Apple has issued a reminder to developers to prepare their apps and games for the upcoming holiday season, which is traditionally the busiest time on the App Store.
The company confirmed that the App Store will remain operational throughout the holiday period and will continue to accept submissions. Developers are advised to update their applications in advance, as review times may extend slightly from December 22 to 27, despite the usual turnaround of less than 24 hours for 90% of submissions. In previous years, the App Store Connect team would shut down for the holidays, but that’s no longer the case anymore, since 2021.
In a separate announcement on December 7, 2023, Apple revealed an update to its Apple Developer Program. Starting January 2024, all memberships will include 25 compute hours per month on Xcode Cloud at no additional cost.
Xcode Cloud, built into Xcode, offers a range of cloud-based tools for app development, including automated testing, delivery to testers, and user feedback management. This enhancement aims to accelerate the development and delivery of high-quality apps.
Developers currently using Xcode Cloud for free will not need to take any additional action. Apple encourages developers who have not yet utilized Xcode Cloud to take advantage of this opportunity to start building apps efficiently and at no extra cost. This move is part of Apple’s ongoing efforts to support and streamline app development on its platforms it says. Any freebie is a good thing for developers.
