As of April 30, All Apps Submitted to App Store Must Use iOS 13 SDK or Later - MacRumors
Skip to Content

As of April 30, All Apps Submitted to App Store Must Use iOS 13 SDK or Later

by

Apple today informed developers that starting on April 30, 2020, all iPhone and iPad apps submitted to the App Store must be built with iOS and iPadOS 13 SDK or later.

iosipados
Apple previously told developers that iOS and iPadOS 13 SDKs would be required as of April, but did not give a specific date.

iOS 13 is now running on 77% of all iOS devices introduced in the last four years, worldwide. Deliver great user experiences by seamlessly integrating with Dark Mode, Sign in with Apple, and the latest advances in ARKit 3, Core ML 3, and Siri. Starting April 30, 2020, all iPhone apps submitted to the App Store must be built with the iOS 13 SDK or later.

Take advantage of Xcode features such as storyboards (including launch storyboards), Auto Layout, and SwiftUI, to ensure your app's interface elements and layouts automatically fit the display of all iPhone models, regardless of size or aspect ratio. Starting April 30, 2020, all apps submitted to the App Store must use an Xcode storyboard to provide the app's launch screen and all iPhone apps must support all iPhone screens.

Apple also says that as of April 30, all apps must use an Xcode storyboard to provide the launch screen. All iPhone apps must support all iPhone screens, and all ‌iPad‌ apps must support all ‌iPad‌ screens.

Top Rated Comments

79 months ago

What about the devices not capable of running iOS 13? Can apps that were developed with the iOS 13 SDK still be deployed on iOS 11/12?
Yes. SDK ≠ deployment version. You can technically still deploy apps for iOS 8 with the iOS 13 SDK, maybe even lower. The only problems are that new iOS 13-only APIs and bug fixes in existing APIs are not available on older OS versions.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
79 months ago
About time. No excuses for not supporting every device, no matter the size and scale of the developer’s organization.

Want to make money? Keep up with the times. No rewards for laziness.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
79 months ago

iOS/iPadOS is the other battery throttling to force customers to buy new devices. There's no reason backwards compatibility can't be better like on Android where something complex like Playstation emulator can still run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread from 2010.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.epsxe.ePSXe
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emulator.fpse

And, while they're at it allow emulators on app store.
Well, use an Android phone then.

Meanwhile the rest of us will use an app store where is rare to read of Apple pulling hundreds of apps with millions of installs due to some form of malware or another...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
79 months ago

So this will be planned obsolete ? I mean if you have an iphone with ios12 you will be forced to upgrade, if you can, to ios13 (the current one) for you to be able use any apps?!
Who is ‘forcing’ you to do anything?
Ive never seen the Apple Genius tech put a gun to your head demanding you upgrade! The older model phones will still run the last version available of an ap for that OS. It will keep running with all the same features and capabilities it came with from the factory. YOU can chose when or if you want to ‘upgrade’.

Put it this way - do you complain that a 10 year old car does not have the same features as one that just rolled off the line? The older car will still run perfectly fine as is and will not lose any capability it came with, it just won’t have the latest features availble on the new model.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zaft Avatar
79 months ago

I mean, I'm a nerd but I don't care about getting emulators on my phone because I see my phone as a communications device and little more. Not even all nerds feel the need for emulators on their phones.
I’m a nerd myself, I know not all do, but generally average joes don’t care about that stuff.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RogerWilco6502 Avatar
79 months ago

That’s why there is choice, Android for more freedom but can be a bit messy or IOS which is more restrictive but more polished and balanced.

I don’t think Apple cares about emulators that 0.0001% of people care about. That’s nerd stuff.
I mean, I'm a nerd but I don't care about getting emulators on my phone because I see my phone as a communications device and little more. Not even all nerds feel the need for emulators on their phones.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...