Featured
Different Hardware Architecture in iOS
Let’s understand different Hardware architectures and their purpose
As technology advances, we see improvements in its performance across various aspects. Now, with multiple hardware architectures in iOS, it’s easy to get confused. Let’s break it down and understand what each one means. Let’s Start 🏃🏼➡️…
As our chips and processors keep getting better, so do our software and their capabilities. We’ve seen that Apple’s ecosystem works really well with their silicon chips. Frameworks like Metal, Core ML, and Accelerate need advanced computing and high-end configurations to work with their APIs. So, it’s important for us to understand when we should configure them and what they mean.
arm7 & arm7s:
These architecture settings are being used for older versions of iPhones, such as the iPhone 3, 4, and 5. If you are compiling your code to support these older devices, you would need to add these devices to your build settings.
i386/x86_64:
These architectures were used for iOS simulators on Intel-based Macs. i386 was used for older 32-bit iOS simulators, while x86_64 was introduced for 64-bit simulators from iOS 7 onwards. Before Apple transitioned to ARM-based Macs (M1, M2, M3), Intel Macs used x86_64 for iOS simulators. Now, Apple Silicon Macs use arm64 for native simulation.
arm64/arm64e ARM architecture:
Real and modern devices like iPhones and iPads. It supports the A7 chip and later devices.
ONLY_ACTIVE_ARCH (Build Active Architecture Only):
This setting determines whether Xcode compiles for all architectures or only the currently active one
However, what purpose do all those settings serve? Let us understand.
- Cross-Device Compatibility: Ensures apps work on different iPhone/iPad models with varying architectures
- Supports multiple iOS simulators: Allows testing on Intel-based (
x86_64) and Apple Silicon (arm64) Macs. - Faster Debug Builds: Using
ONLY_ACTIVE_ARCH=YESin Debug mode improves build times.
However, for further exploration, I am adding additional reference links, which could be helpful if you want to explore more.
That’s all for now! Thanks so much for taking the time to read my post. I really value your feedback. If you found it helpful, please give it a clap or leave a comment. I’ll see you in the next one! 🙌
