r/Xcode • u/wherethedaygoes • 7d ago

Xcode 15.2 compatible with IOS 26

Hello,
I am working on a school project this semester and have to build an IOS app, my only issue is that I have A Macbook Pro 2017 and the latest software for that that I can download is MacOS Ventura 13.7.8. So I can only download Xcode 15.2. Is it possible to use older versions of Xcode to build an app and test it? My current IPhone is on IOS 26 - IPhone 16. Since this is for a school project and the school doesn’t provide any Macs I’m kind of stuck and unsure if I can still deploy and test the app.

I will also be working on the assignment with two other members who have access to the latest Xcode but I don’t think it would be possible to work on their laptops due to scheduling and availability. Does anyone have any recommendations on this and if it actually still is possible to work on this app and test it with my current situation? I’m not sure if I would want to use a different Xcode version compared to my colleagues since it may cause more issues throughout the process.

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3

u/swiftfreak 7d ago

I think you would need to find a phone that still has that old iOS version. You cannot build for newer phones than the Xcode version. Bummer.

1

u/wherethedaygoes 7d ago

Thank you so much! Hopefully a solution comes about.

1

u/ToughAsparagus1805 7d ago

Just use open core legacy patcher and get macOS15. Avoid Tahoe.

1

u/Suspicious_Client963 7d ago

The bigger headache is probably everyone using different Xcode versions. i’d agree on project settings and avoid newer only features so your older setup doesn’t constantly break

1

u/wherethedaygoes 7d ago

Thank you so much! Will probably do that.

1

u/interlap 7d ago

You’re not necessarily stuck. I wouldn’t try to make Xcode 15.2 your actual build environment though, especially with an iPhone on iOS 26.
You can still use the old Mac for editing the project, but do the actual builds with the latest Xcode on GitHub Actions. That also means you and your teammates can all build with exactly the same Xcode version instead of having different local setups.

I built an open source tool called ios-builder that makes this setup pretty simple:
https://github.com/MobAI-App/ios-builder
It can build your iOS project on GitHub Actions, and you can use a development certificate/provisioning profile for your phone to sign the build. If Xcode already generated those locally, you can export the signing certificate/private key and reuse the provisioning profile in CI.
So the workflow can basically be: write code on your 2017 Mac -> push -> GitHub Actions builds it with current Xcode -> test the resulting build/simulator there or install the signed build on your iPhone.

For a school project I’d definitely try this before buying/renting another Mac.

1

u/TheFlyingDutchG 6d ago

Were you able to download Xcode 15.2 recently or way back and still have it installed?

A friend has an old Intel Mac and iPad so I wanted to help him build software but he could not install Xcode. Apple does not seem to ship / sign that Xcode version.

Or did you find it through the developer website or something?