Hello Apple Developer Community,
We have an enterprise app that was originally developed using Xcode 10 and Objective-C. The app has been running smoothly on previous iOS versions, but with the upcoming release of iOS 26, we are concerned about potential compatibility issues due to the age of our development environment and possible deprecations in the iOS SDK. Our Situation:
App Type: Internal enterprise app (distributed via Apple Developer Enterprise Program) Development Environment: Xcode 10, Objective-C Current Status: App works on iOS 18; not yet tested on iOS 26 Distribution: Not on App Store; internal use only
Questions:
Are there known compatibility issues for apps built with Xcode 10 and Objective-C when running on iOS 26? Are there specific deprecated APIs or changes in iOS 26 that we should be aware of? What are the recommended steps to test and validate enterprise apps on the latest iOS beta? Is it mandatory to rebuild the app using a newer version of Xcode for iOS 26 compatibility, or can we continue using our existing build if it passes testing? Any advice on best practices for enterprise app migration or update planning?
Additional Info:
We plan to test the app on iOS 26 beta devices soon and will share any specific issues encountered. If there are official Apple resources or documentation addressing these concerns, please point us in the right direction.
Thank you in advance for your guidance!
Are there known compatibility issues for apps built with Xcode 10 and Objective-C when running on iOS 26?
There isn't a generalizable answer to this question. Xcode 10 shipped with the iOS 12 SDK, so you're jumping 7 major releases of iOS, as well as the developer tools, and so a lot has changed in that time frame. The only way to see how your app is affected is to build with the iOS 26 SDK and begin testing.
Are there specific deprecated APIs or changes in iOS 26 that we should be aware of?
There are two that you need to be aware of that will affect your app in the future, regarding adoption of the UIScene lifecycle, and if you support iPadOS, deprecation of UIRequiresFullScreen. We have Technotes for each:
- TN3187: Migrating to the UIKit scene-based life cycle
- TN3192: Migrating your iPad app from the deprecated UIRequiresFullScreen key
Beyond that, you should raise your apps minimum deployment target to the currently recommended value of iOS 15 (or higher), and then rebuild your app to see what other deprecations affect your app.
What are the recommended steps to test and validate enterprise apps on the latest iOS beta?
Our recommendations are found in Testing a beta OS.
Is it mandatory to rebuild the app using a newer version of Xcode for iOS 26 compatibility, or can we continue using our existing build if it passes testing? Any advice on best practices for enterprise app migration or update planning?
In general, you should follow the guidelines for the App Store, so that you remain up to date. For example, right now all apps for the App Store need to be built with the iOS 18 SDK. Even through you're not distributing through the App Store, keeping in line with those requirements — including the associated work to test, fix bugs, and address deprecations — will ensure that you're staying on top of the health of your app's code.
— Ed Ford, DTS Engineer
