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Apple Now Allows Mac App Store Apps to Drop Intel Support for macOS 13 and Later

Apple has informed developers that universal Mac App Store apps requiring macOS 13 or later can now remove Intel support, simplifying development and reducing app size. Intel Mac users will retain access to the last compatible version, and the change aligns with macOS Tahoe being the final Intel-compatible release.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 distinct · 2 mastheads · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Sep 2, 2026 Published 1h ago

Apple has announced a change for developers: universal apps on the Mac App Store that require macOS 13 or later can now remove support for Intel-based Mac computers. The company communicated this update directly to developers, as reported by 9to5Mac and MacRumors.

In an email to developers, Apple stated: “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.”

The move allows developers to simplify their development process and optimize download and on-device size, according to Apple’s message. To remove Intel support, developers must update their app build settings to “arm64” only, then rebuild and submit the app, as detailed in the email cited by MacRumors.

Previously, Apple required Mac App Store apps with Intel compatibility to keep supporting Intel machines. With this change, developers can drop that support, but Intel Mac users will still be able to use the last version of an app that is compatible with their machine, as noted by both 9to5Mac and MacRumors.

The update aligns with Apple’s broader transition away from Intel. macOS Tahoe is the last version of macOS that will run on Intel-based Macs, while macOS Golden Gate is limited to Apple silicon Macs with an M1 chip or later, according to 9to5Mac. MacRumors added that macOS 27 Golden Gate drops support for Intel-powered Macs altogether, and Apple announced last year that Rosetta 2, the translation software for Intel apps on Apple silicon, will be discontinued after macOS 27, with some exceptions for certain games.

Developers who choose to drop Intel support will no longer deliver updates for Intel machines, but existing users will retain access to the last compatible version, as explained by 9to5Mac.

How each outlet told it

A framing line is our reading of that outlet's own text — an interpretation, not a quotation and not a fact we assert. Check it against what the outlet published.

9to5Mac

Framing: Apple tells Mac App Store developers they can now drop Intel support — informative and matter-of-fact

as of Sep 2, 2026, 2:18 AM UTC

Facts Included:

Apple started informing developers today that universal macOS apps on the Mac App Store that require macOS 13 or later can now drop support for Intel-based Macs.
Apple's email states: '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 Intel support, developers can simplify development and optimize download and on-device size.
To remove Intel support, developers must update app build settings to 'arm64' only, then rebuild and submit the app.
Previously, developers were required to offer Intel compatibility.
Intel users can continue using the last version of the app compatible with their machine.
The changes come as macOS 27 Golden Gate drops support for Intel-powered Macs altogether.
Apple announced last year that Rosetta 2 will be discontinued after macOS 27, with some exceptions for certain games.

Read the source article →

MacRumors

Framing: Announces that Mac App Store apps can now stop supporting Intel Macs.

as of Sep 2, 2026, 1:18 AM UTC

Facts Included:

Apple informed developers that universal Mac App Store apps requiring macOS 13 or later can remove Intel support.
Removing Intel support can simplify development and optimize download and on-device size.
Apps that drop Intel support will no longer deliver updates for Intel machines, but users can keep last compatible version.
Apple previously did not allow Mac App Store apps with Intel compatibility to drop support.
macOS Tahoe is the last version of macOS that will run on Intel-based Macs.
macOS Golden Gate is limited to Apple silicon Macs with M1 chip or later.

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting that specific claim — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimApple's email to developers stated: "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."	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via 9to5Mac as of Sep 2, 2026, 2:18 AM UTC, MacRumors as of Sep 2, 2026, 1:18 AM UTC
ClaimBy removing support for Intel-based Mac computers, developers can simplify their development and optimize download and on-device size.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via 9to5Mac as of Sep 2, 2026, 2:18 AM UTC, MacRumors as of Sep 2, 2026, 1:18 AM UTC
ClaimTo remove Intel support, developers must update app build settings to 'arm64' only, then rebuild and submit the app.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via 9to5Mac as of Sep 2, 2026, 2:18 AM UTC
ClaimPreviously, developers were required to offer Intel compatibility.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via 9to5Mac as of Sep 2, 2026, 2:18 AM UTC, MacRumors as of Sep 2, 2026, 1:18 AM UTC
ClaimIntel users can continue using the last version of the app compatible with their machine.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via 9to5Mac as of Sep 2, 2026, 2:18 AM UTC, MacRumors as of Sep 2, 2026, 1:18 AM UTC
ClaimThe changes come as macOS 27 Golden Gate drops support for Intel-powered Macs altogether.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via 9to5Mac as of Sep 2, 2026, 2:18 AM UTC
ClaimApple announced last year that Rosetta 2 will be discontinued after macOS 27, with some exceptions for certain games.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via 9to5Mac as of Sep 2, 2026, 2:18 AM UTC
ClaimApps that drop Intel support will no longer deliver updates for Intel machines, but users can keep the last compatible version.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via MacRumors as of Sep 2, 2026, 1:18 AM UTC
ClaimmacOS Tahoe is the last version of macOS that will run on Intel-based Macs.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via MacRumors as of Sep 2, 2026, 1:18 AM UTC
ClaimmacOS Golden Gate is limited to Apple silicon Macs with M1 chip or later.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via MacRumors as of Sep 2, 2026, 1:18 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 distinct · 2 mastheads · 2 articles consulted: 9to5Mac, MacRumors 10 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-09-02