path: root/doc/src/platforms/apple/ios.qdoc

// Copyright (C) 2017 The Qt Company Ltd.
// SPDX-License-Identifier: LicenseRef-Qt-Commercial OR GFDL-1.3-no-invariants-only

/*!
    \page ios.html
    \title Qt for iOS
    \brief Provides insight into Qt's iOS port and how to use it.
    \ingroup supportedplatform

    Qt for iOS enables building applications for Apple's
    \l{https://www.apple.com/iphone/}{iPhone} and
    \l{https://www.apple.com/ipad/}{iPad} devices, as well as the
    \l{https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/}{Apple Vision Pro}.

    To develop with Qt for iOS, follow the \l{Getting Started}
    {getting started guide}; then explore \l{Examples for iOS}
    {examples for iOS}, and \l{Related Topics}{related topics}.

    \target ios-supported-configurations
    \section1 Supported Configurations

    The following versions of the \l{Build Environment}{build environment}
    and runtime \l {Target Platforms}{target platform} are supported by Qt \qtver.

    \include supported-platforms.qdocinc ios

    \table 50%
        \header \li {4,1} Target Devices used in Automated Testing
        \header \li Device \li OS Version \li Architecture \li Form Factor
         \row \li \l{iPhone 12}
             \li iOS 17
             \li armv8 (arm64)
             \li Mobile
         \row \li \l{iPhone 11}
             \li iOS 17
             \li armv8 (arm64)
             \li Mobile
         \row \li \l{iPad Pro, 3rd generation}
             \li iOS 17
             \li armv8 (arm64)
             \li Tablet
         \row \li \l{iPad, 6th generation}
             \li iOS 17
             \li armv8 (arm64)
             \li Tablet
    \endtable

    \include apple-common.qdocinc {build-environment} {iOS}
    \include apple-common.qdocinc {target-platforms} {iOS}

    \section1 Getting Started

    \include apple-common.qdocinc {installing-xcode} {iOS}

    For testing Qt applications in the simulator that comes with Xcode,
    this is all you need. However, for running applications on a physical
    device and/or publishing your applications in the App Store, you must
    join the \l{Apple Developer Program}, and set up developer certificates
    and provisioning profiles.

    Before building any Qt applications, you should test that Xcode
    is set up correctly, for example by running one of the standard
    Xcode application templates on your device.

    \section2 Installing or building Qt

    To install or build Qt, follow the general \l{Getting Started with Qt}
    {getting started with Qt} guide.

    \section2 Building Applications from the Command Line

    Use CMake or qmake to define how to build your iOS application. Both CMake
    and qmake can generate an \c xcodeproj file, which can then be loaded and
    built from the command line.

    \section3 Using CMake

    The \c qt-cmake convenience script located in \c <Qt-dir>/<version>/ios/bin/
    will take care of setting up the toolchain and correct architectures for you.

    Using \c qt-cmake convenience script:

    \badcode
        <Qt-dir>/<version>/ios/bin/qt-cmake <source-dir>
    \endcode

    Using the generated \c xcodeproj file, you can either use Xcode to build
    your application or run \c xcodebuild from the command line. For a list of
    available targets and schemes for your application, run the following
    command:

    \badcode
        xcodebuild -list -project <your-app>.xcodeproj
    \endcode

    Then, run \c {xcodebuild build}, passing in your application details:

    \badcode
        xcodebuild build -allowProvisioningUpdates -project <your-app>.xcodeproj -scheme <your-scheme> -configuration Debug -destination "generic/platform=iOS" -destination-timeout 1 ENABLE_ONLY_ACTIVE_RESOURCES=NO
    \endcode

    \section3 Using qmake

    First, define how to build the application using qmake. Then, use the
    generated \c xcodeproj file to build the application, either in Xcode or
    from the command line.

    \badcode
        qmake <your-app>.pro
    \endcode

    qmake creates a wrapper Makefile that in turns calls \c xcodebuild, so you
    can run \c make to build your application:

    \badcode
        make -j8
    \endcode

    Note that you must re-import the project if its setup changes, for
    example, when adding or removing source files.

