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Mac App Store Apps Can Now Drop Support for Intel Macs

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Apple today informed developers that universal Mac App Store apps that require macOS 13 or later can remove support for Intel-based Mac computers.

intel-macs-no-more-updates.jpg

We're reaching out to let you know that universal macOS apps on the Mac App Store that require macOS 13 or later can now remove support for Intel-based Mac computers.

By removing support for Intel-based Mac computers, you can simplify your development and optimize your download and on-device size.
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Apps that drop Intel support will no longer deliver updates for those machines, but Intel Mac users will be able to keep using the last compatible version of an app. Apple did not previously allow Mac App Store apps with Intel compatibility to drop support.

macOS Tahoe is the last version of macOS that will run on Intel-based Macs. macOS Golden Gate is limited to Apple silicon Macs with an M1 chip or later.

Apple is also phasing out support for Rosetta 2, the feature that lets Intel-based apps run on Apple silicon Macs. Rosetta will stop working for most apps after macOS Golden Gate, and apps that use it won't launch. Apple is making an exception for some older unmaintained gaming titles that rely on Intel-based frameworks.

Article Link: Mac App Store Apps Can Now Drop Support for Intel Macs
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/09/01/mac-app-store-intel-mac-support/
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The Intel era was great for a while.
The transition was handled very smoothly, we got more power, Win on Mac, less niche hardware, Steam with so many games.

Then AMD stopped being a proper competitor, Intel got lazy and released stagnating updates, the world moved toward laptops, ARM got really good.

My M1 Mac Mini is still incredible, but I miss a lot of things from the Intel era.
 
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Zapski said:
Why do they do this? The code is done, no updates have been made to my knowledge and they can just leave it in. Ugh.
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People have forgotten how fast PowerPC lost the support. I'm surprised Intel Macs were supported for so long. You pretty much knew 6 years ago that it was over for Intel.
Imagine those who bought Mac Pro in 2005 and by 2009 support was gone and by 2011 security updates were gone.
PowerPC to Intel switch was way faster.
 
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The sheer number of apps on my Mac that prompt the Intel warning message tells me that Golden Gate is going to have to wait a while before I upgrade. I had no idea how many apps still run via Rosetta. And I still don't...until...

Okay - I just found a $.99 app that detects all of them

Out of 262 apps - 67 are Intel only. Crap!

C'mon Developers - Please!?!
 
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anakin44011 said:
The sheer number of apps on my Mac that prompt the Intel warning message tells me that Golden Gate is going to have to wait a while before I upgrade. I had no idea how many apps still run via Rosetta. And I still don't...until...

Okay - I just found a $.99 app that detects all of them

Out of 262 apps - 67 are Intel only. Crap!

C'mon Developers - Please!?!
Click to expand...
For the record, Golden Gate still supports Intel apps. It’s the operating system that comes after that will not.
Also, Golden Gate has a built-in utility to see all of the Intel apps
 
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anakin44011 said:
The sheer number of apps on my Mac that prompt the Intel warning message tells me that Golden Gate is going to have to wait a while before I upgrade. I had no idea how many apps still run via Rosetta. And I still don't...until...

Okay - I just found a $.99 app that detects all of them

Out of 262 apps - 67 are Intel only. Crap!

C'mon Developers - Please!?!
Click to expand...
Saberon2014 said:
Free app here to check https://github.com/DigiDNA/Silicon
Click to expand...

You can open the “System Information” app and navigate to Applications to see which apps are Intel.
 
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iHorseHead said:
People have forgotten how fast PowerPC lost the support. I'm surprised Intel Macs were supported for so long. You pretty much knew 6 years ago that it was over for Intel.
Imagine those who bought Mac Pro in 2005 and by 2009 support was gone and by 2011 security updates were gone.
PowerPC to Intel switch was way faster.
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PPC got one Major OS release, 10.5 Leopard, and then it was gone. There were PowerPC Macs that were still shipping and came with Leopard in the box and never got a major update. This was back when there were 18 to 24 months between Mac OS X releases though, so it worked out to over three years from announcement I think. But once the MacOS App Store landed in 10.6.8, PowerPC support from developers basically evaporated.
hieranonymous said:
I’m all for aggressive timelines, but Apple was still selling Intel-based Macs as recently as June 2023. I figured they would’ve given Intel users another couple of years.
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See above. The earliest Intel Macs didn’t have it much better either. The Core Duo and Core Solo based Macs only got Leopard and Snow Leapard because those processors were only 32bit. So only about 3 years for them also. This era of long lived macOS support is very new.
 
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Zapski said:
Why do they do this? The code is done, no updates have been made to my knowledge and they can just leave it in. Ugh.
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Short answer: It saves space and reduces complexity.

Slightly longer answer: It isn’t really “just leaving the code in.” Supporting Intel means continuing to build, package, sign, test, and sometimes maintain dependencies for a second separate architecture; this will increase the app’s download and installed size. If the developer no longer intends to support Intel Macs, there’s little reason to require them to keep shipping that binary indefinitely. This isn't Apple saying (right now) that developers must remove Intel code, just that they now can remove it if they don't want to include it. That's completely reasonable.
 
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hieranonymous said:
I’m all for aggressive timelines, but Apple was still selling Intel-based Macs as recently as June 2023. I figured they would’ve given Intel users another couple of years.
Click to expand...

I've come to expect the opposite, from experience.

My only thought when reading this headline is "how long until 'can' becomes 'must'?"

As the owner of a late model Intel Mac and having heard from many in the same boat, trust me. They are dropping Intel Macs down the Memory Hole like they're hot potatoes. To mix references and metaphors.
 
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