Apple introduces new Ask Apple Q&A sessions for developers

(Image credit: Future)

Apple has today announced a new program that will help developers get their questions answered outside of the annual WWDC events. Ask Apple is a new program that will begin on October 17.

When developers sign up for an Ask Apple session they'll be given the opportunity to engage with an Apple engineer via Slack or one-on-one office hours, Apple said via a developer website post.

Questions answered

One of the things developers often enjoy the most about the annual WWDC events is the ability to get their questions answered by an Apple engineer, either via one-on-one sessions or as part of a group. That's something that Ask Apple looks set to replicate, with a variety of topics available for coverage.

"Developers participating in Ask Apple can inquire about a variety of topics, such as testing on the latest seeds; implementing new and updated frameworks from Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC); adopting new features like the Dynamic Island; moving to Swift, SwiftUI, and accessibility; and preparing their apps for new OS and hardware releases," Apple said. The sessions will be free of charge and anyone who is part of the Apple Developer Program or Apple Developer Enterprise Program can take part.

Apple says that the "series will enable developers to ask questions to various Apple team members through Q&As on Slack or in one-on-one office hours," with developers able "to connect with Apple evangelists, engineers, and designers to get their questions answered, share their learnings, and engage with other developers around the world."

The first round of Ask Apple opportunities will run from October 17 to October 21, but Apple says that this will "be an ongoing series," so we can expect more dates to become available. Developers looking to get involved can register and find more information over on the Apple developer website.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.