    \section4 Customizing Xcode project settings

    The \c QMAKE_MAC_XCODE_SETTINGS qmake variable can be used to customize
    Xcode settings, for example:

    \badcode
        development_team.name = DEVELOPMENT_TEAM
        development_team.value = <your-team-id>
        QMAKE_MAC_XCODE_SETTINGS += development_team
    \endcode

    Other qmake variables are also useful:

    \badcode
        QMAKE_TARGET_BUNDLE_PREFIX = com.<your-company>
        QMAKE_BUNDLE = <your-app>
    \endcode

    \section2 Running Applications in Xcode

    The Xcode projects generated by qmake and CMake support running
    the application on both iOS devices and in the iOS simulator.

    \note As the default architecture of the Qt for iOS simulator libraries
    is \c x86_64, the application must run under Rosetta on Apple
    Silicon Macs. If the Rosetta-based run destinations are not
    listed in Xcode's run destination menu they can be enabled
    via the \c {Product > Destination > Destination Architectures}
    menu.

    \section2 Building and Running Applications with \QC

    You can find information on how to set up and run Qt for iOS
    applications in the \QC documentation:

    \list
        \li \l{\QC: Connect iOS devices}.
    \endlist

    Note that this still requires a working Xcode installation.

    \section1 Examples for iOS

    In \QC, tested examples on iOS can be looked up. Use the \c ios
    keyword to search for examples in the \QC Welcome mode. Note that
    some examples may have limited functionality.

    For a list of examples known to work on iOS devices, visit
    \l{Qt for iOS Examples}.

    \section1 Related Topics

    The following topics provide more details about Qt for iOS:
    \list
        \li \l {Porting to iOS}{Porting a Qt Quick Application}
        \li \l {Platform Notes - iOS}{Platform Notes}
        \li \l {Qt for iOS - Building from Source}
    \endlist

    \include objective-c.qdocinc
*/

/*!
    \page ios-building-from-source.html
    \title Qt for iOS - Building from Source
    \brief Provides instructions to build Qt from source for iOS platform.

    Building \l {Qt for iOS} from sources requires \l Xcode with
    Command Line Tools installed. You can install Xcode Command Line Tools
    directly using \c {xcode-select –install} from you terminal or as a package
    using \l {https://docs.brew.sh/Installation}{Homebrew}.
    Qt sources can be obtained either by cloning the repositories or
    downloading the source package(s).

    To cross-build Qt, you need a host build of Qt first. See \l{Cross-compiling
    Qt} for details.

    You can then configure and build Qt. This is done from the Qt top
    directory:

    \badcode
        > ./configure -platform macx-ios-clang -release -qt-host-path <path_to_host_qt_installation>
    \endcode

    \include use-ninja-note.qdocinc ninja-note

    For other configure options, see \l{Qt Configure Options}.

    Then, simply run \c{cmake --build . --parallel}.

    \note A default build will include both simulator and device
    libraries. If you want to build for a single target, use the \c
    -sdk argument with either \c iphoneos or \c iphonesimulator.
*/

/*!
    \page porting-to-ios.html
    \title Porting to iOS
    \brief Provides instructions to port your existing Qt application to iOS.

    In this section, we are going to port an existing Qt application to
    \l{Qt for iOS}{iOS} and deploy it to the device.

    Most Qt applications should be portable to iOS with ease, unless they
    depend on a specific hardware or software feature not supported on iOS.
    A major part of the porting effort consists of ensuring that all the
    application's assets (for example, QML files, images, and icons) are
    deployed correctly to the device.

    \include porting-notes.qdocinc using resources

    The following step-by-step instructions guide you to port an existing Qt Quick
    application to iOS using the qrc approach:

    \list 1
     \li Open the existing project in \QC and configure it with
         \e {iOS} or \e {iOS Simulator} kit. For more information, see
         \l{\QC: Configuring Projects}.

     \li Update all local directory imports in the \c{qml} files to use a local
         namespace. For example, to import the QML documents in the "contents"
         directory relative to \c{main.qml}, use the following import statement:

         \code
         import "contents" as Contents
         \endcode

     \li Identify all the resources used by your application and add them to one
         or more qrc files.
         \QC updates your qmake project file with the \c RESOURCES
         variable, listing the qrc files you added.

