Apple acquires Play, award-winning SwiftUI prototyping tool for developers

Apple has acquired Play, a SwiftUI prototyping app used by developers and designers to create and preview interactive app concepts. The acquisition was made public through EU Digital Markets Act disclosure requirements, which require certain deals to be reported to the European Commission.

Play supported real-time syncing between Mac and iPhone and allowed users to export projects to Xcode, a feature that was previously paid but became free after the acquisition. The app won the 2025 Apple Design Award in the Innovation category, while Apple also secured the right to hire selected employees from Rabbit 3 Times, Inc., Play’s publisher.

After the deal closed, Play was removed from the App Store. Apple could bring its features into Xcode, relaunch them in another form, or add similar tools to its free developer resources over time.