Apple Requiring New and Updated Apps to Support iPhone XS Max and 12.9-Inch iPad Pro Starting March 27

Wednesday March 20, 2019 8:09 AM PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced that all new and updated iPhone and iPad apps submitted to the App Store on and after March 27, 2019 must be built with the iOS 12.1 SDK or later and support the iPhone XS Max and/or the latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro. App Store screenshots for those devices will also be required.


Likewise, all new apps and app updates for Apple Watch will need to be built with the watchOS 5.1 SDK or later and support the Apple Watch Series 4.

Related Roundups: iPad Pro, iPhone XS
Tag: App Store
Buyer's Guide: 12.9" iPad Pro (Neutral), iPhone XS (Don't Buy)
35 comments


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lyricthejoe
18 weeks ago
Awesome! Not going to miss seeing those bars on the top and bottom of the screen.
Rating: 6 Votes
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Maclver
18 weeks ago
About time! It shouldn't be that difficult for developers to make these adjustments.....
Rating: 6 Votes
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BigBossTony
18 weeks ago
what about 11-inch iPad Pro? a lot of apps still not running in fullscreen...
Rating: 5 Votes
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subjonas
18 weeks ago
12.9 came out in 2015. They’re starting to require support 4 years later...
Rating: 5 Votes
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Remy149
18 weeks ago

Does that mean Instagram is finally going to be iPad friendly?

No because they don’t offer an iPad app so they aren’t required to follow anything but the iPhone standards
Rating: 3 Votes
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coolfactor
17 weeks ago

About time! It shouldn't be that difficult for developers to make these adjustments.....


This is also a good way for Apple to keep the riff-raff out of the store. I just wish apps "expired" and disappeared if no updates have been submitted for at least two years.
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Interesting that a lot of devs seemingly haven’t found it important to add support until Apple forced them to. Wonder if that says anything about product demand/usage.


Some devs are just in it to make a quick buck. They don't actually care about offering a solid app or a good user experience. They don't care about the app or the users, only the money. It's great that Apple keeps raising the bar like this. Make them devs work!
Rating: 3 Votes
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azdolan
18 weeks ago

Does that mean Instagram is finally going to be iPad friendly?

No because there isn’t an iPad app.
Rating: 2 Votes
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AgentElliot007
18 weeks ago

Right?! The 11” iPad Pro is my most regretted Apple purchase. Months later I’m still seeing apps get “updated” but they are still running at 10.5” iPad size. Utterly annoying.


I love and hate the 11” iPad Pro. It’s far and away the best iPad I’ve ever owned, but with so many apps running in the smaller mode, it’s also super frustrating. Still can’t figure out what compelled them to make a single iPad in all the iPad lineups a different aspect ratio. Seems incredibly short sighted unless all iPads are going to this aspect ratio, but why not then the 12.9” iPad as well?!? I don’t get it at all.
Rating: 2 Votes
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SlaunchaMan
18 weeks ago
Now if only they would mandate that iPad apps need to work in landscape. I’m so tired of apps that are portrait-only on iPhone being ported over to iPad, and I launch them when using my iPad with its keyboard, and the app is locked to portrait.
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Ahhhh they require them to support either one of the two devices. This sucks, they should make it obligatory for both!!


The way I read it, this means that iPad-compatible apps must support the Pro, and iPhone-compatible apps must support the XS Max. This support comes automatically when you have a launch storyboard and compile with Xcode 10.1, so really this requirement is about the SDK version and the way you support multiple screen sizes.
Rating: 2 Votes
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simplynando
18 weeks ago
6 months later for XS Max support. With this new requirement now apps will just hold their updates....mark my words.

HBO GO was finally updated to the new iPad Pro screens YESTERDAY. I'm not an app developer so I don't know the work required, but the updates seem insanely slow.
Rating: 2 Votes
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