Supporting iPhone XS Max and XR

New iPhones are coming and bringing new device sizes. The good news, if you have been following Apple’s advice, is that you should not have much to do this year. Here is a recap of what you need to know to update your Apps for the new devices.

The New Models In A Nutshell

There are three new devices all following the iPhone X style of having no home button and a cutout or notch for the camera and sensor housing:

iPhone XS

  • Display: 5.8" OLED
  • Screen size: 375pt x 812pt
  • Physical size: 1125px x 2436px (458 PPI)
  • Scale factor: @3x
  • Native scale factor: @3x
  • Portrait size classes: w: Compact, h: Regular
  • Landscape size classes: h: Compact, w: Compact

iPhone XR

  • Display: 6.1" LCD
  • Screen size: 414pt x 896pt
  • Physical size: 828px x 1792px (326 PPI)
  • Scale factor: @2x
  • Native scale factor: @2x
  • Portrait size classes: w: Compact, h: Regular
  • Landscape size classes: h: Regular, w: Compact

iPhone XS Max

  • Display: 6.5" OLED
  • Screen size: 414pt x 896pt
  • Physical size: 1242px x 2688px (458 PPI)
  • Scale factor: @3x
  • Native scale factor: @3x
  • Portrait size classes: w: Compact, h: Regular
  • Landscape size classes: h: Regular, w: Compact

Notes:

  1. The iPhone XR and the iPhone XS Max are “Plus” sized devices. So they have a “Regular” horizontal size class in landscape.

  2. The iPhone XS has the same screen size as the iPhone X and is a “Normal” size iPhone. It has a “Compact” horizontal size class in landscape.

  3. The iPhone XR is physically larger than the iPhone X and iPhone XS but has a lower resolution. It is a @2x device. The other two new devices are both @3x devices (as was the iPhone X).

  4. The iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR have the same screen size (in points not pixels).

The Notch Is Everywhere

The good news is that this should not be a difficult update. If you are using standard UIKit views and controls and are using the safe area layout guides you should have almost nothing to do. See Supporting iPhone X for a recap from last year and this Apple Tech Talk

The only thing you really need to do is link against the latest iOS 12 SDK. Until you do that the user interface is zoomed to fit the increased screen sizes. See the update from Geoff Hackworth on How iOS Apps Adapt to iPhone XS Max and XR screen sizes

App Store Screenshots

Don’t forget about your screenshots and App previews. You can now upload iPhone XS Max screenshots (1242px x 2688px) in App Store Connect. These also cover the iPhone XR.

If you already have separate screenshots for the iPhone X (1125px x 2436px) these also cover the iPhone XS. If you don’t the iPhone XS Max screenshots are automatically resized.

You will still need at least the 5.5" screenshots for the Plus sized models (1242px2208px). These are also used for the smaller devices if you don’t supply screenshots for them.

Note also starting from March 2019 that you will be required to upload iPhone XS Max screenshots:

Starting March 2019, all new apps and app updates for iPhone, including universal apps, will require iPhone XS Max screenshots. They must also be built with the new iOS 12 SDK and support the latest devices.

Want To Learn More?

If you are struggling to build layouts that work across the growing range of iOS devices, you should get my book - Modern Auto Layout.

Further Reading