     \li To load or refer to the resources in the qrc file from a C++ file,
         use the "\c{qrc:}" prefix for the URL. For example:

         \code
         QQuickView viewer;
         viewer.setSource(QUrl("qrc:qml/main.qml"));
         viewer.show();
         \endcode

         \note QML documents can refer to files in the resources simply by
         using the relative path to the document. Such references do not
        require the "\c{qrc:}" or "\c{:/}" prefix.

     \li Update the "Run" settings for your project as described in
         \l{\QC: Configure projects for running}

     \li If your application uses imports or plugins that depend on special Qt
         modules, these Qt modules should be added to your build configuration file.
         For example, if your application uses the Qt Multimedia import in QML, you
         should add the following to your \c .pro or \c CMakeLists.txt file:
         \br
         \if defined(onlinedocs)
           \tab {build-ios-app}{tab-cmake}{CMake}{checked}
           \tab {build-ios-app}{tab-qmake}{qmake}{}
           \tabcontent {tab-cmake}
         \else
           \section1 Using CMake
         \endif
         \badcode
         find_package(Qt6 REQUIRED COMPONENTS Multimedia)
         target_link_libraries(my_project PRIVATE Qt6::Multimedia)
         \endcode
         \if defined(onlinedocs)
           \endtabcontent
           \tabcontent {tab-qmake}
         \else
           \section1 Using qmake
         \endif
         \badcode
         QT += multimedia
         \endcode
         \if defined(onlinedocs)
           \endtabcontent
         \endif

         In Qt for iOS, everything is compiled statically and placed into the application
         bundle. The applications are "sandboxed" inside their bundles and cannot make use
         of shared object files. Because of this, also the plugins used by the Qt modules
         need to be statically linked. To do this, define the required plugins using the
         \l QTPLUGIN variable.

         \omit
         If your project uses APIs from \l {Qt Sensors}, use the following:

         \badcode
         QT += sensors
         QTPLUGIN += qtsensors_ios
         \endcode
         \endomit

     \li Save the changes to your project and run the application.
    \endlist

    \QC deploys your application on the iOS device, if the
    device is detected and configured correctly in Xcode. It is also possible to
    test the application in iOS Simulator. For more information, see
    \l {http://doc.qt.io/qtcreator/creator-developing-ios.html}{Connecting iOS Devices}.

    \sa {Platform Notes - iOS}
*/

/*!
    \page ios-platform-notes.html
    \title Platform Notes - iOS
    \brief This page contains information about building Qt applications for and running them on the iOS platform.

    \section1 Deployment

    Developing, building, running, and debugging a Qt for iOS application can all be done
    with \QC on \macos. The toolchain is provided by Apple's Xcode,
    and running qmake or CMake on a project targeted for iOS will also generate an
    Xcode project file (.xcodeproj), with initial application settings. As Qt
    Creator does not provide an interface for managing all of the settings specific
    to iOS platform, it is sometimes necessary to adjust them in Xcode directly.
    Checking that the application is configured correctly is especially important
    before submitting an application for publishing in Apple's App Store.

    \section2 Application bundles

    iOS applications are typically deployed as self-contained application
    bundles. The application bundle contains the application's executable as well
    as dependencies, such as the Qt libraries, plugins, translations, and other
    resources the application may need.

    \include {apple-app-bundle.qdocinc} {building an app bundle}

    \target Info.plist
    \section2 Information Property List Files

    Information property list file (Info.plist) on iOS and \macos is used for
    configuring an application bundle. These configuration settings include:

    \list
        \li Application display name and identifier
        \li Required device capabilities
        \li Supported user interface orientations
        \li Icons and launch images
    \endlist

    See the documentation on
    \l {https://developer.apple.com/documentation/bundleresources/information_property_list}
    {Information Property List File} in iOS Developer Library for details.

    \section3 Info.plist with CMake

    CMake generates a default \c Info.plist file if a target has its \c{MACOSX_BUNDLE}
    property set to \c TRUE. Unfortunately that file is not suitable for iOS projects.

