Figma ships code layers, animation tools and more AI in platform update

Figma has rolled out a platform update adding code layers, native animation support and additional artificial intelligence features, according to TechCrunch. The release lands as the design platform continues to merge prototyping, developer handoff and motion work into a single editor.

What changes in the workflow?

Code layers position Figma closer to a production markup environment. The pattern lets designers define structural and semantic properties — class names, component tokens, accessibility attributes — directly on a Figma frame, so that the file an engineer opens in Dev Mode resembles the codebase the component will enter. For teams that today route design through inspection plugins, the shift moves a routine translation step into the authoring environment itself.

Animation support brings keyframed motion into Figma's prototyping layer. Designers author easing curves, trigger conditions and transition timing in the same canvas they use for static layouts, removing the round trip through dedicated tools for simple component motion. The trade-off is a narrower motion vocabulary, paired with a shorter handoff.

The added AI features extend Figma's earlier model integrations, which already covered layout suggestion, asset manipulation and content generation. TechCrunch's coverage does not enumerate the new additions; designers should consult Figma's release notes for model names, input limits and output formats before adopting the tools in client deliverables.

What does this change for product teams?

The practical question for a design team of three to six practitioners is whether the update reduces the hours spent between design approval and merge. Code layers address that gap at the inspection stage. Animations address it at the prototyping stage. AI features address it at the production stage, when designers assemble variant sets and clean up naming.

For a team already using third-party animation or inspection plugins, the update introduces overlap rather than displacement. For a team working in Figma alone, the update introduces a default where none existed. Adoption in either case depends on how Figma documents the output and how it handles existing files.

Where the update intersects existing standards

Code layers raise a documentation question for regulated work. Designers in financial, healthcare or government contexts should require written confirmation that exported markup preserves ARIA roles, focus order and design-token mapping, since those properties determine whether a production build passes an accessibility audit. The specifics of what Figma exports and what it preserves remain outside TechCrunch's coverage and warrant review against the platform's own release notes.

Animation support raises a parallel question about reduced-motion handling. WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.3.3 requires a mechanism to disable non-essential motion triggered by user interaction; designers prototyping the new animation features should configure a prefers-reduced-motion fallback before client review.

What to watch next

Three signals will show whether the update moves the broader design-tool market. First, whether Figma publishes a migration path for files produced under the previous prototyping model. Second, whether competitors ship comparable code-layer semantics in upcoming releases, which would compress the differentiation Figma currently holds. Third, whether enterprise procurement teams begin listing code layers as a baseline requirement in new design-tool requests for proposals, which would tighten the floor across the category.

Tom Whitfield reports on design tooling and interface standards for Interface Wire.