Apple has told developers they can now drop Intel Mac support from their Mac App Store apps, as long as those apps require macOS 13 or later. The change, announced September 1, marks a formal step in winding down the Intel era on the Mac platform.
Until now, App Store apps distributed as universal binaries had to maintain Intel compatibility even if developers wanted to move on.
Apple’s message to developers was direct: removing Intel support lets them simplify development and reduce both download and on-device app sizes.
Apps that do cut Intel support will stop delivering updates to those machines, though Intel Mac users can continue running the last compatible version they already have installed.
The End of the Intel Era Takes Shape
The timing aligns with a broader platform shift Apple has been executing since the M1 chip arrived in late 2020.
macOS Tahoe, currently available, is the final version of macOS for Intel-based Macs. The next release, macOS Golden Gate, is Apple Silicon-only and requires at least an M1 chip.
Apple stopped selling Intel Macs in June 2023, meaning some buyers have owned their machines for only about three years.
For Intel Mac users, the practical concern is how quickly developers act on this newly available option.
Any app that drops Intel support going forward will freeze on its current version for those machines, with no further bug fixes or feature updates arriving.
Users with a significant number of Intel-only or Rosetta-dependent apps could find their software ecosystem gradually falling behind.
Rosetta 2 Also on Its Way Out
Compounding this, Apple is also phasing out Rosetta 2, the translation layer that allowed Intel-based apps to run on Apple silicon Macs.
Rosetta will stop functioning for most apps after macOS Golden Gate ships this fall. Apps relying on it simply won’t open.
Apple has carved out a narrow exception for older, unmaintained gaming titles that depend on Intel-based frameworks, but the window for most apps is closing.
Users who want to check which of their apps still run through Rosetta can open the System Information app on their Mac and navigate to the Applications section, which lists each app’s architecture without requiring any third-party software.
macOS Golden Gate is currently in developer beta, with a public release expected this fall alongside iOS 27 and the rest of Apple’s annual software updates.
