Developers Frustrated at Apple for Just One Day's Notice to Submit Apps Ahead of iOS 14 Release Today

by

During its "Time Flies" event yesterday, Apple announced that iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, and tvOS 14 will be widely released today, providing developers with just one day's notice to submit their optimized apps for review.

ios 14 submit apps banner
While developers have had access to beta versions of the software updates since June, many were caught off guard by Apple's much shorter notice of the final releases. By comparison, Apple started accepting apps built for iOS 13 on September 10 last year, over one week before the software update was released on September 19.

iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, and tvOS 14 should be released to the public around 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time today. We've shared a list of compatible devices for each software update here. Note that Apple has yet to announce a release date for macOS Big Sur.

In an email to developers, Apple said that all iOS and iPadOS apps submitted to the App Store will need to be built with Xcode 12 and the iOS 14 SDK starting in April 2021. Likewise, Apple said all watchOS apps submitted to the App Store will need to be built with Xcode 12 and the watchOS 7 SDK starting in April 2021.

Related Forum: iOS 14

Top Rated Comments

dlewis23 Avatar
dlewis23
47 months ago

You developers had whole summer to update your apps! Stop finding an excuse to bash at Apple.

Focus on 14.1 that will be dropping soon.
Except it doesn't work that way. We always had a week to 10 days to test our apps with the final build.

You also can't be submitting to the store with beta builds of Xcode. We only got the final version of Xcode yesterday and when this happens review times always go way up. So if our app does not work on iOS 14 it could be days to over a week before we can submit a build with iOS 14 that corrects those issues.
Score: 125 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
arn
47 months ago

I understand the frustration behind not knowing the *exact* date... but when we hit Public Beta 8, did they not think... oh man, this is coming soon, I should get my iOS 14 apps submitted.
They weren't accepting submissions before yesterday.

Why don't people buy an iPhone 12 right now, instead of complaining Apple didn't release one.

arn
Score: 63 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrono1081 Avatar
chrono1081
47 months ago

They had 3 months of betas to get it ready, they wait till last min and say this

The whole beta testing is for apps to get it ready they should all be updated on launch but it always takes months that’s coz the developers can act lazy like Facebook with dark mode
I can tell you're not a developer. Let me explain that those three months aren't reliable testing. Sure you can update some stuff, like new APIs and things but a dev can only really reliably test against the GM seed which dropped yesterday. If someones apps broke due to the GM they literally have one night to fix it, which doesn't provide enough time for reliable regression testing (if they can even fix the bug in one night.)

You also couldn't even submit apps for iOS 14 until yesterday.
Score: 57 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dlewis23 Avatar
dlewis23
47 months ago
I love reading all the comments from people who are not developers but who think they have a clue what it's like being a developer, want to write here saying developers are just a bunch of whiners for Apple only giving 24 hours but but but we had the betas since June.

Then we will come back in about 4 hours and they will be whining saying their favorite app does not work with iOS 14.
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
japanime Avatar
japanime
47 months ago
"Time flies," indeed! ?
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrono1081 Avatar
chrono1081
47 months ago

You developers had whole summer to update your apps! Stop finding an excuse to bash at Apple.

Focus on 14.1 that will be dropping soon.
/s I assume? If so ignore the rest of my post, if not just know that's not how it works. Developers can test reliably only against the GM seed which literally dropped yesterday. Also Apples approval process isn't instant, so many apps won't work on day one.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Read Full Article • 264 comments
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
Read Full Article • 397 comments
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

iOS 17.5 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday April 21, 2024 3:00 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
Read Full Article
iPad And Calculator App Feature

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...
Read Full Article • 211 comments
iPhone 15 Pro FineWoven

Apple Reportedly Stops Production of FineWoven Accessories

Sunday April 21, 2024 6:03 am PDT by
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
Read Full Article • 445 comments
apple vision pro orange

Apple Vision Pro Customer Interest Dying Down at Some Retail Stores

Monday April 22, 2024 2:12 am PDT by
Apple Vision Pro, Apple's $3,500 spatial computing device, appears to be following a pattern familiar to the AR/VR headset industry – initial enthusiasm giving way to a significant dip in sustained interest and usage. Since its debut in the U.S. in February 2024, excitement for the Apple Vision Pro has noticeably cooled, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On...
Read Full Article • 358 comments