My app uses SwiftData so I need at least iOS 17 as the minimum deployment target. When I select iOS 17 in the dropdown it selects iOS 17.6 as the target. However, the newest simulator available is iOS 17.5. Should I set my minimum deployment target to 17.0, 17.5, 17.6, or something else?
Choosing Minimum Deployment Targets
A good rule of thumb is to set your minimum deployment target based on what you're able to test on a device. The simulator is a great development aid, but it's not a replacement for fully testing your app on a device with all of the major iOS versions that you intend to support.
I would set it to 17.0. Xcode is smart enough to tell you if any of the frameworks that you intend to use is not available for the current deployment version. If I'm right, the Translation framework, which I hardly use, is available from 17.4, though.
Would it make sense for Apple to change the default iOS 17 minimum deployment target to 17.5 since that it the newest version with a simulator available? Or is there any reason that it would make sense for Apple to release and iOS 17.6 or 17.7 simulator? Should I submit a Feedback Assistant report?