Apple is taking another significant step toward ending support for Intel-based Macs, telling developers that Mac App Store apps requiring macOS 13 or later no longer need to support Intel processors.
The change means developers can now submit apps exclusively compiled for Apple silicon, allowing them to abandon Intel compatibility even when their apps support versions of macOS that can still run on older Intel Macs.
In an email sent to developers, Apple said removing Intel support could help simplify app development while also reducing download and on-device storage sizes.
Developers wishing to make the change can update their app’s build settings to target “arm64” only before rebuilding and submitting the new version to the Mac App Store.
Until now, developers distributing compatible universal apps through the Mac App Store were required to include support for both Intel and Apple silicon. The latest change removes that requirement and gives developers the choice of whether continuing to support Intel Macs is worthwhile.
The move does not mean existing apps will suddenly stop working for Intel Mac owners. Apple says users with an Intel-based Mac will still be able to use the last compatible version of an app after its developer switches exclusively to Apple silicon.
The change comes six years after Apple announced its transition away from Intel processors and toward Apple silicon, beginning with the M1 chip in 2020. Apple completed the hardware transition in 2023 when the Mac Pro became the final Mac to move to Apple silicon.
Intel support within macOS itself is also reaching the end of the road.
Apple’s upcoming macOS 27 Golden Gate will drop support for Intel-based Macs entirely, making macOS 26 the final major version of Apple’s operating system available for Intel hardware.
The company has also confirmed that Rosetta 2, the translation technology that allows apps designed for Intel processors to run on Apple silicon Macs, is approaching the end of widespread availability.
Apple introduced Rosetta 2 alongside the first Apple silicon Macs to help developers and users through the transition. Following macOS 27, Apple plans to retain only limited Rosetta functionality for certain older games that rely on Intel-specific frameworks rather than continuing to provide it as a general-purpose compatibility layer.
The ability for Mac App Store developers to abandon Intel support represents another milestone in Apple’s transition. Developers that have continued shipping universal apps can now focus entirely on Apple silicon, while Intel Mac owners are increasingly being left on older versions of both macOS and third-party applications.
Apple currently sells its entire Mac lineup with Apple-designed processors, with the company now several generations into the transition that began with M1.
For developers, dropping Intel also provides an opportunity to optimize apps specifically around the architecture used by Apple’s M-series chips without maintaining a separate Intel version within the same app.
The change does not force developers to abandon Intel immediately, meaning apps can continue supporting older Macs where developers choose to do so. However, with macOS 27 ending Intel Mac compatibility altogether, Apple is making it increasingly clear that the Intel era of the Mac is drawing to a close.
