My app targets iOS 12.0 and crashes immediately on launch when installed via TestFlight on an iPad running iOS 12.x. The same archive works perfectly when installed via Ad Hoc distribution or directly from Xcode.
This is a regression — the exact same source code, compiled with the same Xcode version, was successfully distributed via TestFlight and the App Store last month (March 2026) without issues. No changes were made to the code, Xcode version, or signing configuration.
Steps to reproduce:
- Archive an app with IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET = 12.0 using Xcode 16.4
- Upload to App Store Connect
- Install via TestFlight on an iPad running iOS 12.x
- App crashes immediately on launch (pre-main, no crash log generated)
Expected: App launches normally (as it did last month) Actual: App is killed immediately, process exits with reason: (none)
Console.app shows the process never transitions from xpcproxy to the actual binary — it dies within ~260ms of bootstrap, indicating a dyld or app thinning issue.
Environment:
- Xcode: 16.4
- Deployment target: iOS 12.0
- ENABLE_BITCODE: NO
- Device: iOS 12.x
- Ad Hoc install: WORKS
- Xcode direct install: WORKS
- TestFlight install: CRASHES
- App Store install: CRASHES
Anyone else seeing this?
Distribution through the App Store requires a minimum deployment target of iOS 15. For future reference, you can find this information listed on the Xcode Support webpage.