    Instead, projects can use \l qt_add_executable, which will automatically generate
    an \c Info.plist file with default values suitable for iOS projects.

    To specify a custom \c{Info.plist}, projects can set the \c{MACOSX_BUNDLE_INFO_PLIST}
    target property as shown below. Doing that will disable the automatic file
    generation provided by \l qt_add_executable and will instead use CMake's
    native handling for the project-provided \c Info.plist file.

    \badcode
    qt_add_executable(app)
    if(IOS)
        set_target_properties(app
            PROPERTIES MACOSX_BUNDLE_INFO_PLIST "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/ios/Info.plist")
    endif()
    \endcode

    See the \l{CMake MACOSX_BUNDLE_INFO_PLIST documentation} for information
    on which target properties and variables can be specified for the
    template substitution performed by CMake.

    \section3 Info.plist with QMake

    When qmake is run, an \c Info.plist file is generated with appropriate default values.

    It is advisable to replace the generated Info.plist with your own copy, to prevent
    it from being overwritten the next time qmake is run. You can define a custom information
    property list with \l QMAKE_INFO_PLIST variable in your .pro file.

    \badcode
    ios {
        QMAKE_INFO_PLIST = ios/Info.plist
    }
    \endcode

    \section2 Application Assets

    For files that cannot be bundled into Qt resources, \l QMAKE_BUNDLE_DATA qmake variable
    provides a way to specify a set of files to be copied into the application bundle. For
    example:

    \badcode
    ios {
        fontFiles.files = $$files(fonts/*.ttf)
        fontFiles.path = fonts
        QMAKE_BUNDLE_DATA += fontFiles
    }
    \endcode

    With CMake, the same can be done in the following way:

    \badcode
    qt_add_executable(app)
    file(GLOB_RECURSE font_files CONFIGURE_DEPENDS "fonts/*.ttf")
    if(IOS AND font_files)
        target_sources(app PRIVATE ${font_files})
        set_source_files_properties(
            ${font_files}
            PROPERTIES MACOSX_PACKAGE_LOCATION Resources/fonts)
    endif()
    \endcode

    For image resources, an alternative way is to make use of
    \l {Managing Assets with Asset Catalogs}{asset catalogs} in Xcode, which can be
    added in the following way with qmake:

    \badcode
    ios {
        QMAKE_ASSET_CATALOGS += ios/Assets.xcassets
    }
    \endcode

    With CMake:

    \badcode
    qt_add_executable(app)
    set(asset_catalog_path "ios/Assets.xcassets")
    target_sources(app PRIVATE "${asset_catalog_path}")
    set_source_files_properties(
        ${asset_catalog_path}
        PROPERTIES MACOSX_PACKAGE_LOCATION Resources)
    \endcode

    \section2 Icons

    Starting with Xcode 13, icons need to be added to an asset catalog's icon set, which is
    usually called \c AppIcon.
    Xcode will then take care of updating the \c Info.plist file with the correct keys and values,
    as well as copy any necessary icon files directly into the application bundle.

    Starting with Xcode 14, only one 1024x1024 pixel-sized image is required. Xcode takes care
    of generating all the necessary icons from it. It is also possible to specify the images
    manually in the asset catalog.

    A detailed list of the icons that can be specified is available at
    \l {App Icons on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch}{Icon files}.

    The filename is not important, but the actual pixel size is.
    To support a universal iOS application, the following images
    are required:

    \list
        \li \c {AppIcon60x60@2x.png}: 120 x 120 (for iPhone)
        \li \c {AppIcon76x76@2x~ipad.png}: 152 x 152 (for iPad)
        \li \c {AppIcon167x167.png}: 167x167 (for iPad Pro)
        \li \c {AppIcon1024x1024.png}: 1024 x 1024 (for App Store)
    \endlist

    Ad-hoc distributions should also include the following filenames in the application bundle
    to visualize the application in iTunes:
    \list
        \li \c iTunesArtwork 512x512
        \li \c iTunesArtwork@2x 1024x1024
    \endlist

    The easiest way to add the icons is to follow Xcode's documentation at
    \l {Create asset catalogs and sets}{Create asset catalogs and sets}.

