Apple mandates 64-bit support for apps from February

iOS developers will soon have to ensure that their apps are 64-bit compatible so as to make the most out of Apple’s latest hardware.

This is because of the inclusion of the A8 chip in both the iPhone 6 and iPad Air 2, TechSpot reports. App submissions that don’t offer 64-bit will, as of February 1st 2015, be rejected.

Apps will also need to be developed using the iOS 8 SDK, which fortunately allows for the creation of binaries that support both 64-bit and 32-bit architectures.

The requirement is not retroactive and will not affect existing apps.

Some of Apple’s currently supported devices – such as the iPad Air and iPhone 5 – haven’t yet made the step up to A8 but it’s safe to assume that older chips will be completely phased out in next year’s cycles.