Apple recently faced a major shift in the iOS ecosystem, sparking widespread discussions among developers. In early May last year, Apple announced that all apps must support IPv6-only networks by June 1st. This move forced developers to examine their applications and identify which parts of their code were not yet compatible with IPv6. The App Store now requires all iOS apps to be compatible with IPv6-only networks, marking a significant step toward the future of internet infrastructure.
This policy was first introduced at the 2015 Apple WWDC Developer Conference, with iOS 9 being the first version to transition to IPv6-only network services. According to the Apple Developer website, most existing apps already support NSURLSession and CFNetwork APIs. However, developers still using IPv4 APIs or hard-coded IP addresses need to update their code to meet Apple’s new standards.
With the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses, the shift to IPv6 has become increasingly important. For Apple, moving to IPv6 ensures broader industry adoption and supports the growing Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem, helping smartphones maintain long-term growth and stability.
So, what exactly is IPv6-Only? Previously, most devices used IPv4 addresses, like 114.255.40.66. Now, IPv6 addresses look more complex, such as 2001:da8:215:4009:250:56ff:fe97:40c7. Currently, many network cards use both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses simultaneously, but in the future, they will only have IPv6 addresses. Devices using different address types can’t communicate directly, but technologies like DNS64/NAT64 allow them to interact under certain conditions.
When connecting to Wi-Fi, 4G, or 3G networks, iOS devices typically receive IPv4 addresses. However, as carriers and companies deploy IPv6 DNS64/NAT64 networks, devices will start receiving IPv6 addresses instead. These IPv6-only networks still allow access to IPv4 content through translation techniques. For example, when a client requests domain resolution, the DNS64 server first checks for an IPv6 address. If it fails, it queries the IPv4 address and synthesizes an IPv6 address to return to the client.
To test whether an app supports IPv6-only networks, developers can simulate a local IPv6 DNS64/NAT64 environment on a Mac running macOS 10.11 or later. This allows testing on a dual-NIC machine, where one network interface is wired and the other is wireless.
Apple’s requirements are not too difficult for most developers. Most apps today don’t require any changes to meet the standard. However, if you’re unsure, the best practice is to use domain names instead of IPv4 addresses in your app. Your server doesn’t need an IPv6 address—just a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) to represent it.
Creating a test environment for IPv6-only networks is possible using macOS. You can share a wired connection via Wi-Fi and enable the NAT64 option. This setup helps verify if your app functions correctly under IPv6-only conditions.
Apple reviews apps based on their ability to run on IPv6-only networks. While IPv4 APIs may still exist in some cases, Apple encourages developers to replace them with IPv6-compatible alternatives. In iOS 9.2 and later, the `getaddrinfo` method can synthesize IPv6 addresses from IPv4 literals, but it's still recommended to avoid hardcoding IP addresses.
In summary, while the transition to IPv6 may seem daunting, it’s a necessary step for the future of the internet. Developers should focus on updating their code to ensure compatibility and prepare for the inevitable shift to IPv6-only networks.
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