Writing

Notes from the build process

Engineering, design and product writing from the team - the decisions behind what we ship, and what we would do differently.

Abstract cover art: a checklist grid with one marked row

Engineering

17 Sept 20264 min read

iPhone Duo ships on iOS 27.1 on 23 October, and its SDK is not out yet

Apple confirmed iPhone Duo runs iOS 27.1 at launch, with the Xcode 27.1 beta due later this month. That leaves weeks, not months. Here is how we are using them.

Pinkesh Gajera

Abstract cover art: linked nodes branching from a single point

Product

17 Sept 20264 min read

App Store multiseat subscriptions are now on by default. Decide before 22 October.

Apple switched on multiseat purchasing for subscriptions in App Store Connect. Volume Purchasing launches 22 October. Check your entitlement logic first.

Pinkesh Gajera

Abstract cover art: stacked layers offset across the frame

Engineering

17 Sept 20264 min read

App Tracking Transparency gets a new EU prompt in iOS 27.2, and five countries get no choice

iOS 27.2 adds an alternative tracking prompt in the EU, mandatory in five countries, with yearly re-prompting. What to build and measure before it ships.

Pinkesh Gajera

Abstract cover art: staggered bars advancing along a track

Engineering

16 Sept 20263 min read

Apple shipped a feature in a beta and told you it is not shipping

The first iOS 27.2 beta contains the rebuilt Health app, and Apple's release notes say it will not ship in 27.2. That is a planning problem.

Pinkesh Gajera

Abstract cover art: nested boundaries enclosing a small mark

Product

16 Sept 20263 min read

If your app has an AI chat feature, the EU Kids Act now reaches it

Von der Leyen's speech put games, AI chatbots and app stores inside the Kids Act. An assistant bolted onto a consumer app is now a regulated surface.

Pinkesh Gajera

Abstract cover art: concentric rings around a sealed centre

Engineering

16 Sept 20263 min read

Apple shipped a photo you can prove is real. You cannot check it yet.

Reference Image signs a photo at the sensor. There is no developer API, it is one camera on one phone, and the useful response is small.

Pinkesh Gajera

Abstract cover art: two nested frames sharing a corner

Design

16 Sept 20263 min read

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max: more rows, not bigger text

Both new Pro phones run at the same pixel density, so the larger one does not magnify your interface. It shows more of it, and that is a design decision.

Pinkesh Gajera

Abstract cover art: a shield outline over a soft grid

Product

16 Sept 20263 min read

Infinite scroll and streaks are about to be regulated

The EU Kids Act would ban infinite scroll and streaks for younger users and require real age verification. It is a proposal, and it is worth reading now.

Pinkesh Gajera

Abstract cover art: nested frames at differing proportions

Engineering

16 Sept 20264 min read

Your iPhone app is about to be resized on iPad

One line in the iPadOS 27 release notes lets iPhone apps be resized on iPad. If you ship an iPhone-only app, it is about to run at sizes you never tested.

Pinkesh Gajera

Notes from the build processNotes from thebuild process

iPhone Duo ships on iOS 27.1 on 23 October, and its SDK is not out yet

App Store multiseat subscriptions are now on by default. Decide before 22 October.

App Tracking Transparency gets a new EU prompt in iOS 27.2, and five countries get no choice

Apple shipped a feature in a beta and told you it is not shipping

If your app has an AI chat feature, the EU Kids Act now reaches it

Apple shipped a photo you can prove is real. You cannot check it yet.

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max: more rows, not bigger text

Infinite scroll and streaks are about to be regulated

Your iPhone app is about to be resized on iPad

Notes from the build process