Apple says iPhone & Watch apps will have to support iOS 12, watchOS 5 & new hardware by March

Following its Wednesday GM releases, Apple on Wednesday began calling for developers to submit apps compatible with iOS 12, watchOS 5, and tvOS 12, warning that iPhone and Apple Watch apps will have to meet new standards come March.

Starting that month, new or updated iPhone apps will have to be coded using the iOS 12 SDK, and include support for the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max. Similarly, Watch submissions will have to use the watchOS 5 SDK and support the Series 4, which has a larger display, haptic feedback on the digital crown, and new complication layouts, among other improvements.

The finished versions of iOS, watchOS 5, and tvOS will go live Sept. 17.

In the meantime, the company is asking macOS developers to tailor submissions for the new Mac App Store, launching alongside macOS Mojave on Sept. 24. The storefront has been redesigned to match its iOS counterpart, and developers will be able to use videos, subtitles, up to 10 screenshots, and three app previews per localization.

With all of the new platforms, people must use the Xcode 10 GM to build apps before submission.

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