Home
Apps
Apps News
Apple Acquires Rabbit 3 Times, Developer of 2025 Apple Design Award Winning 'Play' App

Apple Acquires Rabbit 3 Times, Developer of 2025 Apple Design Award-Winning 'Play' App

The deal surfaced through a European Commission filing published after the mandatory waiting period under the Digital Markets Act.

Written by Sucharita Ganguly, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 30 June 2026 12:27 IST

Apple Acquires Rabbit 3 Times, Developer of 2025 Apple Design Award-Winning 'Play' App

Photo Credit: Apple

Play won the 2025 Apple Design Award for Innovation

Click Here to Add Gadgets360 As A Trusted Source

Highlights

Apple could bring Play technology to Xcode
Apple gains the option to hire Play app employees
Rabbit 3 Times developed SwiftUI prototyping tools

Apple has reportedly acquired key assets of Rabbit 3 Times, the company behind the Play app that won the Innovation category at the 2025 Apple Design Awards. The agreement also gives Apple the option to hire some of the company's employees. Details of the deal have emerged through a recent European regulatory disclosure, while the Play app has already disappeared from the App Store. Apple has not disclosed how it intends to use the acquired assets.

Apple Picks Up Award-Winning Play App in Latest Acquisition

A MacRumors spotted a transaction in a filing published by the European Commission this week. Apple notified the regulator in February that it would acquire certain assets from Rabbit 3 Times and secure the right to recruit selected employees. The disclosure became public after the four-month waiting period required under the European Union's Digital Markets Act.

Apple Discussion

Explore More...

Play was available on Mac and iPhone, helping developers and designers build interactive app prototypes using Apple's SwiftUI framework. It also allowed projects to be transferred to Xcode for further development.

Future Google, Apple and Xiaomi Phones Could Support50W Wireless Charging

In 2025, Play won the Innovation category at the Apple Design Awards. Apple recognised the software for helping developers create interactive SwiftUI prototypes while supporting collaboration between Mac and iPhone through real-time synchronisation.

Following the acquisition, Play is no longer available for download from the App Store. Rabbit 3 Times had previously announced that support for its Mac and iPhone apps would end on April 20, 2026. Before discontinuing its services, the company also made its Play to Xcode export feature free to ease the transition for existing users. Its website was later taken offline after announcing that it was working on a new project.

The report says Apple has not revealed its plans for the acquired technology. However, the intellectual property could eventually be incorporated into Xcode or other developer tools.

iPhone 18, iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2 Display Specifications Leaked

Notably, Rabbit 3 Times was founded in 2021 and developed software to design, prototype, and generate SwiftUI code in real time for iOS and macOS applications.

Comments

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Further reading: Apple, Play app, Rabbit 3 Times, Apple Design Awards, Apple Design Award 2025

Sucharita Ganguly

Email Sucharita Ganguly

Sucharita is a writer with Gadgets 360 and is mostly found playing with her cat in her free time. She has previously worked at breaking news desks across organizations. Powered by coffee, The Beatles, Bowie, and her newfound love for BTS, she aims to work towards contributing to a better media environment for women and queer folk. More