Apple just gave developers the green light to leave Intel Macs behind

Apple is nudging developers to finally leave Intel behind. The company started emailing developers today, letting them know that universal macOS apps on the Mac App Store that require macOS 13 or later can now drop support for Intel-based Macs.

In the email, obtained by 9to5Mac, Apple says:

“We’re reaching out to let you know that universal macOS apps on the Mac App Store that require macOS 13 or later can now remove support for Intel-based Mac computers.

By removing support for Intel-based Mac computers, you can simplify your development and optimize your download and on-device size.

To remove Intel support, update your app build settings to “arm64″ only. Then rebuild and submit your app to the Mac App Store.”

What happens to Intel mac users?

Until now, developers had to keep Intel compatibility baked into their apps, even if barely anyone was still using an Intel Mac. That requirement is officially gone, and developers can now build arm64 only versions of their apps, which should mean smaller downloads and less bloat for everyone.

If you are still rocking an Intel Mac, don’t panic. You won’t lose access to your apps overnight. You can simply keep using the last version of the app that was built for your machine. You just won’t get any new updates once a developer switches to arm64 only.

Why is apple making this move now?

This lines up with Apple’s bigger plan to close the book on Intel Macs entirely. macOS 27 Golden Gate is set to drop support for Intel-powered Macs altogether. Apple also confirmed last year that Rosetta 2, the tool that lets Intel apps run on Apple Silicon, will be discontinued after macOS 27, with a few exceptions for certain games.

So if you are a developer, this is your cue to lighten your app and focus purely on Apple Silicon. And if you’re still holding onto an Intel Mac, it might finally be time to start planning your upgrade.