How to support Latest iOS devices with Older Xcode versions?
Recently I was stuck in an interesting problem.
Apple introduced the ATT (App Tracking Transparency) feature for iOS 14.5 and above devices that requires applications to ask permission if they want to track your activity for ads targeting purposes.
As you can check in below link, to support iOS 14.5 devices minimum Xcode version required is 12.5
To implement and Test this feature on iOS 14.5 devices I tried to update my Xcode and found out that Xcode 12.5 requires a Mac with macOS Big Sur 11 or later.
Currently, I have an Intel-based Mac running macOS Catalina 10.15.7 which only supports Xcode version 12.4 and below .
So to check this feature, I needed to Update my Xcode for which I needed to Update my MacOS which was not possible as my mac mini does not support macOS Big Sur.
The solution or hack that I found was to add required device Support files and paste them in the DeviceSupport folder of my Xcode project.
Steps:
- Go to above link and Download iOS version you need
- Unzip it
- Close Xcode
- Copy and paste unzipped folder in DeviceSupport folder
How to find DeviceSupport folder:
Right click on Finder > Select “Go to Folder” > Enter below path
/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/DeviceSupport/
Or
Go to Applications, find Xcode app, Right click on it and select “Show Package Content”
Navigate to Contents > Developer > Platforms > iPhoneOS.platform > DeviceSupport
Now restart Xcode and run the app again.
That’s it….Enjoy!!!
