App Store Connect Upload Fails with Icon Alpha Channel Error in Xcode 26 Beta 4

Question

Created 1w

Replies 7

Boosts 2

Participants 5

After updating to Xcode 26 Beta 4, I can no longer upload my app to App Store Connect due to a WatchKit icon validation error.

The error states:

Invalid Icon. The watch application 'YourApp.app/Watch/YourWatchApp.app' contains an icon file 'Icon Image-AppIcon-watch-1024x1024 @1x.png' with an alpha channel. Icons should not have an alpha channel.

•	This file name doesn’t exist in the asset catalog or project source.
•	All icon assets used in the Watch App’s AppIcon set, including the required 1024x1024 icon, were checked with sips -g hasAlpha and confirmed to not contain an alpha channel.
•	Project was cleaned, derived data cleared, and archive recreated multiple times.
•	This issue only began after updating to Xcode 26 Beta 4. In the previous versions, everything was ok.

Is anyone else experiencing this after upgrading Xcode to Beta 4? Any idea/workaround on how to solve this would be appreciated.

Boost

Answer 1

flaviobittenca OP

1w

Well, a team mate of mine managed to upload a build from the exact same branch, but using Xcode Beta 2 :)

So definitely something is wrong in Beta 4

0

Answer 2

darkpaw OP

1w

Have you raised a Feedback report? If not, please do so at https://feedbackassistant.apple.com/ then post the FB number here.

2

Answer 3

madebykingfisher OP

6d

+1

1

Answer 4

flaviobittenca OP

6d

I just filed the report as suggested :)

FB19047758

0

Answer 5

DTS Engineer OP

Apple

6d

Since you're noticing a change in behavior across betas, those bug reports are important, so thank you for that.

Invalid Icon. The watch application 'YourApp.app/Watch/YourWatchApp.app' contains an icon file 'Icon Image-AppIcon-watch-1024x1024 @1x.png' with an alpha channel. Icons should not have an alpha channel.

@flaviobittenca, have you analyzed your image file to make sure it doesn't have an alpha channel? Even if there's a change in behavior here, it could be that the newer beta version is picking up an issue in your icon that it didn't catch before. There isn't a copy of the asset catalog attached to FB19047758 to confirm what your circumstances are there, so if you don't have an alpha layer in the icon as the message suggests, then it would be helpful to have the icon files from your asset catalog as part of your bug report.

— Ed Ford,  DTS Engineer

0

Answer 6

capt_beard OP

6d

I have this same issue, only when for watchOS icon file. I've replaced my icon assets with a plain white image, single layer, no alpha channel, and I get the same upload error.

1

Answer 7

DTS Engineer OP

Apple

2d

@flaviobittenca filed a bug report, and that helped clarify that this is related to Icon Composer app icons, and there is a known issue with App Store Connect about that. @capt_beard, you can keep your eyes on the App Store Connect Release Notes to watch for when this is resolved.

— Ed Ford,  DTS Engineer

1