All App Updates Must Be Built With iOS 11 SDK and Include iPhone X Display Support Starting in July

[MacRumors]

Apple today informed developers that starting in July of 2018, all app updates submitted to the iOS App Store must be built with the iOS 11 SDK and must offer support for the iPhone X's taller display.

Introduced in back in September, the iOS 11 SDK includes new technologies for app developers like Core ML, ARKit, revamped camera APIs, additional SiriKit domains, drag and drop features for the iPad, and more.

Going forward, iOS apps will need to adopt these technologies, and more importantly, Apple will be forcing developers who have not yet implemented support for the new display of the iPhone X to do so. While most major apps have added support for the iPhone X, there are still many apps that have not been updated and continue to have ugly black bars when used on the iPhone X.

This includes some Apple apps, such as iTunes Connect, iTunes Remote, Beats Pill+, Music Memos, and AirPort Utility, so presumably Apple will be updating its own apps with full iPhone X support in the near future given the new guidelines.

iOS 11 delivers innovative features and the redesigned App Store to hundreds of millions of customers around the world. Your apps can deliver more intelligent, unified, and immersive experiences with Core ML, ARKit, new camera APIs, new SiriKit domains, Apple Music integration, drag and drop for iPad, and more. Starting July 2018, all iOS app updates submitted to the App Store must be built with the iOS 11 SDK and must support the Super Retina display of iPhone X.

Apple's requirement for app updates to introduce iPhone X support will be implemented just a few months ahead of the launch of new 2018 iPhones that will be similar in design to the existing iPhone X. Apple is rumored to be working on three phones: a 5.8-inch OLED device that's a successor to the iPhone X, a 6.5-inch OLED device that can be thought of as a sort of "iPhone X Plus," and a 6.1-inch LCD iPhone that will have a lower price tag.

Apple in April began requiring all new apps to be built with the iOS 11 SDK and with support for the iPhone X's display.

Article Link: All App Updates Must Be Built With iOS 11 SDK and Include iPhone X Display Support Starting in July

 

[twinlight]

Wow. Harsh for developers, great for us users!

 

[jonblatho]

Good. If you follow best practices in developing your iOS app, it takes on the order of seconds.

 

[bwillwall]

Makes sense to me, nobody should be actively developing for a platform when they don't support their newest devices this long after launch.

 

[martyjmclean]

Finally! The apps I use that aren’t iPhone X optimised probably aren’t being updated anyway, though.

 

[BB8]

Wow. Harsh for developers, great for us users!

They'll have had 9 months to update, what's harsh about that?

 

[dfstock]

I can't wait for Inbox by google to fill up the top portion of my iphone x. I think its the last app by google not to support iphone x.

 

[twinlight]

They'll have had 9 months to update, what's harsh about that?

Probably a lot of apps out there developed and mostly never updated or rarely updated. Now they will never be updated.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I can see another rapture of apps in a few years. If an app doesn't meet this requirement, it is removed.

 

[chrono1081]

Wow. Harsh for developers, great for us users!

Harsh for ****** developers. The rest of us have had it supported since release.

 

[dwaltwhit]

Many will complain, and some perhaps rightfully so, but this is what keeps Apple in the position it is in in the mobile phone market.

 

[stoopkidblues]

Happy this is happening but can see why this sucks for the smaller developers and why they probably wont bother with it.

Big names should have already done this but how can Apple enforce something they haven’t done themselves?

Maybe it’s those “slimmer notch” rumors?

 

[vmachiel]

I can see another rapture of apps in a few years. If an app doesn't meet this requirement, it is removed.

They do this every year around that time.

 

[jonnysods]

Hey, good news. Some of the older apps are making me crazy. Such a waste of a pretty screen!

 

[Scooz]

Anybody knows what that means for backwards compatibility? What older iOS versions can be served with that SDK? 9+?

 

[daveak]

Anybody knows what that means for backwards compatibility? What older iOS versions can be served with that SDK? 9+?

8.0

 

[Scooz]

8.0

Thanks.

 

[NoBoMac]

Isn't this a bit old news? I thought Apple already put out this warning some months back?

But, yes, good for X owners: finally get the slow adopter developers to get off their butts.

 

[Will.O.Bie]

Sorry notch haters, looks like that's here to stay moving forward. Also, looks like they are confirming the phase out of the bezels from the current line up, which corroborates the rumor of the future iPhone X line.

 

[JGIGS]

Alright Google time to either update the inbox app for the iphone X or get rid of it and bring those features to the Gmail app like they have done for the web app version.

 

[dan9700]

Copilot sat nat and SKY Q need to act there game up 7 months and still waiting

 

[JediZenMaster]

Good Apple! Throw those lazy butt devs out who refuse to upgrade those apps. In fact ban them for good especially if they have other apps already optimized or ask for an explanation as to why.

 

[waterskier2007]

Maybe Apple should update their own developer-focused iTunes Connect app to support iPhone X. I'm all on board for them to enforce this on developers, but perhaps they should lead the way.

edit: did not see that this was mentioned in the article

 

[hollersoft]

Isn't this a bit old news? I thought Apple already put out this warning some months back?

But, yes, good for X owners: finally get the slow adopter developers to get off their butts.

They may have warned that they would do this at some unspecified date, and may have had this requirement for *new* apps. This news is about app *updates* specifically.

It also means the end of support for iPhone 4 and earlier, since the Xcode version that includes the iOS 11 SDK doesn’t allow a deployment target earlier than iOS 8. If you have customers still using those devices, they’re SOL.

 

[Trik]

There are apps that have been updated but not specifically for iPhone X... Hearthstone comes to mind. I have a feeling Blizzard will just make the background bigger on the iPhone X though to make it easier on themselves.