Copying of app targets and corresponding files from older Xcode projects to a current one

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Created 21h

Replies 2

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Hi,

so here's my situation: I am currently building an app of which I want to have an Apple Watch standalone version / companion (idk yet, also doesn't matter). For it to be compatible with basically every Watch except for the original (Series 0) I want support for down to watchOS 6, as many models ended there. I also don't need the newest features for basic functionality and I can still add more for newer versions while keeping the basic functionality for watchOS 6, so that is not a concern, I'd rather have the compatibility.

However, watchOS 6 is the last version to require the Storyboard architecture with an app bundle and extension target. I did some research and found out that you can create that and set the development target to 6.0 while also having a SwiftUI target with a development target of 7.0. That would have the benefit of being able to use SwiftUI for modern features to give a nice experience while building a basic but functional version for 6.0 in Storyboard architecture. And it would figure out what to install on its own based on the watchOS version.

Now the problem is, in Xcode 26 I can't create a watchOS target with the Storyboard architecture anymore, the option is just not there. So to solve that, I installed Xcode 12 on Big Sur and created one from the template in a new project. That project can be opened and edited with no problems in Xcode 26 as long as it is already configured, you just can't create a watchOS target with that architecture anymore, it has to be there already to work with it. Now I just need to copy the app and extension target with the corresponding files and configuration to my other project, and that is the problem. I can't seem to find proper way to copy that over, and that is where I need your help. Or maybe someone has a way to create that in Xcode 26, but from my understanding the template is gone.

Thanks so much in advance

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Answer 1

DTS Engineer OP

Apple

15h

Xcode 26 supports a minimum deployment target of watchOS 8 — please see the table on the Xcode support page. Even if you could put together something still using the prior Storyboard methods for watchOS, you'll have no way of testing it with Xcode 26, because there's no way to debug your app on a device running something less than watchOS 8.

— Ed Ford,  DTS Engineer

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Answer 2

BCAD OP

13h

Good evening,

thanks so much for your reply. That however is also not an issue for me, as I can still code and test the older structured app by using Xcode 12 for that and an Apple Watch Series 5 with watchOS 6.2 I have for such testing purposes. Once that is done I won't change that version by much anymore, I just need to import it to the existing project for compatibility with the basic functions.

As the core of my app will be a pretty basic but for some people daily used functionality I want to have as much compatibility as possible so everyone can use it, not only people with reasonably new hardware. More special features that are not as important for the core function can still be implemented for newer versions, and that will be where my attention is going to be for future development. Debugging of the storyboard version won't be necessary once it is in that project, as nothing will really change for that. I just want to have that base line of functionality for everyone. Maybe I could explain my motivation for this a bit better. For the same reason I am successfully developing the main iOS version for iOS 14+ while still adding newer features and even more modern design (like Liquid Glass elements) if it is supported by the OS.

So my question remains the same and maybe it can be answered without that specific use case: How can targets be copied over from one project to another while keeping all properties and data, so it would just work like in the other project?

Thanks again

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