform apps.

Open-Awesome

WhatsNew

MITSwift0.4.6

A Swift library to showcase new features after iOS app updates, similar to Apple's Pages and Keynote.

GitHub

1.5k stars88 forks0 contributors

What is WhatsNew?

WhatsNew is a Swift library for iOS that helps developers display new feature highlights after app updates. It automatically presents a customizable screen listing recent additions, similar to the update experience in Apple's apps like Pages and Keynote. This solves the problem of users missing or misunderstanding new features in updated versions.

Target Audience

iOS developers who want to improve user onboarding and communication after app updates, particularly those building consumer-facing apps where feature adoption matters.

Value Proposition

Developers choose WhatsNew for its Apple-like design, minimal setup (just 2 lines of code), and extensive customization options. It's a lightweight, focused library that handles version tracking and presentation logic out of the box.

Overview

Showcase new features after an app update similar to Pages, Numbers and Keynote.

Use Cases

Best For

Displaying new features after major app updates
Creating Apple-style update screens for iOS apps
Onboarding users to recent changes without overwhelming them
Customizing update announcements to match app branding
Tracking which app versions have shown update notes
Quickly adding professional update notes with minimal code

Not Ideal For

Apps requiring cross-platform update screens (e.g., Android or web support)
Projects needing server-driven or real-time feature announcements
Teams that prefer fully native, dependency-free UI components

Pros & Cons

Pros

Automatic Version Tracking

Handles marking app versions as presented to avoid showing update notes repeatedly, with options to control display for first-time users via the markCurrentVersionAsPresented method.

Minimal Setup Required

Integration takes just a few lines of code using CocoaPods or Carthage, as demonstrated in the README with a simple Swift snippet.

Extensive Customization Options

Allows deep customization of colors, fonts, button text, and backgrounds through exposed properties, enabling alignment with any app's design system.

Lightweight and Focused

Prioritizes simplicity with a single-purpose library that avoids bloat, focusing solely on displaying new features efficiently.

Cons

UIKit-Only, No SwiftUI Support

Built exclusively for UIKit, requiring additional bridging code for SwiftUI projects, which limits its use in modern iOS development trends.

Missing Modern iOS Features

Lacks built-in support for dark mode, dynamic type, or accessibility enhancements, which are standard expectations in contemporary apps.

Dependent on Package Managers

Requires CocoaPods or Carthage for installation, with no native Swift Package Manager support, potentially complicating setup for some projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

SwifterSwift

A handy collection of more than 500 native Swift extensions to boost your productivity.

Stars15,142

Forks1,664

Last commit3 days ago

R.swift

Strong typed, autocompleted resources like images, fonts and segues in Swift projects

Stars9,569

Forks779

Last commit1 year ago

BlocksKit

The Objective-C block utilities you always wish you had.

Stars6,831

Forks1,246

Last commit8 years ago

Periphery

A tool to identify unused code in Swift projects.

Stars6,180

Forks232

Last commit14 days ago

Community-curated · Updated weekly · 100% open source

Found a gem we're missing?

Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.

Submit a project Star on GitHub