Apple opened App Store submissions on September 9, 2026, for apps and games built for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27 and watchOS 27. The operating systems are not yet available to customers worldwide, giving developers time to prepare compatible releases before the public rollout.
Developers can download the Xcode 27 Release Candidate, build with the latest software development kits, distribute test versions through TestFlight and submit finished releases for App Store review. The early window allows teams to address review issues before customers install the new operating systems.
The release includes Apple Intelligence, the Foundation Models framework, updated design options and new App Store presentation features. Apple’s announcement provides no model parameter counts, benchmark scores, context limits, modality details, licensing changes or separate pricing. Those omissions rule out a numerical comparison with an earlier model or another vendor’s state of the art.
This is a platform release, not a standalone model launch. The Foundation Models framework puts Apple’s AI capabilities inside the operating-system and SDK development cycle. Developers gain access through Apple’s supported application tooling, but Apple has not published a claim that an underlying model is larger or more capable.
The sharper break concerns Mac compatibility. Apple says macOS 26 is the final version that will support Intel Macs and Rosetta. macOS 27 will support only Apple silicon.
Developers that want to limit an app to supported hardware can configure Xcode to build only for the arm64 architecture, then rebuild and resubmit it. The cutoff reduces the number of Mac hardware targets developers must maintain, while setting a migration deadline for software that still relies on Intel compatibility.
The change is like removing an old adapter from the box. Development becomes simpler for current hardware, but software tied to the previous connector must be reworked.
Apple is also changing App Store administration. Developers whose apps include social-media functions will need to disclose them in App Store Connect through updated age-rating questions. New Time Allowances will give parents more control over time spent in categories including games, entertainment and social media. Apple also outlined new product-page headers, search assets and a forthcoming page-preview tool.
A wider compliance deadline takes effect in April 2027. From then, new iPhone and iPad uploads must use the iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 SDKs or later. Apple will apply equivalent minimums to tvOS 27, visionOS 27 and watchOS 27 uploads. The developer announcement does not list a corresponding macOS SDK requirement.
The immediate impact falls on Apple-platform teams preparing annual compatibility releases, adding Apple Intelligence features or maintaining Mac applications through the processor transition. Developers can begin testing with Xcode 27 now and must plan for the April SDK rules. Mac teams also need to remove assumptions that depend on Intel hardware or Rosetta.
