Apple calls on developers to submit apps ahead of macOS Catalina release

Posted:
in macOS edited February 2020
On the heels of the release of a golden master version of macOS Catalina on Thursday, Apple asked developers to submit Mac apps to the App Store for review prior to the operating system's public launch in October.




In the call for macOS Catalina apps, which arrived in a pair of posts to Apple's developer portal, the company notes developers have access to a suite of new technologies with the latest macOS version.

With Catalina, apps can take advantage of Sign in with Apple, second-screen capabilities with iPad via Sidecar, Core ML 3 and Metal. Further, developers of iOS apps are for the first time able to easily transition their wares to Mac with Catalyst.

Apple asks coders to build new Mac apps with Xcode11, test them on a Mac running the macOS Catalina GM seed released today and submit the software for review.

A second post reminds developers of new app notarization requirements set to debut alongside Catalina this month. As announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Catalina is the first Mac operating system to require app notarization, a security protocol that restricts third-party software from running on Mac unless it is first vetted by Apple.

"To further protect users on macOS Catalina, we're working with developers to make sure all software, whether distributed on the App Store or outside of it, is signed or notarized by Apple," Apple says. "This will give users more confidence that the software they download and run, no matter where they get it from, has been checked for known security issues."

Initial plans called for apps to follow a stringent set of guidelines to attain Catalina notarization, but those barriers were temporarily lowered in September in a bid to help developers transition to the new ruleset. Under the new guidelines, Apple will notarize apps that do not have the Hardened Runtime capability enabled, include components not signed by a Developer ID, do not include a secure timestamp with a developer's code-signing signature, was built using an older SDK, or include a "get-task-allow" security entitlement until January 2020, at which time Apple's full slate of notarization policies will go into effect.

Catalina is due to arrive in October, though Apple has yet to announce a specific launch date. Last month, a regional Apple webpage advertisement for Apple Arcade suggested the operating system would launch on Oct. 4, though that date seems farfetched considering today's GM release.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    tyler82tyler82 Posts: 1,112member
    There's a few games that I love that are still stubbornly 32- bit that are making me reticent to upgrade: Sim City 4, Doom 3, and The Sims 2. 

    Will Apple automatically delete my apps and any files associated with them? Or will they be saved in an Archive folder after upgrade?

    Would it be possible to have my saved data from the 32-bit apps transferred to updated 64-bit apps (if the developers ever get around to caring about updating them)? I'm assuming that's a hard no.
    edited October 2019 watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 13
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,453member
    tyler82 said:
    There's a few games that I love that are still stubbornly 32- bit that are making me reticent to upgrade: Sim City 4, Doom 3, and The Sims 2. 

    Will Apple automatically delete my apps and any files associated with them? Or will they be saved in an Archive folder after upgrade?

    Would it be possible to have my saved data from the 32-bit apps transferred to updated 64-bit apps (if the developers ever get around to caring about updating them)? I'm assuming that's a hard no.
    I’m planning to make a Parallels VM to install Steam on for my 32bit games. Hopefully with the latest version’s Metal support they should run okay. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 13
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,939member
    While I don't expect an everyday Joe/Jane to do this, you could just make a small partition on your HD with Mojave or High Sierra installed for your games should you want to play them. Yes, I know its a pain in the ass to have to reboot back into a different macOS, but its one way around it if you really want to use an app that's 32-bit. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 13
    foljsfoljs Posts: 390member
    macxpress said:
    While I don't expect an everyday Joe/Jane to do this, you could just make a small partition on your HD with Mojave or High Sierra installed for your games should you want to play them. Yes, I know its a pain in the ass to have to reboot back into a different macOS, but its one way around it if you really want to use an app that's 32-bit. 
    Don't need a partition, just get a 64GB external SSD drive and install them there...
    StrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 13
    Why doesn't Apple release their own VM to run old 32 bit apps and to sandbox untrusted apps downloaded from the Internet?
    alphafox
  • Reply 6 of 13
    Why doesn't Apple release their own VM to run old 32 bit apps and to sandbox untrusted apps downloaded from the Internet?
    Because Apple doesn’t want to drag its heels over this transition any longer. The writing has been on the wall for years now.

    Best to just rip off the band-aid!
    Soliwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 13
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,939member
    Why doesn't Apple release their own VM to run old 32 bit apps and to sandbox untrusted apps downloaded from the Internet?
    They've allowed 32-bit apps for over 18yrs...I think it's time to let go. They've had backwards compatibility for 12yrs....yeah its time to let go. 
    SoliStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 13
    digitoldigitol Posts: 276member
    Get ready for constant security notice nag screens. Catilina is a bridge too far. Basically Mac OS X has now become like Micro$oft. The transformation will be complete the day mac os x begins asking for a serial code to begin. Sad. Actually BOTH platforms, are getting to be pretty similar. OS X has rootless.... windows x has "S" mode. Both operating systems batter the user with pop-ups, interuptions, etc. Total mess. Yes some, not all of this can be turned off, but more and more not so much.
    edited October 2019
  • Reply 9 of 13

    Apple calls on developers to submit apps ahead of macOS Catalina release


    ...and even before that please fix the "wirelessly cook(l)ing" MacBook garbage.
  • Reply 10 of 13
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,928administrator
    mocseg said:

    Apple calls on developers to submit apps ahead of macOS Catalina release


    ...and even before that please fix the "wirelessly cook(l)ing" MacBook garbage.
    Rossmann is way, way off base with this video. The 2019 and 2018 MBA run far cooler than the previous models. Other manufacturers, like Microsoft, don't even use a fan for this exact same CPU.

    In short, he's pissed that the fan pulls air over the CPU, as opposed to blowing air directly on it.
    edited October 2019 mocsegStrangeDaysfastasleepwatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 13
    So everything is ok then. Great to hear that.
  • Reply 12 of 13
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 13,101member
    digitol said:
    Get ready for constant security notice nag screens. Catilina is a bridge too far. Basically Mac OS X has now become like Micro$oft. The transformation will be complete the day mac os x begins asking for a serial code to begin. Sad. Actually BOTH platforms, are getting to be pretty similar. OS X has rootless.... windows x has "S" mode. Both operating systems batter the user with pop-ups, interuptions, etc. Total mess. Yes some, not all of this can be turned off, but more and more not so much.
    Can you provide some examples of what it is you’re talking about?
    fastasleepwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 13
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,453member
    digitol said:
    Get ready for constant security notice nag screens. Catilina is a bridge too far. Basically Mac OS X has now become like Micro$oft. The transformation will be complete the day mac os x begins asking for a serial code to begin. Sad. Actually BOTH platforms, are getting to be pretty similar. OS X has rootless.... windows x has "S" mode. Both operating systems batter the user with pop-ups, interuptions, etc. Total mess. Yes some, not all of this can be turned off, but more and more not so much.
    Yawn. NEXT!
    watto_cobra
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