    When building a project with CMake, it should also specify the
    following Xcode attribute to ensure app icons are generated by Xcode.

    \badcode
    set_target_properties(app_target_name PROPERTIES
        XCODE_ATTRIBUTE_ASSETCATALOG_COMPILER_APPICON_NAME AppIcon)
    \endcode

    Below is an example of how an \c Assets.xcassets/AppIcon.appiconset/Contents.json file for
    Xcode 14 might look like:

    \quotefile ios/asset_catalog_icons.json

    \section2 Launch Screens and Launch Images

    \section3 Launch Screens

    Every iOS app must provide a launch screen to be displayed while the app launches.
    A launch screen is an interface builder \c{.xib} file, also called a storyboard file.
    For more information, see \l{Specifying Your App's Launch Screen}.

    Support for launch screens has been introduced in iOS 9.0.

    Both qmake and CMake generate a default launch screen called \c{LaunchScreen.storyboard}.

    To specify a custom launch screen, it must be copied to the application bundle, and the
    \c UILaunchStoryboardName key must be set to the name of the launch screen in the
    \c Info.plist file.

    Qt supports custom launch screens with CMake since Qt 6.4, and with qmake since Qt 6.0.

    Assuming that the launch file is called \c Launch.storyboard, it can be added to
    \c Info.plist as follows:

    \badcode
    <key>UILaunchStoryboardName</key>
    <string>Launch</string>
    \endcode

    To copy the launch screen into the application bundle with qmake, use the following code
    snippet in your project .pro file:

    \badcode
    ios {
        QMAKE_IOS_LAUNCH_SCREEN = $$PWD/Launch.storyboard
    }
    \endcode

    With CMake:

    \badcode
    qt_add_executable(app)
    if(IOS)
        set_target_properties(app PROPERTIES
            QT_IOS_LAUNCH_SCREEN "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/Launch.storyboard")
    endif()
    \endcode

    \section3 Launch Images

    It's also possible to specify launch images (PNG files) instead of launch screen.

    \note Using launch images is not recommended, because support for them has been
    deprecated since iOS 13.0. Consider switching to launch screens instead.

    Launch images must be copied to the application bundle and their names must
    be set in the \c Info.plist file using the \c UILaunchImages key.

    The following images must be prepared:
    \list
        \li LaunchImage-iOS7-568h@2x.png: 640 x 1136
        \li LaunchImage-iOS7-Landscape.png: 1024 x 768
        \li LaunchImage-iOS7-Landscape@2x.png: 2048 x 1536
        \li LaunchImage-iOS7-Portrait.png: 768 x 1024
        \li LaunchImage-iOS7-Portrait@2x.png: 1536 x 2048
        \li LaunchImage-iOS7@2x.png: 640 x 960
    \endlist

    The images can be added to \c Info.plist as follows:
    \badcode
    <key>UILaunchImages</key>
    <array>
        <dict>
            <key>UILaunchImageMinimumOSVersion</key>
            <string>7.0</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageName</key>
            <string>LaunchImage-iOS7</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageOrientation</key>
            <string>Portrait</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageSize</key>
            <string>{320, 568}</string>
        </dict>
        <dict>
            <key>UILaunchImageMinimumOSVersion</key>
            <string>7.0</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageName</key>
            <string>LaunchImage-iOS7</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageOrientation</key>
            <string>Portrait</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageSize</key>
            <string>{320, 480}</string>
        </dict>
    </array>
    <key>UILaunchImages~ipad</key>
    <array>
        <dict>
            <key>UILaunchImageMinimumOSVersion</key>
            <string>7.0</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageName</key>
            <string>LaunchImage-iOS7-Landscape</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageOrientation</key>
            <string>Landscape</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageSize</key>
            <string>{768, 1024}</string>
        </dict>
        <dict>
            <key>UILaunchImageMinimumOSVersion</key>
            <string>7.0</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageName</key>
            <string>LaunchImage-iOS7-Portrait</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageOrientation</key>
            <string>Portrait</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageSize</key>
            <string>{768, 1024}</string>
        </dict>
        <dict>
            <key>UILaunchImageMinimumOSVersion</key>
            <string>7.0</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageName</key>
            <string>LaunchImage-iOS7</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageOrientation</key>
            <string>Portrait</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageSize</key>
            <string>{320, 568}</string>
        </dict>
        <dict>
            <key>UILaunchImageMinimumOSVersion</key>
            <string>7.0</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageName</key>
            <string>LaunchImage-iOS7</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageOrientation</key>
            <string>Portrait</string>
            <key>UILaunchImageSize</key>
            <string>{320, 480}</string>
        </dict>
    </array>
    \endcode

