How to Download, Install and Update Xcode on Mac

Xcode is the IDE for developing iOS apps for Apple’s platforms and it is ideal for Mac computers. Thus you need to complete Xcode download on your Mac devices to develop the apps. But it not only helps you in development but also helps you with debugging, testing, and deployment. Here, you will learn about download, install and update procedures for Xcode.

What is Xcode?

Xcode is an IDE developed by Apple. You can use Xcode for developing iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacOS, and Apple TV. It includes a set of tools for developing, debugging, and testing your iOS apps. The latest version of Xcode is 14.3. Some of its important features are –

• It supports multiple programming languages like – Swift, C, C++, Java, Apple Script, Python, and more.
• It provides a Swift package and Swift UI. You can find Interactive UI previews with light and dark modes. There are plug-ins for building your apps. Also, developers can create reusable codes and collaborate with other developers.
• The Xcode simulators allow you to test your iOS apps in a simulated environment. You will get all types of iOS environments like – iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. These simulators come with different configurations and OS versions.
• Xcode has a set of instruments for profiling and analyzing your apps. These instruments also improve performance and memory issues for your apps.
• It creates 3D textures, augmented reality (AR), and Machine Learning models as well.

How to Download and Install Xcode on Mac?

Pre-requisites

You need to arrange the following resources to download Xcode for Mac:

1. A MacOS-installed computer with version 10.15.4 or upper.
2. Minimum space requirement for Xcode download and installation.
3. An Apple ID
4. Membership in the Apple Developer Program.

Your Xcode download Mac can be possible in two different ways. They are:

1. Download and install from App Store
2. Download and install from the Apple developer’s site
3. Install the Command Line Tools (CLT)

Method 1 Download and install from the App Store

It’s a simple process.

1. First, you must open the App Store from your Mac device.
2. Sign in to the App Store.
3. After that, search for Xcode.
4. Then select ‘Get’ and click on ‘Install’. To get this installation, you have to log in with your Apple ID or password.

Method 2 Download and install from the Apple developer’s site

1. Go to the Apple developer website and navigate to the ‘more’ section.
2. Sign in with your Apple ID.
3. Then specify and type the version you need and download the ‘Xcode_x_x_x.xip’ file.
4. After downloading the file, you have to click ‘.xip’ to extract it. Your device will automatically extract the .xip file with the folder you downloaded the Xcode. You don’t require any additional steps here. It will take some minutes to complete.
5. Then, you need to drag and drop the file within the ‘Applications’ folder.
6. If you are using multiple Xcode versions, you have to rename the application (optional step).

Method 3 Install the Command Line Tools (CLT)

1. Open the terminal from your Mac device.
2. Type the command Xcode-select –install. Then press Enter.
3. Then, you have to answer the prompt whether you want to install CLTs. Finally, click ‘Install’.

You will get Xcode and CLTs after the completion of the installation process.

How to update Xcode on Mac?

You can update your Xcode for Mac with these processes:

1. If you installed your Xcode from the App Store, then you will get automatic updates. Also, you can manually update the Xcode from the ‘Update’ tab.
2. If you installed it from the developers’ site, you must manually download the updates. There is no automatic update option available for this case.

You need to check developer.apple.com to know about the new version releases. Again, you can get notifications on your Mac, check the Xcodereleases.com, or follow the Twitter account @XcodeReleases.

How to test your Xcode apps?

You can test your Xcode apps with the XCTest framework. With this framework, you can conduct unit, integration, UI, and performance testing for your apps.

• Unit testing

You have to choose a class or function to conduct your unit test. Then you have to create the subclass of XCTestCase. This subclass will contain your actual unit test cases. Then you have to create a method to get the result of your test. The method will work in three steps – Arrange, Act, and Assert. The first and second steps indicate creating an object/data structure and calling the method, respectively. The assert step compares the behavior of your code as per the expectation, and you will get the test result.

• Integration testing

The integration testing for your Xcode app follows the same approach as the unit testing. But here, you have to cover a large part of the application. So, you need to work on more components or classes and function combinations.

• UI testing

The Xcode UI test happens by executing the UI controls. The UI Test Case Class template contains new files to start the UI testing. These files handle your UI controls with the perspective of real-world conditions. It determines whether the users can perform the tasks in the real environment through this app. This also assures the bug-free behavior of the UI control.

• Performance testing

The performance test happens based on different metrics – memory usage, data written on disk, and more. Your code will run for multiple times through the XCTest and measure the required metrics. You need to call different methods to gather information about different metrics.

How to test your iOS app on XCode?

You can test your iOS app on XCode by following the below steps:

1. Creating Apple ID – Once agreed on all the service policies from Apple,  an account was gets created successfully and it gave a message as – ‘Apple Connect ’.
2. Installing Xcode – Just go to the Apple store and install Xcode.
3. How to open Xcode – Go to File > Export > iOS. It will show a message like ‘No Bundle ID specified. But it’s not a problem at all because it’s not necessary for app testing. So, click on the ‘continue’ button.
4. Export app to iOS – To open Xcode, we must create a folder for our iOS project file (.xcodeproj). Then from PTPlayer, we find a General menu for setting up the required data for ‘Team’, ‘Xcode Managed Profile’, and ‘Signing Certificate for iOS Developer’. 
5. Team – For Team, we must sign in to Xcode with your Apple ID by providing your Apple ID and password. In this stage, we have to plug our iPhone into our macOS for a successful Xcode profile setup. Otherwise, there may be a chance to get some error messages.
6. Trusting the app certificate – Whenever our Xcode profile gets a successful setup, an automated sign-in certificate will be added to the profile.

While you can test your iOS Apps on XCode, to get more accurate results it is essential to test under real user conditions. BrowserStack App Live allows you to run your iOS app tests on iPhones and iPads as opposed to running on Simulators.

Run iOS Tests on iPads and iPhones

• With the App Live, you will access BrowserStack real device cloud for a wide range of iOS (iPhones and iPads) and Androids.
• You can test your iOS and Android apps from different resources – direct upload, build tools integrations, App Store, or Play Store.
• After accessing the real devices, you can conduct performance testing like – Geolocation testing, push notifications, network simulation, pre-loaded images, etc.
• Mainly, it helps in manual testing. But also has integrations with Selenium, Cypress, and Jenkins to support automation testing.
• It binds with Gradle and Fastlane plug-ins for the build and deployment of your apps.
• Again, it provides you with integrations of project management tools like – Jira, Trello, Slack, and GitHub. They give nice solutions for your project planning, work progress, bug finding, reporting, and more.

Testing iOS app on iPad using BrowserStack App LiveTesting iOS App on iPhone using BrowserStack App Live

Conclusion

You can test your Xcode apps with App Live easily. You can avail of it through any of its subscription plans. The Team plan comes with the best offers. It includes team access for 3000+ iOS and Android devices, IP Geolocation testing, access to the 19 data centers throughout the world, and more. Also, you can purchase App Live through other plans – Individual, Team Pro, or Enterprise. 

Try BrowserStack for Free