Apple says all new iPhone apps must support iOS 11 SDK, iPhone X display as of April

AppleInsider

Starting in April, developers submitting new titles to the iOS App Store will have no choice but to use the iOS 11 SDK -- and if they're supporting the iPhone, offer iPhone X display compatibility.

That includes Super Retina resolution, and interface accommodations for the notch, Apple said in an email to developers on Thursday. When publishing through iTunes Connect, apps will require iPhone X screenshots, even if they're just produced through Xcode's iPhone X simulator.

Apple has yet to set an equivalent deadline for app updates.

Today's notice is likely a signal that that Apple considers the iPhone X the new template for the iPhone moving forward. The company is expected to ship three new iPhones this fall, including 5.8- and 6.5-inch OLED models and a 6.1-inch LCD variant. All of these may include some sort of display notch, since they're expected to offer Face ID across the board.

wood1208

Paves path fro Apps to support iPhone X style 3 iPhones in September.

edited February 2018

bobolicious

I am tempted to procure an older iPhone due to all the apps I can no longer use with Apple's 'one way ticket' to iOS11 and lack of restore point option in the name of supposed progress, and frog boiling... Can we blame developers for not wanting to upgrade apps, especially the free ones ?

mavemufc

Need them to do the same with the app updates as well, think it’s crazy that I’ve had the X for more than 3 months now and still have 15/20 apps which haven’t been updated to the screen size! It’s also very annoying.

seanismorris

mavemufc said:

Need them to do the same with the app updates as well, think it’s crazy that I’ve had the X for more than 3 months now and still have 15/20 apps which haven’t been updated to the screen size! It’s also very annoying.

Is that 15 of 20 apps that haven’t updated screen size?

Or, 15 to 20 apps?  Big difference if you have 50 apps installed in the 2nd scenario...

strangedays

bobolicious said:

I am tempted to procure an older iPhone due to all the apps I can no longer use with Apple's 'one way ticket' to iOS11 and lack of restore point option in the name of supposed progress, and frog boiling... Can we blame developers for not wanting to upgrade apps, especially the free ones ?

Sure we can. Paid ones, too. I have several that are too lazy to do it. At least some because they foolishly outsourced app development to off-shore teams that use cross-platform SDKs and APIs rather than the native iOS SDK. They realize their apps don't scale to new screen resolutions, can't use iOS hardware features, etc, so then they sit on them for months or years.

It wasn't that long ago that apps still didn't support the 6 series resolutions natively, instead relying on iOS scaling. 

edited February 2018

xbit

We’ve still got three open Radar tickets for issues that make supporting the iPhone X difficult - all related to the new style of navigation bar.

If Apple want all apps to support the iPhone X then there’s plenty that they could do at their end to help.

(Our apps support the iPhone X but it’s taken a significant redesign to work around Apple’s bugs.)

taugust04_ai

bobolicious said:

...Can we blame developers for not wanting to upgrade apps, especially the free ones ?

Yes. We can.

brakken

Apple has always aimed to stay on top, except for the fail of the non-Jobs era, where it almost died. 

Good work Apple! Keep on top! I don't want to return to the pre-iPhone era of 'expensive yet shite'.

hrguy

brakken said:

Apple has always aimed to stay on top, except for the fail of the non-Jobs era, where it almost died. 

Good work Apple! Keep on top! I don't want to return to the pre-iPhone era of 'expensive yet shite'.

Had to double check the article title...for a sec there I thought you were talking about HomePod

baconstang

bobolicious said:

I am tempted to procure an older iPhone due to all the apps I can no longer use with Apple's 'one way ticket' to iOS11 and lack of restore point option in the name of supposed progress, and frog boiling... Can we blame developers for not wanting to upgrade apps, especially the free ones ?

I don't mind the free ones.  It's the ones I paid $5-$20 for I'm pissed about.

mavemufc

seanismorris said:

mavemufc said:

Need them to do the same with the app updates as well, think it’s crazy that I’ve had the X for more than 3 months now and still have 15/20 apps which haven’t been updated to the screen size! It’s also very annoying.

Is that 15 of 20 apps that haven’t updated screen size?

Or, 15 to 20 apps?  Big difference if you have 50 apps installed in the 2nd scenario...

15 to 20 apps, out of 82, but they're apps i frequently use like my mobile banking apps, and its getting annoying, also cant view content in full screen with some UK streaming services such as Now TV.

plovell

"Pot calling kettle black" here. Apple itself has yet to update its own "Remote" app (for controlling iTunes on your Mac). C'mon guys - get your own house in order first !

waverboy

I really hope the notch isn't eventually going to be cursing all iPhone models.  But that hope is probably in vain.  I'm gonna use my headphone-jack-bearing notch-free iPhone 6s Plus for as long as I can.

mavemufc

waverboy said:

I really hope the notch isn't eventually going to be cursing all iPhone models.  But that hope is probably in vain.  I'm gonna use my headphone-jack-bearing notch-free iPhone 6s Plus for as long as I can.

It will be, but if you used a phone with the notch it honestly wouldn't bother you, I don't no one person who has the phone that even notices it.