Starting in April 2027, Apple will require every iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, visionOS and watchOS app or game submitted to App Store Connect to be built with that platform’s 27-generation software development kit or later. Apple published the requirement inside a September 9, 2026 developer news post that also declared the six new operating systems ready for developers to target, and the April 2027 date sat near the bottom of that same announcement, well below the headline news.
The post arrived the same week iOS 27 ships as a free update on September 14, and it gives developers roughly seven months from publication to comply. Apple framed the April 2027 date as routine housekeeping rather than a headline, inside a note that also told developers to download the Xcode 27 Release Candidate.
What Apple’s September 9 post said
Apple opened the post by tying the deadline to that week’s software: “iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27 will soon be available to customers worldwide, which means you can now submit apps and games that take advantage of the latest Apple technologies and innovations like Apple Intelligence, the Foundation Models framework, design updates, new App Store features, and more.” The same post instructed developers to “download the Xcode 27 Release Candidate,” which Apple’s own release index lists as build 27A266a, published that same day.
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| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Announced | September 9, 2026, Apple Developer News |
| Deadline | Starting April 2027 |
| Applies to | iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, visionOS and watchOS apps and games |
| Not listed in the requirement | macOS apps |
| Tool to use now | Xcode 27 Release Candidate (build 27A266a) |
| Source | developer.apple.com/news, post id hn0w0x9k |
The April 2027 minimum, platform by platform
Apple wrote the requirement as four bullet points, one of which covers two platforms at once:
| Platform(s) | Minimum SDK from April 2027 |
|---|---|
| iOS and iPadOS | iOS 27 & iPadOS 27 SDK or later |
| tvOS | tvOS 27 SDK or later |
| visionOS | visionOS 27 SDK or later |
| watchOS | watchOS 27 SDK or later |
That covers every device from the iPhone to Apple Watch Series 12, along with Apple TV and Vision Pro. Apple’s submission hub, at developer.apple.com/app-store/submitting/, and its asset guidance page, at developer.apple.com/app-store/asset-best-practices/, are the two pages Apple pointed developers toward in the same post for the mechanics of an actual upload.
Why macOS is missing from the list
macOS 27 appears in the opening sentence, named alongside the other five systems as one of six operating systems “soon available to customers worldwide.” But when the post narrows to the April 2027 minimum, macOS drops out. The four bullet points cover iOS and iPadOS together, then tvOS, visionOS and watchOS on their own. No macOS line appears among them. Apple has not said whether that is a deliberate omission, a macOS-specific minimum still to come, or simply the scope Apple chose for this particular announcement.
Apple’s own deadline index still does not list it
Apple maintains a running page of developer deadlines at developer.apple.com/news/upcoming-requirements/. As of this announcement, the newest entry on that index was a previous SDK minimum, announced February 3, 2026 and already in effect since April 28, 2026. The April 2027 requirement announced September 9 does not appear on that index at all, which means a developer checking Apple’s own consolidated deadline page would not find this one there.
What Apple has not said
- Apple has not said whether a macOS SDK minimum will accompany or follow the April 2027 deadline.
- Apple has not described what happens to an app already live on the App Store that is not rebuilt with the required SDK before April 2027.
- Apple has not updated its own upcoming-requirements index to include this deadline.
- Apple has not said whether Apple Intelligence or the Foundation Models framework, both named in the same post, carry any SDK requirement beyond the platform minimums listed.
As of September 12, 2026, the Xcode 27 Release Candidate is the tool Apple points developers toward ahead of the six operating systems’ public release Monday. Our iOS 27 release date coverage and event recap cover what ships alongside it, and our iPhone 18 Pro coverage covers the first hardware those apps will run on.
