What iPadOS version do evaluation devices run when submitted via Swift Playgrounds?

I'm working on my Swift Student Challenge 2026 submission and have a question about the evaluation environment.

My app targets iOS 26 (I had to configure this on the Package.swift file directly) and uses the Speech framework for on-device speech recognition. I've selected Swift Playgrounds as my evaluation path (rather than Xcode) with the intention of having it run on a physical iPad rather than Simulator.

My question: What version of iPadOS will the evaluation iPads be running?

The reason I ask is practical, as my app's minimum deployment target is iOS 26. If the evaluation device is running an earlier version of iPadOS, the app won't launch at all. I've searched the eligibility and terms pages but couldn't find this documented anywhere.

Answered by DTS Engineer in 876395022

See here.

Share and Enjoy

Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"

Accepted Answer

See here.

Share and Enjoy

Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"

What iPadOS version do evaluation devices run when submitted via Swift Playgrounds?
 
 
Q