Products · Product
Xcode
Raised as a usability problem by 468 people on Hacker News over 19 years (2008–2026), in 389 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
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Every issue, all time, most people first
Autocomplete slow to appear and suggests irrelevant itemsUnreviewed
20082026- Autocomplete lags and builds are slow, making the IDE frustrating to use2025-09-22
- Autocomplete suggests random irrelevant text whenever you type a string2025-08-29
- Autocomplete and error reporting are slow, so errors appear seconds after typing2025-01-23
Swift editing is sluggish and lacks basic completion and refactoringUnreviewed
20082026- Xcode is so slow and painful that the user edits in another editor instead2025-01-23
- Swift code errors are not checked live in Xcode, slowing feedback2024-11-13
- Xcode grinds to a halt on large Swift projects with performance cliffs2024-06-12
Storyboards become slow to work with at non-trivial sizesUnreviewed
20082026- App freezes, goes out of sync, and has long delays opening storyboards or hitting breakpoints2026-07-14
- Must switch to Xcode for storyboards and UI design work2021-03-02
- Developers find Xcode and its storyboard builder frustrating, with APIs and practices constantly changing2018-02-12
Code signing and provisioning so confusing they must relearn themUnreviewed
20082026- Code signing requires cryptic plists, certificates and keys that make the workflow hard to get through2026-11-03
- Building and code signing without Xcode is nearly impossible; CLI tools are undocumented and disorganised2025-01-23
- Hard to track down and decipher signing keys and provisioning profiles needed to build2024-05-22
Debugger wrongly reports visible variables as out of scopeUnreviewed
20082026- Variables pane often fails to display any variables when stopped at breakpoints2026-02-03
- Debugger loses track of symbols and cannot inspect values at breakpoints2024-11-14
- Debugger often can't print local variables when stepping through code2023-08-24
Typing lags so badly keystrokes drop and words garbleUnreviewed
20082026- Typing and navigating lag noticeably in large files2021-12-16
- Background reindexing lags the editor so much that keystrokes are dropped and method names get garbled2021-04-26
- Slow and unstable, and drops keystrokes so typing feels broken2021-04-26
Debugger takes half a minute to start first timeUnreviewed
20082026- App launches under on-device debugging take about 20 extra seconds every time2026-03-04
- Debugger sessions take 10+ seconds to start and step sluggishly2026-02-03
- Debugger takes 5-10 seconds to start the first time2022-01-28
Project files rewritten differently per version, causing merge conflictsUnreviewed
20082026- Storyboards and XIBs bog down the editor and create huge XML blobs that are hard to version control2024-02-04
- Project file is hard to work with; files get accidentally removed from groups and merge conflicts pile up2020-12-15
- Storyboard files make git merges almost impossible for teams2020-02-22
Too many separate windows clutter the IDE workflowUnreviewed
20082026- IDEs launch with many windows open by default, leaving users lost2022-01-17
- Constantly having to juggle windows and panes that other IDEs handle automatically2021-09-22
- Can't get the IDE to put windows where they belong and remember them2017-12-29
Older Xcode versions hard to find; only link incompatibleUnreviewed
20082026- Older Swift projects won't run on the latest Xcode version2022-12-09
- Xcode refuses to compile, forcing older Xcode versions and hardware2022-04-29
- Must reinstall Xcode after every macOS upgrade just to compile Node binaries2020-06-18
No easy way to change build settings; must hunt for themUnreviewed
20082026- No easy way to change build settings; must hunt through the UI to find them2025-07-27
- Important build settings silently moved under User-Defined with no explanation2025-01-23
- Docs say to go to build settings without showing how, making it hard to find anything2023-04-30
Slow builds, tests and debugging; out-of-date errors shownUnreviewed
20082026- Compiles are slow and error alerts are hard to rely on2025-08-29
- Slow builds, tests and debugging; out-of-date errors shown in the IDE2021-12-16
- IDE features beyond build-and-run don't work reliably and debugging is miserable2017-05-10
IDEs too slow to open to be used as default editorUnreviewed
20082026- Slow, broken, undocumented file formats make the IDE painful to use2021-04-25
