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Apple Requiring All New Apps and App Updates to be Built With iOS 12 SDK by March 2019

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Apple today asked developers to begin submitting apps that take advantage of new features in iOS 12, watchOS 5, tvOS 12, and macOS Mojave ahead of the upcoming launch of the new software updates.
You can now submit apps that take advantage of the powerful new capabilities in the next release of iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Build your apps using Xcode 10 GM seed, test with the latest releases of iOS 12, watchOS 5, and tvOS 12, and submit them for review.
Click to expand...
According to Apple, all new apps and app updates for iPhone, including universal apps, will be need to be built with the iOS 12 SDK and will need to include support for the iPhone XS Max starting in March 2019.

All new apps and app updates for Apple Watch will need to be built with the watchOS 5 SDK and will need to support Apple Watch Series 4 by the same date.

Apple plans to release iOS 12, watchOS 5, tvOS 12, and new software for the HomePod on Monday, September 17. Apple will release macOS Mojave a week later on Monday, September 24.

Article Link: Apple Requiring All New Apps and App Updates to be Built With iOS 12 SDK by March 2019
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/12/apple-ios-12-sdk-required-march-2019/
S

stoopkidblues

macrumors 6502
Mar 21, 2014
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ajgraves said:
There are still apps that are not updated for the original X... how about they start enforcing there?
Click to expand...

Wasn’t the initial deadline like July 2018 or something?? How I understood it was any apps submitted/updated after July would have to support the X (which I know isn’t the case as even Apple *just* updated a few of their own) but maybe they wanted to wait until 12 was live to truly enforce it.
 
HiVolt

HiVolt

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Sep 29, 2008
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ajgraves said:
There are still apps that are not updated for the original X... how about they start enforcing there?
Click to expand...

There are still apps that scale the resolution from the 4" phones (5/5s) to the iPhone 6/7/8's, and the apps are regularly updated.

It's a major pisser for me for a few apps that I use regularly that still haven't upgraded to even the 6/7/8 resolutions, much less the X.

I wonder if that will finally force them to make the apps scale properly on all larger phones.
 
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Labeno

Labeno

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Jul 21, 2008
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After that date, I won't be surprised if the number of active iOS apps drops from I think 2 million, to about 100,000. Tim Cook once said in an excited voice "over 10% of apps are download every month", which implies 90% are never really downloaded. If apps are never downloaded, devs have no incentive to update.
 
az431

az431

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ajgraves said:
There are still apps that are not updated for the original X... how about they start enforcing there?
Click to expand...

This applies to new apps and app updates. Apple is not going to require existing apps to be resubmitted to support the X, XS, or any other new phone.
[doublepost=1536810195][/doublepost]
Labeno said:
After that date, I won't be surprised if the number of active iOS apps drops from I think 2 million, to about 100,000. Tim Cook once said in an excited voice "over 10% of apps are download every month", which implies 90% are never really downloaded. If apps are never downloaded, devs have no incentive to update.
Click to expand...

Read the article. This applies to new apps and updates to existing apps.
[doublepost=1536810268][/doublepost]
stoopkidblues said:
Wasn’t the initial deadline like July 2018 or something?? How I understood it was any apps submitted/updated after July would have to support the X (which I know isn’t the case as even Apple *just* updated a few of their own) but maybe they wanted to wait until 12 was live to truly enforce it.
Click to expand...

Again. Requirement covers NEW apps and UPDATES to existing apps. Developers are not required to modify existing apps to support the X, XS, etc.
[doublepost=1536810301][/doublepost]
dontwalkhand said:
Will this mean all the apps will finally fit the iPhone X Screen? I am looking at you public transit and other government apps!
Click to expand...

No.
[doublepost=1536810331][/doublepost]
jayducharme said:
I hope this doesn't mean that another batch of older apps is set to become obsolete if they're not updated. I've already lost enough of them.
Click to expand...

No. See above.
 
PierJes

PierJes

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Mar 21, 2016
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MacRumors said:



appstorelogoclean.jpg
Apple today asked developers to begin submitting apps that take advantage of new features in iOS 12, watchOS 5, tvOS 12, and macOS Mojave ahead of the upcoming launch of the new software updates.According to Apple, all new apps and app updates for iPhone, including universal apps, will be need to be built with the iOS 12 SDK and will need to include support for the iPhone XS Max starting in March 2019.
Click to expand...

That's just great.
Half the apps I own has been forsaken by their developers.
They don't bother updating anymore. They don't even answer inquiries.

Will that mean Apple will get rid of them ?
Will the app run on iOS 12 anyhow ?
I suspect we will be on the losing end....
 
