forcedotcom Update iOS Minimum Deployment Target
This skill updates the minimum iOS deployment target across the entire Salesforce Mobile SDK for iOS repository.
When to Use
- When bumping the minimum supported iOS version for a new SDK release
- Typically done once per major release cycle
What This Skill Does
Updates the iOS deployment target in all necessary locations:
- CocoaPods Specifications - Updates platform version in all 5 podspec files
- Build Configuration - Updates Xcode configuration files
- Project Files - Updates all .pbxproj files for libraries and sample apps
- Installation Scripts - Updates version checks in install.sh
- Documentation - Updates readme.md with new minimum version
- Helper Scripts - Updates mobilesdk_pods.rb deployment target
- GitHub Actions Workflows - Updates CI workflow matrices and runtime installation steps
- Code Cleanup - Identifies and removes obsolete version checks in source code
- Comment Updates - Updates version references in code comments
Usage
When invoked, ask the user for:
- Current minimum iOS version (e.g., "16.0")
- New minimum iOS version (e.g., "17.0")
- Corresponding minimum Xcode version (e.g., "16.0" for iOS 17)
Step-by-Step Process
1. Update CocoaPods Specifications
Update s.platform = :ios, "X.0" in:
- MobileSync.podspec
- SalesforceAnalytics.podspec
- SalesforceSDKCommon.podspec
- SalesforceSDKCore.podspec
- SmartStore.podspec
2. Update Build Configuration
In configuration/Packaging-Dynamic.xcconfig:
- Change
IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET = X.0
3. Update Helper Scripts
In mobilesdk_pods.rb:
- Update
change_deployment_target(target, 'X.0')
4. Update Installation Script
In install.sh:
- Update iOS version check strings (e.g., "iOS 15.0" → "iOS 17.0")
- Update Xcode version requirements (XCODE_MIN_VERSION and XCODE_MIN_VERSION_STR)
5. Update Documentation
In readme.md:
- Update minimum iOS version requirement statement
6. Update Xcode Project Files
Find all .pbxproj files and update IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET:
- libs/MobileSync/MobileSync.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
- libs/SalesforceAnalytics/SalesforceAnalytics.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
- libs/SalesforceSDKCommon/SalesforceSDKCommon.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
- libs/SalesforceSDKCore/SalesforceSDKCore.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
- libs/SmartStore/SmartStore.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
- Sample apps (MobileSyncExplorer, RestAPIExplorer, etc.)
7. Update GitHub Actions Workflows
Remove the old minimum iOS version from CI workflows and clean up runtime installation steps:
In .github/workflows/nightly.yaml:
- Remove old iOS version from test matrix (e.g.,
ios: [^26, ^18, ^17]→ios: [^26, ^18]) - Remove old iOS version from build matrix
- Remove corresponding Xcode version mapping from matrix.include
In .github/workflows/ui-test-nightly.yaml:
- Remove old iOS version from test matrix
- Remove corresponding Xcode version mapping from matrix.include
8. Code Cleanup - Remove Obsolete Version Checks
Search for and review code with version-specific conditional compilation:
#if __IPHONE_OS_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED >= [OLD_VERSION]@available(iOS X.Y, *)if #available(iOS X.Y, *)
For each occurrence where the check is for a version now below the new minimum:
- Remove the conditional wrapper
- Keep only the modern code path
- Remove else/fallback branches for old iOS versions
Example patterns to search for:
# Find preprocessor conditionals
grep -r "#if __IPHONE_OS_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED" libs/
# Find availability checks in Swift
grep -r "@available(iOS" libs/
# Find availability checks in Objective-C
grep -r "respondsToSelector" libs/
9. Update Version References in Comments
Search for and update comments that reference the old minimum version:
grep -r "iOS [OLD_VERSION]" libs/ --include="*.swift" --include="*.m" --include="*.h"
Post-Update Tasks
- Build Verification: Build all library schemes to verify no compilation errors
- Sample App Check: Build and run sample apps (RestAPIExplorer, MobileSyncExplorer)
Important Notes
- STOP and FLAG for human review: This is a significant change that affects all SDK consumers
- Release timing: Only bump deployment target at major releases, never patches
- Breaking change: Document this in migration guide and release notes
Example Command Flow
# 1. Create a feature branch
git checkout -b bump-ios-18
# 2. Use this skill to make all updates
# (skill automates file edits)
# 3. Search for version-specific code
grep -r "@available(iOS 17" libs/ --include="*.swift"
grep -r "#if __IPHONE_OS_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED >= 170000" libs/
# 4. Build all libraries
xcodebuild -workspace SalesforceMobileSDK.xcworkspace -scheme SalesforceSDKCore -sdk iphonesimulator
xcodebuild -workspace SalesforceMobileSDK.xcworkspace -scheme SmartStore -sdk iphonesimulator
xcodebuild -workspace SalesforceMobileSDK.xcworkspace -scheme MobileSync -sdk iphonesimulator
Historical References
- PR #3796: iOS 16 → iOS 17 bump
- PR #3681: iOS 15 → iOS 16 bump
Checklist
Before marking complete:
- All 5 podspec files updated
- Packaging-Dynamic.xcconfig updated
- mobilesdk_pods.rb updated
- install.sh updated (both iOS and Xcode versions)
- readme.md updated
- All .pbxproj files updated (libraries + sample apps)
- Obsolete version checks removed from code
- Version references in comments updated
- All libraries build successfully
- Sample apps build