14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is pressuring developers to ready their apps for iOS 7 by February 1, which leaves just two weeks for some application sellers to make the final preparations in order to ensure the continuity of their IP.
On December 17, 2013, the company issued a warning saying, “Starting February 1, new apps and app updates submitted to the App Store must be built with the latest version of Xcode 5 and must be optimized for iOS 7.”
Binaries that don’t support iOS 7 after the February 1 deadline may be rejected, Apple suggested at that time.
Since December, the Cupertino giant has been issuing timely reminders about the deadline, and it is now giving developers what seems to be a final warning.
An email addressing all registrants of the iOS Developer Program states, “Make sure your apps work seamlessly with the innovative technologies in iOS 7. Starting February 1, new apps and app updates submitted to the App Store must be built with Xcode 5 and iOS 7 SDK.”
Apple last week also issued a reminder regarding binaries that support 64-bit and 32-bit technologies. The gist of it is that developers must consider every device configuration when coding their apps, in order to support all customers equally.
“Create a single app binary that supports 64-bit on iOS 7, as well as 32-bit on iOS 7 and iOS 6, so your apps can easily remain compatible as they take advantage of the power of iPhone 5s, iPad Air, and iPad mini,” Apple said.
Since September 2013, when iOS 7 debuted, developers have steadily been updating their apps for the new firmware, ensuring compatibility with the millions of devices that were upgraded from day one.
With more than a million different apps in the App Store, there are still a lot of titles yet to receive the necessary adjustments in order to run properly on iOS 7.