- Makes developers manually add imports that the IDE could add itself2013-03-12
- Described as a horrible IDE, forcing use of a second editor for basic tasks2013-03-02
Tabs, split editor and error display are confusing and hard to navigateUnreviewed
20082026- Navigator and tabs don't behave like other software, making it unusable as an editor2026-02-03
- Many UX problems: can't move navigator windows, truncated warnings, tiny fonts, cluttered debugger2015-11-11
- Tabs, split editor and error display are confusing, truncated and hard to navigate2011-03-23
Signing settings randomly forgotten, forcing re-troubleshootingUnreviewed
20082026- Randomly forgets signing settings and breaks, forcing re-troubleshooting each time2024-01-05
- Test runners fail with random code signing dialogs on CI nodes2021-05-05
- Signing breaks for mysterious reasons, especially when switching between older projects2017-08-02
Project settings break, error messages cryptic, no jump-to-errorUnreviewed
20082026- Corrupted its own project or preferences so it crashes on launch2026-02-01
- Giant piles of settings specified in multiple places; projects easily corrupted beyond recovery2023-10-26
- Project settings break, and error messages are cryptic with no jump-to-error2011-09-19
Out-of-date warnings inconsistent, fix requires hunting onlineUnreviewed
20082026- Console is flooded with meaningless warnings that hide real errors2025-02-25
- Inconsistent out-of-date warnings, then hunting online for the fix2023-11-02
- Undocumented non-fatal warnings and errors make it hard to tell what matters2020-12-28
Blind developer finds building UI in Xcode nearly impossibleUnreviewed
20082026- Drag-and-drop UI building is unusable for a legally blind developer2023-07-09
- Xcode is very bad for blind users compared to Apple's kids coding app2019-03-14
- Blind developer finds it nearly impossible to build a UI in Xcode2017-05-16
Each update requires small changes to get apps building againUnreviewed
20082026- Can't tell why Xcode downloads and installs updates twice2023-08-21
- Must download huge Xcode and updates just to compile an app2021-04-30
- Each Xcode update requires small changes to get the app building again2015-12-03
Builds fail randomly with unclear error messagesUnreviewed
20082026- Builds often fail, forcing manual cache cleaning and restarts to get working2026-08-05
- Typing lag and builds failing with phantom errors fixed only by clean rebuild2024-01-31
- Builds are slow and fail randomly with unclear error messages2022-08-31
Features break unpredictably, forcing Xcode restartsUnreviewed
20082026- Slow, buggy daily; features stop working until Xcode is killed or derived data removed2023-01-28
- Features break unpredictably, forcing users to restart Xcode to get them working2013-07-30
- Features moved, replaced or hidden deep away, so users used to Xcode 3 can't find them2011-09-20
Installer hangs at end with no sign of progressUnreviewed
20082026- Installation gets stuck at 99% for hours, repeatedly across machines2022-06-01
- Install button does nothing after a reboot interrupts the download, with no progress shown2012-05-15
- Installer hangs at the end and the window gives no sign of progress2011-07-21
Connecting GUI widgets to code feels unintuitiveUnreviewed
20082026- Mixing GUI and code makes it hard to learn how to do things2022-08-07
- Connecting UI gadgets to code via ctrl+click is neither discoverable nor intuitive2022-01-17
- Connecting GUI widgets to code is a headache and feels unintuitive to the commenter2012-04-17
A second display is practically useless in Xcode 4Unreviewed
20082026- Can't keep Xcode windows on separate desktops like before, making small screens frustrating2012-07-12
- Xcode 4 is a little painful to use on a small screen2012-04-04
- Xcode 4 slows the developer down and makes a second display practically useless2011-10-30
Editor takes 20-60 seconds to recover after syntax errorsUnreviewed
20082026- Editor waits about five seconds for the parser on partial code before showing errors2023-05-30
- Takes 20-60 seconds to recover after syntax errors, making editing painfully slow2023-01-28
- Syntax error notifications take tens of seconds to update, confusing the user2017-01-18
Auto layout setups hard to maintain and revisitUnreviewed
20082026- UI builder is very annoying for non-standard layouts2015-12-16
- Auto layout setups become a hard-to-maintain mess that's difficult to revisit later2014-09-17
