After more than a year of warnings, it looks like Apple’s finally putting the kibosh on the use of Unique Device Identifiers. An announcement was posted to the iOS developer portal this afternoon that starting May 1, apps using UDIDs will not be approved.
But that’s not all. In addition to the UDID deadline, Apple has also informed developers that after May 1, all new apps and app updates must be built for iOS devices with Retina displays and iPhone apps must support the 4-inch display on iPhone 5…
Here are the two announcements (via 9to5Mac). First up is the new no UDID rule:
“Starting May 1, the App Store will no longer accept new apps or app updates that access UDIDs. Please update your apps and servers to associate users with the Vendor or Advertising identifiers introduced in iOS 6. You can find more details in the UIDevice Class Reference.”
And here’s the one regarding Retina graphics, and the iPhone 5’s 4-inch display:
“Starting May 1, new apps and app updates submitted to the App Store must be built for iOS devices with Retina display and iPhone apps must also support the 4-inch display on iPhone 5. Learn about preparing your apps by reviewing the iOS Human Interface Guidelines.”
Apple first began rejecting apps that used UDIDs back in May of last year over privacy and security concerns. And in June, it introduced its replacement for advertising, the iOS Advertising Identifier, which is a non-personal identifier that developers can use.
As for the new Retina/iPhone 5 display support mandate, it’s long overdue—at least for Retina graphics. Apple first introduced its high-res displays back in the summer of 2010 on the iPhone 4. And now they are used across nearly all of its major product lines.