Discontinuing Swift Language IDE Support in the Kotlin Multiplatform Plugin
Article Summary
Anton Makeev from JetBrains just announced they're pulling Swift IDE support from the Kotlin Multiplatform plugin. If you're building cross-platform apps, this shift reveals where the ecosystem is actually heading.
Starting with IntelliJ IDEA 2026.3 and Android Studio Rabbit 2, JetBrains is removing Swift editing, syntax highlighting, and navigation features from their KMP plugin. The decision comes after telemetry showed limited and declining usage, as most iOS developers prefer Xcode while KMP teams increasingly adopt full Kotlin and Compose Multiplatform stacks.
Key Takeaways
- Swift editing and navigation removed from KMP plugin in late 2026 releases
- iOS debugging and Kotlin/Native features like Swift Export remain fully supported
- Usage data showed most developers prefer Xcode for Swift, Kotlin for multiplatform
- Maintaining AppCode-era Swift tooling required substantial engineering resources
- JetBrains focusing investment on Kotlin tooling and Compose Multiplatform instead
JetBrains is betting on Kotlin-first multiplatform development over hybrid Swift/Kotlin workflows based on actual developer behavior patterns.
About This Article
JetBrains built Swift tooling in AppCode, an IDE that's no longer maintained. The team has to keep updating it as Swift, Xcode, and the IntelliJ Platform change, which takes significant effort.
The Kotlin team looked at telemetry data and talked to users to see which features people actually used. They decided to stop developing Swift IDE features but keep iOS debugging and Kotlin/Native features like Swift Export working.
JetBrains is shifting engineers to work on Kotlin tooling in IntelliJ IDEA and Android Studio, and improving KMP for iOS developers. Swift IDE features will stay in older plugin versions but won't get any new updates.