Swift offers an exceptional way to write software, whether it’s for desktop computers, mobile phones, or servers. Introduced back in 2014 by Apple, Swift has already become one of the most popular languages for software development environments as it made it easier for developers to build apps for Apple’s products. Apple’s mobile operating system (iOS), accounts for over 59 percent of the total market share in the US alone.
For this reason, Apple decided to create a language that would cater to its products and enhance customer experience. As an aspiring iOS developer, it would be best to learn this programming language to increase your chances of finding a job with a top company. This article covers everything about this programming language, including who uses Swift and the most well-known companies that hire Swift experts.
What Is Swift?
Swift is a general-purpose programming language developed by Apple. This robust language was designed to build apps for Apple products, including iOS, the Apple Watch, Apple TV, and the Mac. Initially, Objective-C was the best language that was integrated into Apple’s products.
However, since it was developed in the 1980s, it became outdated by 2014. So, Apple decided to create a new language with a wider range of features. This made the development process easier as programs ran quicker.
How Popular Is Swift?
Swift was introduced by Apple and quickly became one of the world’s most popular programming languages. Below you will find a list containing some important statistics regarding Swift’s popularity.
- Swift was introduced by Apple. This programming language was created by Apple in 2014 with the goal of making it the best language for desktop apps, cloud services, and systems programming.
- Swift is a popular programming language. Swift climbed up three places in TIOBE’s programming languages index, despite Python’s dominance. Swift was ranked tenth in the world’s most popular programming languages at the time of writing this article.
- Swift is one of the most used languages. Swift is a favorable programming language for developers. According to Statista, Swift was in the top 20 most used programming languages in 2021 among software developers worldwide.
What Is Swift Used For?
Swift is mainly used for developing mobile and desktop applications of Apple’s devices. Although that is one of its primary functions, Swift was created to make writing, maintaining, and correcting programs easier for developers. Other examples of where this language is used can be found below.
macOS Development
macOS is Apple’s operating system for its desktops and computers. Although iOS development is still the most popular use for Swift, many people prefer using laptops and computers for work and entertainment. Technically, you can still create apps using Objective-C as it shares some common processes with Swift, but many developers today prefer using Swift instead.
iOS Development
Although you can apply powerful languages to the development process, Swift and Objective-C work seamlessly with iOS. Most developers prefer Swift as it contains all the modern code features that make programming easier compared to the existing Objective-C codebase.
Swift is 2.6 times faster than Objective-C and up to 8.4 times faster than Python version 2.7. This makes it the better choice for programming. With an increasing number of people accessing the Internet through iPhones, having a mobile presence is necessary. In addition, if you’re an aspiring iOS developer, you should know that mastering Swift is essential if you want to start a career in this field.
Web Services and Applications
In 2016, Apple made Swift available to Windows and Linux. As a result, Swift is now a cross-platform programming language that can be used to create web services or even web applications. Popular websites such as Medium have tutorials showing how you can build your own app in Swift
List of Swift Companies: Overview
| Companies That Use Swift | Who Uses Swift at This Company? | What Does This Company Use Swift For? | Estimated Number of Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | iOS developer, macOS developer, Swift playground engineer | Web services and applications | 154,000 |
| Coursera | Software developer iOS, software engineer, iOS software mobile engineer | iOS development | 779 |
| Eventbrite | Software engineer, IT support specialist, staff engineer | iOS development, web services and applications | 611 |
| iOS software engineer, mobile iOS software engineer, software engineer | iOS development | 58,604 | |
| IBM | Mobile iOS application developer, mobile iOS engineer IBM, iOS engineer | Web services and applications, iOS development | 346,000 |
| Khan Academy | Senior mobile engineer, software engineer, backend engineer | iOS development | 130 |
| Kickstarter | iOS engineer, software engineer | iOS development | 232 |
| Senior software iOS engineer, full stack developer | iOS development | 18,000 | |
| Lyft | iOS engineer, backend engineer, iOS tooling engineer | iOS development | 4,369 |
| Uber | iOS engineer, software engineer, mobile engineer | iOS development | 24,700 |
List of Companies That Use Swift, Expanded
Swift is a safe, fast, robust, and expressive language. So, many companies will use this language to build apps, maintain, and correct programs. Here are some of the companies that use Swift in their tech stack.
Apple
Apple is perhaps the biggest company that uses Swift. This language is their primary tool for building apps for Mac, iOS, the Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple has over 1.85 million apps available in the App store with many of them developed using Swift. Popular iOS applications created using Swift include LinkedIn, Shawarma, Firefox, and Asana.
Average Salaries for Apple Employees Who Use Swift
- iOS developers | $98,986
- Swift playground engineer | $104,056
- macOS developers | $98,986
Coursera
Coursera is one of the world’s most popular open online course providers. It offers students a ton of online courses from top institutions across the world. This global online learning platform allows students to study from anywhere and on any viable device, including mobile phones and computers. This company uses Swift to build and maintain its iOS-based applications.
Average Salaries for Coursera Employees Who Use Swift
- Software developer iOS | $94,637
- Software engineer | $88,352
- iOS software mobile engineer | $114,968
Eventbrite
Eventbrite is an event management and online ticketing website. This website offers services that allow event organizers and promoters to advertise and use it for online ticketing services. It incorporates Swift code into its iOS app.
