Let me guess:You’ve tried asking ChatGPT to “write a SwiftUI view with a login screen”……got a decent result.But then it broke when you added Combine or changed one binding.
Yeah — I’ve been there.
But over the last year, I’ve started using AI tools in a much deeper, more integrated way — not just copy-pasting code into a browser, but wiring up actual AI workflows inside VS Code, Terminal, and even Xcode.
So here’s how I actually use AI every day as an iOS dev to write Swift, refactor legacy code, and even generate test coverage for my modules — no BS, just real-world examples.
If you're building something bigger — like a production-grade mobile app — and want to speed this up with help from a pro team, check out Shakuro’s iOS development services. Their full-cycle dev flow is about as optimized as it gets.
Let’s jump in 👇
🧠 Step 1: AI-Assisted Swift Writing Inside VS Code
✅ Tool: Codeium
Forget copy-pasting from ChatGPT. Codeium brings AI suggestions directly into your editor (VS Code, Xcode, JetBrains – you pick). It works like Copilot, but it’s 100% free and plays well with Swift.
How I use it:
Scaffolding SwiftUI views (NavigationStack boilerplate, etc.)
Auto-completing async/await logic or Combine pipelines
Filling in edge-case logic in reducers or view models
I even trained it on my project’s naming conventions. It picks up patterns across files, which is 🔥 for maintaining consistency.
Pro Tip: Pair Codeium with the Swift for VS Code extension and SourceKit-LSP for the full Swift coding experience in VS Code.
🔁 Step 2: Refactor Legacy Code With an AI Agent
✅ Tool: ForgeCode or Cline
These agents live in your terminal or editor — and they’re aware of your whole codebase. That means they can actually refactor real projects, not just isolated functions.
Use case:
`> Explain how the networking layer is structured
Rewrite it using async/await
Split this monolithic view into smaller SwiftUI components`
The AI looks through multiple files, suggests clean refactors, and even offers reasoning ("This makes it testable," "Avoids retain cycles").
I recently used ForgeCode to:
Replace URLSession-based networking with async let calls
Move core logic to shared modules in a modularized SwiftPM project
Flatten complex view hierarchies into clean MVVM components
No hallucinated nonsense — just contextual, repo-aware AI editing.
✅ Step 3: Auto-Generate Tests (Yes, Useful Ones)
✅ Tools: Kilo Code + XCTestDoc
Writing tests is always the “we’ll do that later” thing. But AI changed that for me.
Here’s how I do it:
Highlight a Swift class or function
Ask Kilo Code: “Generate XCTest cases for this module”
Boom — it creates snapshot tests, edge-case scenarios, even mocks using @testable import
Then I run everything via:
swift test
And with XCTestDoc, I get clean, auto-generated test documentation that I share with PMs or designers during QA rounds.
⚠️ Note: You still have to read the generated tests — AI helps, but doesn’t replace critical thinking.
🛠 Bonus: Fastlane + AI for CI/CD
Tool: Fastlane
You can script Fastlane workflows and then have AI optimize them.
Prompt:
“Create a Fastlane config to build, sign, and deploy my app to TestFlight, using automatic provisioning and screenshots”
Kilo Code or ForgeCode can:
Create the Fastfile
Add match or cert configs
Set up automatic screenshot generation for App Store upload via snapshot
Perfect for teams, solo devs, or freelancers running multiple projects.
🔄 Xcode vs VS Code: My Hybrid AI Workflow
I write in VS Code, run tests via CLI, preview in Xcode. Best of both worlds.
Final Thoughts
AI isn’t just a hype train — it’s quietly transforming how I build iOS apps.
I still write code manually. But now I spend less time on boilerplate, more time on architecture, and almost no time staring at broken tests.
You don’t need a fancy setup. Just install a few extensions, wire up an agent, and start talking to your codebase like a human.
And if you’re building something bigger — an MVP, SaaS app, mobile platform — and want to move fast with quality, check out Shakuro’s iOS app dev team. They do full-cycle builds and can plug into your AI-enhanced workflow too.
💬 How are you using AI in your Swift projects?🧪 Got any agents or plugins I missed?
Drop a comment or ping me — always down to swap workflows.
Top comments (0)