- Auto Layout designs fail to build and need hacking the XML to work2014-06-15
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Code signing requires cryptic plists, certificates and keys that make the workflow hard to get through2026-11-03
- Setting up Xcode and an Apple developer account for the first time is a hostile, painful experience2026-10-28
- Build cruft silently fills the disk, and finding and clearing it is hard without knowing where it hides2026-10-24
- Xcode feels janky and its documentation is lacking2026-10-22
- Setting up a new project required a painful onboarding workflow assuming a business, now simplified2026-10-09
- Simulator behaves differently from device, so bugs only appear on-device and are hard to diagnose2026-08-29
- Xcode is very slow and hangs and crashes even on small example projects2026-08-10
- Developers must buy a Mac and use Xcode, with simulator behaviour differing from real devices2026-08-10
- Too many opaque project files that the author can't read or understand2026-08-06
- Derived data must be deleted and the project reopened too often2026-08-05
- Builds often fail, forcing manual cache cleaning and restarts to get working2026-08-05
- Cryptic compile failures that don't say where the misuse is2026-08-04
- Constant bugs, inconsistent behavior, and broken builds with each new release2026-07-25
- App freezes, goes out of sync, and has long delays opening storyboards or hitting breakpoints2026-07-14
- Selecting iCloud during project setup blocks you behind a $99 paid fee, forcing a restart2026-07-14
- Enabling developer mode on the iPhone was a crazy, convoluted process2026-07-14
- Defaults to git checkout for local packages; a hidden drag-and-drop workaround is needed2026-07-13
- Interface feels janky and laggy when interacting with it2026-06-22
- The agent interface in Xcode is hard to use2026-06-13
- Comment calls Apple software abysmal and says writing code in Xcode is worse than using nano2026-04-20
- Switching to Xcode means losing familiar JetBrains keyboard shortcuts2026-04-08
- App launches under on-device debugging take about 20 extra seconds every time2026-03-04
- Too many floating windows to drag around, open, close and switch between2026-02-08
- Xcode takes a long time to load, making the user wait2026-02-04
- Xcode keeps reassigning itself as default app for many file types2026-02-04
- Live preview is temperamental and crashes so often it is barely usable2026-02-04
- Slow launch and it hijacks .json and .xml file associations, so plain text viewing is painful2026-02-03
- Pairing the Apple Watch with Xcode is frustratingly hard to get working2026-02-03
- Built-in agentic coding integration feels clunky and slow to use2026-02-03
- Debugger sessions take 10+ seconds to start and step sluggishly2026-02-03
- Variables pane often fails to display any variables when stopped at breakpoints2026-02-03
- Property panel missing common options and Cmd-Z crashes the IDE on big changes2026-02-03
- Local changes silently lost when a pull hits a conflict2026-02-03
- Builds fail until developer manually accepts new Apple Developer agreement in browser2026-02-03
- Xcode still takes about 10 seconds to load2026-02-03
- Navigator and tabs don't behave like other software, making it unusable as an editor2026-02-03
- AI features placed in left sidebar where users don't expect them, confusing layout2026-02-03
- One bug made the AI agent feature in Xcode 26.2 unusable2026-02-03
- Developer finds Xcode unenjoyable to work in, with quirks that make it not great2026-02-01
- Corrupted its own project or preferences so it crashes on launch2026-02-01
- Developer finds Xcode hard to get along with, and Apple's frameworks have poor documentation2026-01-28
- Xcode feels sluggish, its app upload is broken, and its config files are hard to work with2026-01-04
- Debugger shows std::string as empty and containers as unreadable2025-12-09
- Xcode freezes and hangs, and profiling often refuses to capture non-trivial workloads2025-12-08
- Hard to use, slow, broken, and undocumented; painful to work with2025-09-24
- Menus are completely impossible to figure out2025-09-24
- Took a year to figure out most settings screens2025-09-22
- Autocomplete lags and builds are slow, making the IDE frustrating to use2025-09-22
- Took nights of hurdles, missing imports and forced upgrades to publish an app2025-09-22
- Settings screens are hard to find and keep moving between releases2025-09-22