iMac ProSource: iMore

What you need to know

  • Apple has told developers that apps submitted on or after Feb 3 must be notarized.
  • Initial notarization requirements were relaxed in September.
  • This only applies to apps distributed outside the App Store.

Apple has today told developers that its original app notarization rules will kick in as of February 3, 2020, after they were initially relaxed in September.

Following developer outcry earlier this year Apple relaxed the notarization requirements for apps installed on macOS Catalina via routes other than the App Store. But those relaxed rules will soon come to an end.

In June, we announced that all Mac software distributed outside the Mac App Store must be notarized by Apple in order to run by default on macOS Catalina. In September, we temporarily adjusted the notarization prerequisites to make this transition easier and to protect users on macOS Catalina who continue to use older versions of software. Starting February 3, 2020, all submitted software must meet the original notarization prerequisites

Apple says that developers should begin uploading their apps to the notary service, with any warnings received set to be changed to errors as of February 3. At that point the app will simply not install on macOS Catalina.

If you haven't yet done so, upload your software to the notary service and review the developer log for warnings. These warnings will become errors starting February 3 and must be fixed in order to have your software notarized. Software notarized before February 3 will continue to run by default on macOS Catalina.

As a reminder, all installer packages must be signed since they may contain executable code. Disk images do not need to be signed, although signing them can help your users verify their contents.

The clock is ticking.

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