Apple Opens iOS to Developers through Extensibility

Apple made both developers and end users happy on Monday with the introduction of extensibility as a new feature in iOS 8. Extensibility will let developers build apps that interact with each other and share information, but without giving up the security sandboxing brings to the iPhone and iPad.

Apple shows off iOS app extensibility at WWDC 2014Apple shows off iOS app extensibility at WWDC 2014

Extensibility opens the door for developers to hand off data between apps and work with content between apps. Photos, for example, can use filters from other image editing apps that support extensibility.

Apple showed how the feature works by applying a water color effect from Waterlogue to an image in Photos, and the demonstration showed just how quickly and seamlessly the multi-app interaction can be.

Extensibility will also give developers the ability to add widgets to Notification Center -- a feature that has long been asked for. Users that would prefer alternate keyboard setups, like Swype, will be able to choose exactly what kind of keyboards they use thanks to extensibility, too.

Apple is still showing off iOS 8 features, so be sure to check in with The Mac Observer for ongoing WWDC coverage.