//iOS Dev Weekly Readers

Xcode builds on GitHub Actions, up to 3x faster on M4 Pro.

Thanks for reading iOS Dev Weekly. Move your macOS jobs to Apple silicon M4 Pro runners with a one-line change to your workflow. From $0.08 per minute, with Xcode, Fastlane, CocoaPods, and iOS Simulator preinstalled.

$50 in free credits for iOS Dev Weekly readersRedeem under Settings > Billing after signing up

No credit card required | 2-minute setup

//GitHub Actions for iOS teams

Your GitHub Actions bill is now a function of how many Xcode builds you queue

AI is writing more Swift than ever, which means GitHub Actions is compiling more than ever. WarpBuild keeps the Xcode build queue short and the macOS bill flat.

More commits means more Xcode builds

AI tools write more Swift than ever, and every commit still has to compile, run its tests, and pass GitHub Actions before it merges. More commits means more Xcode builds, longer queues, and more macOS minutes.

macOS minutes are the expensive line

On most iOS teams the macOS jobs are the biggest line on the GitHub Actions bill. WarpBuild macOS runners start at $0.08 per minute and finish jobs faster, so you pay less per minute and use fewer minutes.

Faster feedback for every TestFlight build

A sample iOS app builds in 8 minutes on WarpBuild against 25 minutes on GitHub-hosted runners. Shorter builds mean shorter simulator test runs, faster PR checks, and a quicker path to TestFlight.

//Getting started

One line of YAML. $50 in credits.

Three steps from this week's issue to your first faster Xcode build.

-    runs-on: macos-latest+    runs-on: warp-macos-latest-arm64-6x
1

Create your account

Sign up at app.warpbuild.com. No credit card required.
2

Redeem your credits

Add promo code iosdev2026 under Settings > Billing for $50 in free credits.
3

Change one line of YAML

Swap runs-on in your workflow file and your next Xcode build runs on an M4 Pro.
//macOS runners

Built for Xcode, simulator tests, and TestFlight

Drop-in macOS runner infrastructure for GitHub Actions: Apple silicon M4 Pro, the latest Xcode images, and the same preinstalled tooling as GitHub-hosted runners.

//Trusted at scale

Trusted by teams like Sky from Comcast, Bitcoin, and Braintrust

Enterprise ready and SOC2 Type 2 attested, from solo open-source projects to thousand-developer organizations.

Sonar
Comcast
Sky
Braintrust
Adaptive
OxCaml
DDEV
Kintsugi
Bitcoin
LanceDB

Wow. These macOS runners are a LOT faster than GitHub's. Previous builds would take 30 mins, now they're done in 8!

Run times went down from ~25 mins to ~9 mins. Even bazel cache load time was faster by 30%

Tried out pretty much every provider in the market, and this one works the best out of the box

//FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How do I redeem the $50 in free credits?

Sign up at https://app.warpbuild.com, then add promo code iosdev2026 on the billing settings page at https://app.warpbuild.com/settings/billing. The credits are applied to your account immediately.

Does this work with my existing GitHub Actions workflow?

Yes. WarpBuild macOS runners are drop-in replacements for GitHub-hosted macOS runners and carry the same preinstalled tooling. The only change is the runs-on label in your workflow file. Fastlane lanes, xcodebuild steps, and simulator tests run as they do today.

Which Xcode versions are available?

WarpBuild ships macOS 14, macOS 15, and macOS 26 images, each with the Xcode versions from the matching GitHub-hosted image. The macOS 26 image also ships Xcode 27.0 and its iOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS simulator runtimes. See https://www.warpbuild.com/docs/ci/cloud-runners#macos-26-tooling for the current list.

Do I need a credit card to get started?

No. Sign up, redeem your credits, and run your first Xcode builds without entering a card.

Can I switch back?

Yes. Change the runs-on label back to a GitHub-hosted runner and the job returns to GitHub. There is no lock-in and nothing else in the workflow changes.

Stop waiting on Xcode. Go Warp.