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Where is Objective C used?

Author

Michael Gray

Updated on June 15, 2026

Objective-C is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language that adds Smalltalk-style messaging to the C programming language. This is the main programming language used by Apple for the OS X and iOS operating systems and their respective APIs, Cocoa and Cocoa Touch.

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Moreover, what is Objective C written in?

Syntax. Objective-C is a thin layer atop C and is a "strict superset" of C, meaning that it is possible to compile any C program with an Objective-C compiler and to freely include C language code within an Objective-C class. Objective-C derives its object syntax from Smalltalk.

Secondly, what is Objective C good for? About Objective-C. Objective-C is the primary programming language you use when writing software for OS X and iOS. It also adds language-level support for object graph management and object literals while providing dynamic typing and binding, deferring many responsibilities until runtime.

Correspondingly, what is Objective C similar to?

Objective-C was created under the influence of two other programming languages: C and Smalltalk. This is why it has such a complicated, verbose syntax. It derives its object syntax from Smalltalk, while syntax for non-object-oriented operations is the same as in C. Objective-C uses dynamic typing and message passing.

Is Objective C still used?

Countless developers still use Objective-C. Swift, by contrast, first appeared in 2014. That's only 3 years ago. While many programming languages were used, Objective-C was by far the main language at Apple, dating back to 1996 (when NeXT was acquired).

Related Question Answers

Should I learn Objective C or Swift?

One of the modern aspects of Swift is that it is easier to read and write than Objective-C. So to summarize, learning and understanding the basics of programming, which is the first step in your journey to learn iPhone development is easier in Swift.

What is the difference between Objective C and C?

Objective-C is a general-purpose, high-level, object-oriented programming language. It adds Smalltalk-style messaging to the C programming language. Objective C adds syntax and semantics that allows for object oriented programming. Objective C is object oriented programming whereas, C is procedural programming.

Is Objective C hard?

Brent Simmons, a prominent Mac and iOS developer, describes it well: Objective-C looks hard because of the [ and ] syntax and all those words. Aside from its funny-looking syntax, Objective-C is an easier language for beginner developers to learn.

What is the difference between Objective C and C++?

While they are both rooted in C, they are two completely different languages. A major difference is that Objective-C is focused on runtime-decisions for dispatching and heavily depends on its runtime library to handle inheritance and polymorphism, while in C++ the focus usually lies on static, compile time, decisions.

Is C object oriented?

C is not object oriented language. C is a general-purpose, imperative language, supporting structured programming. Because C isn't object oriented therefore C++ came into existence in order to have OOPs feature and OOP is a programming language model organized around objects.

What is C used for?

C is highly portable and is used for scripting system applications which form a major part of Windows, UNIX, and Linux operating system. C is a general-purpose programming language and can efficiently work on enterprise applications, games, graphics, and applications requiring calculations, etc.

What is the difference between C and C++?

The major difference between C and C++ is that C is a procedural programming language and does not support classes and objects, while C++ is a combination of both procedural and object oriented programming language; therefore C++ can be called a hybrid language.

Is Swift faster than C?

Fast. Swift was built with performance in mind. Not only does its simple syntax and hand-holding help you develop faster, it also lives up to its name: as stated on apple.com, Swift is 2.6x faster than Objective-C and 8.4x faster than Python.

Will Objective C become obsolete?

Programming in Objective-C will not become obsolete any time soon because, thanks to its 20 years of existence, it has a large code base, a number of apps maintained, and third-party framework with Objective-C at its core. This is the only reason why Objective-C is better than Swift to some extent.

Should I learn C or C++ or C#?

If the coder is familiar with Java or C++, it's very easy to move on to C#. However, moving from C# to C++ is likely more difficult for a C# developer because it's a much more low-level language. This is just one reason C++ is considered a more difficult language to learn in the development world.

What is the latest version of Objective C?

The latest version of objective C is 2.0. I can't find any single website for the language, but Wikipedia article contains significant information with external links. The Objective-C Programming Language is considered the homepage for this language. You may also be interested in language variants section at Wikipedia.

Should I learn Java or Swift?

E.g. Server side programming is totally dominated by Java, so if you want to do that, then learn Java. It is also used on Android so if you want to do Android development Java is a good choice. Swift is heavily used on iOS and OSX development, but is only gradually expanding outside.

Who made Objective C?

Brad Cox

Is Swift similar to C++?

Swift has some similarities to C++ but Swift is very much different from C++, from syntax to scope and to type declaration and much more. But the programming paradigm is similar to C++, Object-oriented programming language. Both of these languages support objects, classes for your applications.

Is Objective C Dead 2019?

In any case, until Apple completely revamps both iOS and MacOS with Swift as the preferred language used for iOS app development, Objective-C will still be in demand which means that it will still be around for at least the next 5 years and probably longer.

Is Objective C dying?

So no, ObjC is not dying. Objective-C has become so synonymous with Apple that it's easy to forget that it was created independently by Brad Cox and Tom Love at Stepstone. It is supported directly by clang/llvm and gcc and can be used to write portable software that can be compiled for many environments.

Is C# better than C++?

C# is better than C++ because it is Pure Object Oriented Language. C# has a huge standard library with so much useful stuff that's well-implemented and easy to use. Net framework for Microsoft's C# which makes programming easier. While in C++, you have to do everything on your own.