Apple will require all new apps to be optimized for iOS 7 from February 1

Jon Russell was Asia Editor for The Next Web from 2011 to 2014. Originally from the UK, he lives in Bangkok, Thailand. You can find him on T (show all) Jon Russell was Asia Editor for The Next Web from 2011 to 2014. Originally from the UK, he lives in Bangkok, Thailand. You can find him on Twitter, Angel List, LinkedIn.

Apple has told developers that all apps submitted to the App Store — be they new releases or merely updates — must be optimized for iOS 7 by February 1. A note on the company’s developer site reads:

Starting February 1, new apps and app updates submitted to the App Store must be built with the latest version of Xcode 5 and must be optimized for iOS 7. Learn more about preparing your apps by reviewing the iOS Human Interface Guidelines.

The latest operating system was announced in June and beginning rolling out to users in September. Adoption of iOS 7 among users is currently at 76 percent which, alongside the platform’s new features, gives developers a clear reason to optimize their apps — though many may have a lot of work on their hands to do so before this deadline.

➤ Apple to require all new App Store submissions to be “optimized for iOS 7,” built with latest Xcode starting Feb. 1 [9to5mac]