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I've seen this news from Apple talking about new iOS app submissions needing to be built for retina devices:

https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=3212013b

I know that it says that apps and app updates "must be built for iOS devices with Retina display", which is pretty generic and could maybe include the iPad, but the text only mentions the iPhone 5, and the linked page for "iOS Human Interface Guidelines" only talks about how to make your app ready for the iPhone 5. No mention of retina iPad whatsoever.

So, will it really be mandatory for submitted iPad apps to be compatible with the New iPad resolution of 2048x1536 starting from May 1st, 2013?

pnuts
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OMA
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1 Answers1

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Yes, as of 1 May all new apps and app updates must support retina and non-retina devices. If your app is an iPad or Universal app then it must support both resolutions of the iPad. If your app is an iPhone or Universal app then it must support 3.5" and 4" screens as well as non-retina and retina versions.

rmaddy
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  • Thank you. Is there any source you can cite for the iPad part? – OMA Apr 23 '13 at 23:57
  • Yes, the news article you linked - "new apps and app updates submitted to the App Store must be built for iOS devices with Retina display". An iPad is an iOS device. – rmaddy Apr 23 '13 at 23:59
  • I already acknowledged that in my question: 'I know that it says that apps and app updates "must be built for iOS devices with Retina display", which is pretty generic and could maybe include the iPad, but the text only mentions the iPhone 5, and the linked page for "iOS Human Interface Guidelines" only talks about how to make your app ready for the iPhone 5. No mention of retina iPad whatsoever' -- Also, the App Store Review Guidelines does not mention iPad's retina screen at all: https://developer.apple.com/appstore/resources/approval/guidelines.html – OMA Apr 24 '13 at 00:05
  • There are two parts. 1) "new apps and app updates submitted to the App Store must be built for iOS devices with Retina display". This means that iPad apps must support both resolutions and iPhone apps must support both retina and non-retina. 2) "iPhone apps must also support the 4-inch display on iPhone 5". This means, in addition to the 1st requirement, iPhone/iPod touch apps must support the longer screen of the iPhone 5 and 5th gen iPod touch (and most likely the new phone due out later this year). That's two parts. You must honor both requirements. – rmaddy Apr 24 '13 at 00:14
  • Ok, I guess you're right – OMA Apr 24 '13 at 00:16
  • Think of your customers. That's the bottom line. People with retina iPads want nice graphics. You do a disservice to your customers by not supporting retina displays in your app. All Apple wants is for people to get the best out of their devices. I will admit that my answer is based on my own interpretation of the new rules. We will know for sure soon enough what the real requirement is. – rmaddy Apr 24 '13 at 00:20
  • @rmaddy: What does support for retina mean? Because my current iPad apps run fine with retina iPad device. And i have not done anything special. – user523234 Apr 24 '13 at 01:39
  • @user523234 It means that you have two sets of icons - the regular and the `@2x` versions. You have two sets of launch images, etc. All images used in your app should have regular and `@2x` versions so the images don't look pixelated on retina devices. – rmaddy Apr 24 '13 at 02:06
  • @rmaddy: I know that ALL of our current paying customers (as in 100%) are using iPad 1 & 2. Not a single one of them use retina iPads, so adapting our app for retina iPad only to accomodate Apple's requirements is not something we're very keen to do, unless we're forced to. / user523234: Regular non-retina applications are scaled 2x to fit the New iPad's screen, but that doesn't mean your app is ready for retina screen. – OMA Apr 24 '13 at 04:20
  • @rmaddy, OMA: I understand about images quality issue. My main concern was about the layout of controls. In the apps, i did use absolute coordinates for some controls rather than relatively/dynamically calculate the values. But it seems to appear fine on the view. – user523234 Apr 24 '13 at 12:06
  • @user523234: That's because your application is a regular 1024x768 app. Those kinds of apps are scaled 2x by the OS and thus the layout looks the same in a retina iPad, only slightly blurred, but Apple won't accept 1024x768 apps in a few days. – OMA Apr 24 '13 at 16:22