iOS app development: what Apple requires in 2026
The account, tooling, review and privacy requirements an iPhone or iPad app has to meet before it reaches the App Store, checked against Apple's own pages.
An iOS app reaches users through one door, the App Store, and Apple sets the rules for that door. Whoever builds your app, these are the requirements it has to meet. All of them come from Apple’s developer pages, linked below, and were checked on the date shown on this page.
The developer account
Publishing needs a membership in the Apple Developer Program, at 99 USD per membership year (Apple shows the local price during enrollment). You can enroll as an individual or as an organisation. For a business app, enroll the company: the account holds the app listing, the signing certificates and the sales reports, and it is far easier to own it from day one than to transfer it later.
Tooling and minimum versions
Apple sets a floor for how apps are built. Its upcoming requirements page states two current rules:
- Since 28 April 2026, apps uploaded to App Store Connect must be built with Xcode 26 or later, using the iOS 26 SDK or the matching SDK for other Apple platforms.
- Since 9 September 2026, iOS and iPadOS apps must target iOS 13 or later.
The first rule recurs: each year Apple raises the required Xcode and SDK. An app that nobody rebuilds eventually cannot ship even a small fix. See maintenance.
App Review
Every build is reviewed against the App Review Guidelines. Four rules are worth reading before a first submission:
- Completeness (2.1). Submit a finished build. If the app has a login, give the reviewer a demo account and keep the back end switched on.
- Minimum functionality (4.2). An app must offer more than a repackaged website.
- Privacy policy (5.1.1). Every app needs a privacy policy, linked both in App Store Connect and inside the app.
- Payments (3.1.1). Unlocking features or content inside the app must go through Apple’s in-app purchase. Plan this before you design a paywall.
Beta testing
TestFlight distributes test builds. You can invite up to 10,000 external testers by email or public link; the first build for external testers goes through App Review. Use it with real users before launch, not only your own staff.
Privacy details on the product page
The App Store shows each app’s privacy practices on its product page, and Apple requires a publicly accessible privacy policy URL. The answers you give there must match what the app and its third-party SDKs actually collect. In Singapore the same data is also covered by the PDPA; the overview guide explains how.
Questions to ask whoever builds it
- Will the app be published under our Apple account, in our company’s name?
- Which in-app features, if any, need in-app purchase?
- Who answers App Review if a build is rejected, and is that in the price?
- When Apple raises the Xcode requirement next year, who rebuilds the app?
For the Android side of the same project, see Android app development.