Announcing a new minimum iOS version requirement for the Zendesk Messaging SDK

Announced on	Rollout on
July 14, 2026	July 21, 2026

We're updating the minimum iOS version requirement for the Zendesk Messaging SDK for iOS from iOS 14 to iOS 16. This change enables us to deliver a more stable, performant, and feature-rich SDK experience by taking full advantage of modern iOS platform capabilities. This update is taking place on July 21, 2026.

This article includes the following sections:

• What is changing?
• Why is Zendesk making this change?
• What do I need to do?

What is changing?

Starting with the next major release of the Zendesk Messaging SDK for iOS, iOS 16 will be the minimum supported version. Devices running iOS 14 or iOS 15 will no longer be supported.

If your app currently sets a minimum deployment target below iOS 16, you will need to raise it to continue receiving SDK updates.

Why is Zendesk making this change?

The vast majority of end users on the Zendesk Messaging SDK are already running iOS 16 or later. Raising the minimum version allows us to:

• Improve SDK stability and performance — iOS 16 includes significant SwiftUI and UIKit maturity improvements, reducing the need for workarounds and fragile platform-specific hacks that were required to support earlier versions.
• Unlock modern SwiftUI capabilities — Features such as NavigationStack, the Layout protocol, UIHostingConfiguration, presentationDetents, and vertical TextField expansion are only available from iOS 16. These allow us to deliver a higher-quality, more consistent UI without bundling large third-party libraries.
• Improve RTL language support — iOS 16 includes fixes for ScrollView behavior in right-to-left languages, enabling better localization quality across the SDK.
• Lay the groundwork for Swift 6 — iOS 16 provides a more stable Swift runtime foundation required for our planned Swift 6 migration, which will bring improvements to thread safety and concurrency management.
• Align with industry and Apple guidance — Apple recommends that SDKs support no more than two to three major iOS versions. iOS 14 and 15 together represent less than 0.5% of active SDK sessions based on our data.

What do I need to do?

If your app already targets iOS 16 or later, no action is required. You will continue to receive SDK updates as normal.

If your app currently targets iOS 14 or iOS 15, you will need to raise your app's minimum deployment target to iOS 16 in Xcode before upgrading to the new SDK version. Apps that do not update their deployment target will continue to work on the last SDK version that supported iOS 14, but will not receive new features or fixes.

To update your minimum deployment target in Xcode:

1. Open your project in Xcode.
2. Under Target, select your app target.
3. Open the General tab.
4. Under Deployment Info, set the Minimum Deployments value to iOS 16.0.

If you have feedback or questions related to this announcement, visit our community forum where we collect and manage customer product feedback. For general assistance with your Zendesk products, contact Zendesk Customer Support.