M

MandiMac

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Feb 25, 2012
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PierJes said:
That's just great.
Half the apps I own has been forsaken by their developers.
They don't bother updating anymore. They don't even answer inquiries.

Will that mean Apple will get rid of them ?
Will the app run on iOS 12 anyhow ?
I suspect we will be on the losing end....
Click to expand...
If a developer decides to abandon his/her app, unfortunately we already have lost.
 
M

MandiMac

macrumors 65816
Feb 25, 2012
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Labeno said:
After that date, I won't be surprised if the number of active iOS apps drops from I think 2 million, to about 100,000. Tim Cook once said in an excited voice "over 10% of apps are download every month", which implies 90% are never really downloaded. If apps are never downloaded, devs have no incentive to update.
Click to expand...
But why? All 2 million are still available, up and running. They‘re simply not optimised for your device. I still need to see a source of how many apps are staying in the 32-bit era.
 
gnasher729

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stoopkidblues said:
Wasn’t the initial deadline like July 2018 or something?? How I understood it was any apps submitted/updated after July would have to support the X (which I know isn’t the case as even Apple *just* updated a few of their own) but maybe they wanted to wait until 12 was live to truly enforce it.
Click to expand...
Different things. One deadline for "support the iPhone X". Which you can do just fine with iOS 11 (and slightly hacked with the iOS 10 SDK, but that will likely break with iPhone Max). Another deadline for "use the iOS 12 SDK". Which means there may be UI changes, say if iOS 12 displays buttons different from iOS 11.
 
S

stoopkidblues

macrumors 6502
Mar 21, 2014
419
254
az431 said:
This applies to new apps and app updates. Apple is not going to require existing apps to be resubmitted to support the X, XS, or any other new phone.
[doublepost=1536810195][/doublepost]

Read the article. This applies to new apps and updates to existing apps.
[doublepost=1536810268][/doublepost]

Again. Requirement covers NEW apps and UPDATES to existing apps. Developers are not required to modify existing apps to support the X, XS, etc.
[doublepost=1536810301][/doublepost]

No.
[doublepost=1536810331][/doublepost]

No. See above.
Click to expand...

I said updates to the apps that already exist, meaning I thought when developers submitted an update it HAD to include support for the X. To me, support means scaling to fit the entire screen, etc. not just using the iOS 11/12 sdk, right? Like if they have to build the apps using the new SDK wouldn’t (or I guess shouldn’t) developers have to scale their apps accordingly?? This sounds like the iPhone 4 retina issue and iPhone 6+ scaling issue all over again *screams internally*

gnasher729 said:
Different things. One deadline for "support the iPhone X". Which you can do just fine with iOS 11 (and slightly hacked with the iOS 10 SDK, but that will likely break with iPhone Max). Another deadline for "use the iOS 12 SDK". Which means there may be UI changes, say if iOS 12 displays buttons different from iOS 11.
Click to expand...

Ahhh okay. So this is to just to ensure support for something like say Shortcuts app? Just to make sure it works with iOS 12 not necessarily the UI? I thought they’d be basically intertwined as you need to use the iOS 12 SDK which kinda means you need to scale and make sure your app(s) support the larger screens (X, XS and Max)?
 
az431

az431

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thejadedmonkey said:
Can the iOS 12 SDK target iOS 10 or iOS 11, or does this mean that anyone not running iOS 12 is not going to be able to get app updates?
Click to expand...

That's not what it means. The developer decides which OS versions to target when compiling the app. We generally don't target more than two iOS versions older than the current iOS version (iOS 10), but some developers are going back as far as iOS 8.

If the developer stops supporting an iOS version you will not receive any further app updates.
[doublepost=1536858824][/doublepost]
stoopkidblues said:
I said updates to the apps that already exist, meaning I thought when developers submitted an update it HAD to include support for the X. To me, support means scaling to fit the entire screen, etc. not just using the iOS 11/12 sdk, right? Like if they have to build the apps using the new SDK wouldn’t (or I guess shouldn’t) developers have to scale their apps accordingly?? This sounds like the iPhone 4 retina issue and iPhone 6+ scaling issue all over again *screams internally*



Ahhh okay. So this is to just to ensure support for something like say Shortcuts app? Just to make sure it works with iOS 12 not necessarily the UI? I thought they’d be basically intertwined as you need to use the iOS 12 SDK which kinda means you need to scale and make sure your app(s) support the larger screens (X, XS and Max)?
Click to expand...

Building the app with the iOS 12 SDK means compiling the code to upload to Apple, nothing more. There is no requirement that a developer scale their apps or adapt their UI for newer devices, though if there was a major issue it would be flagged on app review.
 
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