JUCE 6.1 released - Includes accessibility support

The JUCE team have announced the release of JUCE 6.1, which provides numerous updates focused upon the introduction of accessibility support and the adoption of new platform and plug-in SDK features.

JUCE 6.1 is available now from the JUCE public repository or downloads page.

Accessibility Support

JUCE-based software is now navigable by the native accessibility frameworks on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android. This system integration increases your software's usability and widens your potential user base to a valuable section of society. Software built on top of JUCE 6.1 is accessible by default.

VST3 Plug-in Extensions

JUCE's VST3 backend has been redesigned, offering greater compatibility with the VST3 specification and enabling access to VST3-specific extensions. Plug-in developers can now access a much richer interface to any DAWs that provide their own set of extensions, such as those published by PreSonus, Cockos and others.

New MIDI APIs on macOS 11 and iOS 14

JUCE now uses Apple's new MIDI APIs when running on the most recent Apple platforms. This development paves the way for broader MIDI 2.0 support across the JUCE framework as other platforms publish MIDI 2.0 APIs.

OpenGL function loading

OpenGL functions and constants are now generated from the OpenGL Registry, providing access to much more of the OpenGL API and low-friction source compatibility with GL code written in C or C++.

macOS 12 and iOS 15 Compatibility

JUCE 6.1 supports macOS Monterey and iOS 15.

New Xcode Build System

Xcode projects created using the Projucer will now use the most recent Xcode build system.

Lots more foundational framework improvements

The JUCE team have implemented new async alternatives to all functions requiring modal loops, and overhauled the inter-process communication (IPC) classes. They've also tightened up the CoreGraphics invalidation regions, made the container classes interoperable with the standard library, and implemented many more minor features and bug fixes. You can see the whole list of changes here.