Average Salaries for Eventbrite Employees Who Use Swift
- Software engineer | $88,352
- Staff engineer | $104,767
- IT Support Specialist | $51,089
Facebook/Meta
Recently rebranded to Meta, Facebook is one of the largest companies in the world. The company used Objective-C for its group’s function before it switched to Swift. Today, Facebook uses Swift to make it easier for developers to build their iOS-based apps and to improve user experience.
Average Salaries for Facebook Employees Who Use Swift
- iOS software engineer | $141,727
- Software engineer | $88,352
- Software engineer- mobile iOS | $115,370
IBM
International Business Machines (IBM) is one of the world’s largest tech companies. Among other things, IBM develops and sells computer hardware and software. It also offers software, data, and cloud solutions. This corporation uses Swift for its server-side development, specific cloud operations, and iOS app development.
Average Salaries for IBM Employees Who Use Swift
- Application Developer mobile iOS | $98,986
- iOS Engineer | $141,727
- Mobile iOS engineer IBM | $87,663
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a non-profit organization that offers learners from all over the world free access to high-quality courses and learning material. This organization has an iOS app that is written using Swift.
Average Salaries for Khan Academy Employees Who Use Swift
- Senior Mobile Engineer | $139,587
- Backend Engineer | $155,933
- Software Engineer | $88,352
Kickstarter
As the name suggests, Kickstarter is a platform that offers funding for creative and feasible projects. It helps project managers in getting their projects up and running. This company has an app that is written and maintained using Swift.
Average Salaries for Kickstarter Employees Who Use Swift
- iOS Engineer| $141,727
- Software engineer | $88,352
LinkedIn is a website that offers professional network and employment-oriented services. The platform is commonly used for professional networking and career development. It uses Swift to write its iOS apps.
Average Salaries for LinkedIn Employees Who Use Swift
- Senior software engineer-iOS | $130,706
- Full stack developer | $106,167
Lyft
Lyft is a famous company that provides a wide range of services including vehicles for hire, a bicycle-sharing system, rental cars, food delivery, and motorized scooters. Much like Uber, this company writes most of its iOS apps in Swift.
Average Salaries for Lyft Employees Who Use Swift
- iOS engineer | $141,727
- iOS tooling engineer | $145,596
- Backend engineer | $155,933
Uber
Uber is a well-known taxi service provider. Popular apps such as Lyft, Uber, and Airbnb use Swift to develop their iOS-based apps. Uber made the change from using Objective-C code after the launch of Swift back in 2015. Business Insider estimates that 90 percent of Uber’s code is written in Swift.
Average Salaries for Uber Employees Who Use Swift
- iOS engineer| $141,727 per year
- Mobile engineer | $100,445 per year
- Software Engineer | $88,352 per year
Swift Bootcamps: Who Uses Swift to Teach Students How to Code?
Developers are flocking to this language as Swift programmers earn about $107,193 per year. It’s almost mandatory to learn and master this programming language as an aspiring iOS developer because most of Apple’s apps are written in Swift. One of the best ways to learn Swift is by enrolling in a coding bootcamp.
Coding bootcamps are a great alternative to college education as their courses take a short time to complete and are significantly cheaper than varsities. Below are some of the top Swift coding bootcamps that you should consider.
- The Tech Academy. The Tech Academy offers the Mobile App Developer Bootcamp which runs for 18 to 34 weeks, depending on the learning schedule. You will learn how to develop apps on two of the most popular mobile platforms: iOS and Android. The course covers Swift, Java, and Objective-C, among others.
- Devmountain. Founded in 2013, Devmountain is a top-tier coding bootcamp that has graduated over 3,000 students. This school offers an iOS development course that you can enroll in and learn online or on campus. The course covers Xcode, Swift, debugging, submitting apps, data, and architecture.
- BrainStation. BrainStation is one of the top coding bootcamps that offers a wide range of coding courses both online and in person. According to their official web page, this school has trained over 100,000 professionals. The school offers an iOS development course certification that covers Swift programming and the Xcode development tool.
Which Real-World Swift Use Case Is Right for Me?
Swift is heavily used across Apple’s ecosystem of apps. Many top companies including Uber, Lyft, Facebook, Airbnb, and LinkedIn use the Swift language to write most of their iOS-based apps. Some Swift developers in companies like IBM have been known to use this language for server-side development. However, developing apps using Swift lines of code is the best and most common use of this programming language.
If you want to become an iOS or Apple developer, you should strongly consider taking courses that will equip you with the essential tools to learn relevant skills. One of the best ways to learn such programming languages is by enrolling in coding bootcamps. They take a short time to complete and offer career services that will help you launch your career in the tech space.
Uses of Swift FAQ
Yes, it is useful to learn the Swift programming language, especially as an aspiring mobile or Apple developer. According to Business Insider, over 500,000 apps on Apple’s app store are partially written in Swift. So, if you want to become an iOS developer, you should learn this language. Swift also features a clean syntax that makes it easy to read and manage APIs.
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You can use Swift to write code for iOS-based apps. Swift is Apple’s programming language that has been used in the development of many apps in the App store. Its codebase for apps is also considered better compared to the existing Objective-C codebase.
It is fast, safe, and easy to learn and use. The Swift programming language has many advantages, especially when compared to other languages used in writing code for iOS apps such as the Objective-C code. Apple states that Swift’s code is 2.6 times faster than Objective-C code. It offers low maintenance, a better user experience, ABI stability, and effective memory management.
No, unfortunately, Swift can’t be used to develop Android apps. Although Apple made this programming language open source, it still can’t write code for Android-based apps. However, this is a possibility that Apple will likely explore in the coming years.
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