Upgraded to XCode 4.5 for armv7s but XCode 4.5 removes armv6 but cannot restrict requirements

Question

I've upgraded to XCode 4.5 to add armv7s arch support, however, I found that you cannot generate armv6 binaries with XCode 4.5.

I already support armv6, but, wanting to support armv7s with XCode 4.5 seems to force me to contradict the clause: "You are permitted to expand your device requirements only. Submitting an update to your binary to restrict your device requirements is not permitted."

Does anyone know if we are allowed to drop armv6, or if there's a workaround?

It is probably also worth mentioning that I'm building a framework (library), not an app. So I want to support app developers.

Answer 1

armv6 is the CPU architecture of the original iPhone and iPhone 3G. Seeing as how both are no longer supported for two generations of iOS and more, it is safe to remove it from the supported targets. In fact, targeting armv7 should produce more optimized binaries for current devices.

Seeing as how you are developing a library, this will impose restrictions on users. You will either restrict armv6 users or armv7s users - the choice seems obvious to me, but to be safe, I would recommend branching your armv7 and up version as a new project ("v2" perhaps), so users of the old library can continue using it safely until they are able to upgrade their projects. Keep the original unsupported to incentivise faster upgrades.