Apple accelerates end of Intel support with new Mac App Store policy and Rosetta phaseout

Apple has announced a shift away from Intel compatibility on Macs, allowing developers to drop Intel support in App Store submissions and confirming the final phaseout of Rosetta as a universal compatibility tool, marking a decisive move in the transition to Apple silicon.

Apple has begun removing one of the last formal barriers keeping Intel-era Mac software in the Mac App Store, while also fixing a firm end point for Rosetta as a general compatibility tool. In notices issued on 1 September, the company said qualifying Mac App Store apps that require macOS 13 or later may now stop shipping Intel code, and separately said macOS 27 will be the final broad release to support Rosetta for Intel-only Mac apps on Apple silicon. (9to5mac.com)

The immediate policy change is narrower than an instant cut-off for older machines. According to 9to5Mac, developers have been told to switch their build settings to “arm64” only, then rebuild and resubmit the app. Intel Mac owners do not lose access overnight: they can continue to download and use the last release that still worked on their hardware, meaning the impact falls on future updates rather than existing installations. (9to5mac.com)

That distinction matters because Apple is winding down two different forms of Intel compatibility at the same time. AppleInsider reported that the App Store change effectively permits Apple-silicon-only submissions for some apps that previously had to keep Intel support, but Rosetta is a separate layer used on Apple silicon Macs to translate Intel apps at launch. As Apple Support explains, Rosetta is there for newer Macs running older Intel software, whereas the App Store rule chiefly affects whether developers continue issuing fresh builds for people still using Intel hardware. (appleinsider.com)

Apple’s published Rosetta timetable is more explicit than the App Store policy note. The developer notice says users on macOS 26.4 or later may see a system warning when they open software that depends on Rosetta, urging them to move to a native Apple silicon version. Apple describes macOS 27 as the “Final release to support Rosetta”, while its support page says that from macOS 28 onwards the translation layer will remain only for certain older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks. MacRumors reported in June that warnings had already started appearing in macOS 26.4 and 26.5, underlining that Apple has moved from long-term signalling to visible enforcement. (developer.apple.com)

The latest steps close a transition that started almost six years ago. AppleInsider says Apple began moving the Mac line away from Intel in November 2020 with the MacBook Air, Mac mini and 13-inch MacBook Pro, and that the 2023 Mac Pro was the final model to switch. Ars Technica reported in June 2025 that macOS Tahoe 26 would be the last major macOS release for Intel Macs, and that Apple planned to keep issuing security updates for Tahoe until autumn 2028, which fits the company’s usual pattern of extended patching for older systems. (appleinsider.com)

For users and IT teams, Apple’s own support guidance shows where the risk now sits. In Finder’s Get Info panel, software labelled “Application (Intel)” still depends on the old architecture, while “Application (Universal)” and “Application (Apple silicon)” do not. Apple also notes that some universal apps can still be forced to “Open using Rosetta” so they can load Intel-only plug-ins, extensions or other add-ons, and those components may need to be updated separately even if the main app already runs natively. (support.apple.com)

Apple’s message to developers who have not completed the move is not subtle. In its 1 September notice, the company says: “Begin the transition immediately.” It advises teams that still need to serve both processor families to distribute universal binaries, while developers that already have a native Apple silicon release are being told to contact users directly and steer them to that version before macOS 27 ships this autumn. Apple says doing so should help users avoid Rosetta warnings on macOS 26.4 and later, and prevent their apps from failing once the new deadline arrives. (developer.apple.com)

Taken together, the store rule and the Rosetta schedule show Apple moving Intel compatibility from a default expectation to a shrinking legacy path. Intel Mac owners can keep using older compatible App Store releases, and older games get a limited exception after macOS 27, but the direction is now fixed. Businesses and individuals still reliant on old utilities, bespoke internal tools, or Intel-only plug-ins have a practical choice to make: replace them, press developers for native updates, or prepare to stay on older versions of macOS for longer than they may have planned. (support.apple.com)