    To copy the launch images into the application bundle with qmake, use the following code
    snippet in your project .pro file:

    \badcode
    ios {
        app_launch_images.files = $$files($$PWD/ios/LaunchImage*.png)
        QMAKE_BUNDLE_DATA += app_launch_images
    }
    \endcode

    With CMake:

    \badcode
    qt_add_executable(app)
    file(GLOB_RECURSE launch_images CONFIGURE_DEPENDS "ios/LaunchImage*.png")
    if(IOS AND launch_images)
        target_sources(app PRIVATE ${launch_images})
        set_source_files_properties(
            ${launch_images}
            PROPERTIES MACOSX_PACKAGE_LOCATION Resources)
    endif()
    \endcode

    \note Earlier iOS versions supported specifying a single launch image using the
    \c UILaunchImageFile key in \c Info.plist, but support for it has been deprecated since
    iOS 10.0.

    \section2 Native Image Picker

    If your \c Info.plist file contains an entry for
    \c NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription, qmake will automatically include an extra
    plugin which enables access to the native image picker.

    For CMake, manually link the native image picker with the
    \l {qt_import_plugins}:

    \badcode
    qt_import_plugins(app INCLUDE Qt6::QIosOptionalPlugin_NSPhotoLibraryPlugin)
    \endcode

    If the directory in your \l QFileDialog is set to:

    \badcode
    QStandardPaths::standardLocations(QStandardPaths::PicturesLocation).last();
    \endcode

    or alternatively the \l [QtQuickDialogs] {FileDialog::} {currentFolder} in a
    \l [QtQuickDialogs] {FileDialog} in QML to:

    \badcode
    shortcuts.pictures
    \endcode

    then the native image picker is shown to allow access to the user's photo album.

    \section2 Expressing Supported iOS Versions

    \include expressing-apple-os-versions.qdocinc expressing os versions

    \section1 Publishing to Apple App Store

    Verifying that your Qt for iOS application is ready for publishing to App Store can be done
    as described in \l {https://developer.apple.com/Library/ios/documentation/LanguagesUtilities/Conceptual/iTunesConnect_Guide/Chapters/SubmittingTheApp.html} {Submitting the Application}.
    To submit the application, you can use Xcode, or the Application Loader (installed with Xcode).
    \QC does not provide an interface for managing all of the settings in an Xcode project configuration.

    The application should be tested on the iOS versions and devices that it is
    targeted to support. The minimum deployment target for Qt applications
    varies by Qt version. For more information, see
    \l{ios-supported-configurations}{supported configurations}.

    The actual publishing process involves creating a distribution certificate and a provision profile,
    creating a signed archive of your application, and running a set of validation tests on it.

    See the \l {https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/IDEs/Conceptual/AppDistributionGuide/SubmittingYourApp/SubmittingYourApp.html}
    {App Distribution Guide} in iOS Developer Library for more information.

    \section1 Symbol visibility warnings

    \include apple-hidden-symbols.qdocinc

    \section1 Product archiving issue with CMake

    Due to an issue in \l{CMake iOS archiving failure issue}{CMake}, trying to create a product
    archive with an iOS application may fail.

    This can happen both when trying to create the archive in Xcode using the
    Product -> Archive menu item, or from the command line using \c {xcodebuild -archivePath}.

    The error message might reference undefined symbols or non-existent file paths.

    To work around the issue, make sure to build a \c Release version of the project before trying
    to create an archive.

    \section1 dSYM bundle missing in xcarchive created by a CMake Xcode project

    \include apple-xcode-dsym-archiving.qdocinc
*/