AppleInsider Staff
In an announcement made through its developer Web portal on Monday, Apple informed app makers that their wares must include 64-bit support and be built with the latest iOS 8 SDK starting Feb. 1, 2015.
Posted to Apple's Developer webpage, the news comes as no surprise as the almost all current iOS devices are powered by 64-bit A7 or A8 chips.
Starting February 1, 2015, new iOS apps uploaded to the App Store must include 64-bit support and be built with the iOS 8 SDK, included in Xcode 6 or later. To enable 64-bit in your project, we recommend using the default Xcode build setting of "Standard architectures" to build a single binary with both 32-bit and 64-bit code.
Apple was first to bring 64-bit portable computing mainstream with the iPhone 5s 2013 and has since expanded the advanced processors to the iPad. With the introduction of this year's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the only iOS device left without 64-bit support is the base model iPhone 5c, which is now offered as a free-on-contract option from wireless carriers.
The introduction of 64-bit chips in smartphones and tablets reportedly "set off panic" for rival chipmakers like Qualcomm, which didn't have roadmaps as aggressive as Apple's rollout. At the time, competitors dismissed the technology as unnecessary for then-current portable computing tasks. Their tune quickly changed, however, and major chipmakers sank R&D funds into building their own 64-bit products that would roll out many months after Apple's first A7 chip hit market.
Developers can download the latest Xcode 6.1 with up to date iOS 8 SDK through Apple's Developer Center.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
43 Comments
Simple Xcode selection to make 32/64 bit application so it shouldn't be a big deal for programmers. Of course, this also means programs that are no longer being supported won't work once 2/1/2015 comes around.
[quote name="rob53" url="/t/182945/apple-to-require-64-bit-support-from-all-ios-apps-starting-in-february#post_2623703"]Simple Xcode selection to make 32/64 bit application so it shouldn't be a big deal for programmers. Of course, this also means programs that are no longer being supported won't work once 2/1/2015 comes around.[/quote] Anchors [B][I]away![/I][/B]
It's only for new apps or ones that are updated. Old 32 bit apps will continue to work for now.
Will you still need me? Will you still feed me?
Simple Xcode selection to make 32/64 bit application so it shouldn't be a big deal for programmers. Of course, this also means programs that are no longer being supported won't work once 2/1/2015 comes around.
I use lots of math calculations in my apps and when I added support for 64-bit for one of them there were more than 200 warnings regarding the use of int (for integer variables). It is not difficult but not as simple as checking a box.
Apple will not remove 32-bit apps after Feb 2015. They will not approve new apps or updates to existing apps after that date.