Max size of an iOS application

Question

What is the maximum size of an iOS application? any constraints?

The answer depends on how you deliver the app. There may be 3G transfer limits, plus an approx 2X device download from iTunes over wifi overhead. — hotpaw2, Jan 20 '11 at 22:05
Please be aware that the warning on iTunes Connect does not say anything about the 100MB limit being only for **over-the-air delivery**. http://stackoverflow.com/a/34753920/481207 — Matt, Jan 12 '16 at 21:16

score 361 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

4GB's is the maximum size your iOS app can be.

As of January 26, 2017

App Size for iOS (& tvOS) only

Your app’s total uncompressed size must be less than 4GB. Each Mach-O executable file (for example, app_name.app/app_name) must not exceed these limits:

For apps whose MinimumOSVersion is less than 7.0: maximum of 80 MB for the total of all __TEXT sections in the binary.

For apps whose MinimumOSVersion is 7.x through 8.x: maximum of 60 MB per slice for the __TEXT section of each architecture slice in the binary.

For apps whose MinimumOSVersion is 9.0 or greater: maximum of 500 MB for the total of all __TEXT sections in the binary.

However, consider download times when determining your app’s size. Minimize the file’s size as much as possible, keeping in mind that there is a 100 MB limit for over-the-air downloads.

This information can be found at iTunes Connect Developer Guide: Submitting the App to App Review.

As of February 12, 2015

(iOS only) App Size

iOS App binary files can be as large as 4 GB, but each executable file (app_name.app/app_name) must not exceed 60 MB. Additionally, the total uncompressed size of the app must be less than 4 billion bytes. However, consider download times when determining your app’s size. Minimize the file’s size as much as possible, keeping in mind that there is a 100 MB limit for over-the-air downloads.

This information can be found on page 77 of the iTunes Connect Developer Guide.

As of December 12, 2013

(iOS only) App Size

iOS App binary files can be as large as 2 GB, but the executable file (app_name.app/app_name) cannot exceed 60MB. However, consider download times when determining your app’s size. Minimize the file’s size as much as possible, keeping in mind that there is a 100 MB limit for over-the-air downloads.

This information can be found on page 58 of the iTunes Connect Developer Guide.

As of June 6, 2013

The above information is still the same with the exception of the Executable File size which is now limited to 60MB's. These changes can be found on page 237 of the guide.

As of January 10, 2013

The above information is still the same with the exception of the Executable File size which is now limited to 60MB's. These changes can be found on page 208 of the guide.

As of October 31, 2012

The above information is still the same with the exception of Over The Air downloads which is now 50MB's. These changes can be found on page 206 of the guide. Thanks to comment from Ozair Kafray.

As of July 19, 2012

The above information is still the same with the exception of Over The Air downloads which is now 50MB's. These changes can be found on page 214 of the guide. Thanks to comment from marsbear. In addition, the document has moved here:

http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/LanguagesUtilities/Conceptual/iTunesConnect_Guide/iTunesConnect_Guide.pdf

As of July 13, 2012

The above information is still the same with the exception of Over The Air downloads which is now 50MB's. These changes can be found on page 209 of the guide.

As of March 29, 2012 (version 7.4)

The above information is still the same with the exception of Over The Air downloads which is now 50MB's. These changes can be found on page 209 of the guide.

As of January 23, 2012 (version 7.3)

The above information is still the same, however, it can be found on page 172 of the guide.

As of October 17, 2011 (version 7.2)

The above information is still the same, however, it can be found on page 180 of the guide. Thanks to comment from Luke for the update.

As of September 22, 2011 (version 7.1)

The above information is still the same, however, it can be found on page 179 of the guide. Thanks to comment from Saxon Druce for the update.

Isn't this only for the App Store? Couldn't you have a personal/enterprise app over 2GB? — Mytheral, Apr 19 '11 at 16:27
In the current version of the linked guide (version 7.1, 22nd September 2011), this note is on page 179. — Saxon Druce, Oct 03 '11 at 04:50
@Mytheral No, a FAT filesystem can't store a file over 2GB and it needs to remain compatible. Hence the 2GB limit :( — Maciej Swic, Nov 28 '11 at 15:50
FAT16 has a 2GB file size limit, and a 2GB drive size limit (or some 4gb). Fat32 can have 4gb files and go up to a drive size of 2tb. The iphone/ipad has to be FAT32 so 4GB Apps should be possible by pure file systems. — Mytheral, Nov 29 '11 at 14:44
It's now on Page 180, as in version 7.2 of the ITC Developers Guide. — Luke, Jan 23 '12 at 17:01
They changed the OTA limit to 50mb: http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/03/over-the-air-app-store-download-limits-increased.html. — Nick Weaver, Mar 10 '12 at 17:21
We are talking of getting an app from the AppStore. But what about downloading and installing an App from AppStore (or InHouse store) and downloading more content? Is there any size restriction / are we stuck to those 2gb or the sandbox limit is the device's memory free space? — ennzhed, Nov 30 '12 at 09:19
Maximum size is now 4 GB ! OTA stay at 100 MB https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=02122015a — Hrk, Feb 13 '15 at 08:38
Thanks for this info, but can you tell me where and how to find it? The "iTunes Connect Developer Guide" link you provided is broken, and everywhere I can find that document, it is in a hierarchical form that is not searchable and does not have page numbers. — Duncan C, Jun 15 '16 at 17:05
For those who don’t have page numbers: The info is in Reference -> My Apps -> Maximum build file sizes — bio, May 22 '18 at 15:21
What about the cellular download limit? I didn't find any official statement about this. Only blog posts mentioning it, that this has been lifted. — testing, Nov 24 '20 at 16:43

score 18 · Answer 2 · edited Dec 22 '19 at 14:31

18

150MB is the constraint for over-the-air downloads via the cellular network. Anything above that and users will be suggested Wi-Fi or iTunes sync to actually get your app.

This will not prevent a purchase though, at point of sale.

edited Dec 22 '19 at 14:31

Cœur

37,241
25
195
267

answered Jan 20 '11 at 22:03

Ben Zotto

70,108
23
141
204

No, it wont prevent a purchase but its annoying. It will put the icon on you SpringBoard, appear to start downloading then give you a size warning. – Maciej Swic Nov 28 '11 at 15:50
2

Limit lifted: you can download unlimited sizes on cellular since iOS 13. – Cœur Dec 22 '19 at 14:33

score 6 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 12 '13 at 04:08

6

With the release of iOS 7 (September 18th, 2013) apple increased the over-the-air cellular download limit to 100MBs.

Maximum app size remains 2GBs.

Source

answered Oct 12 '13 at 04:08

Tasik

236
6
13

You can double all your data: it's now 200MB over-the-air and 4GB max. – Cœur Dec 22 '19 at 14:27
Also, with the release of iOS 13, you can download unlimited sizes on cellular. – Cœur Dec 22 '19 at 14:34

Lance Samaria · Answer 4 · 2022-03-26T13:50:02.953

6

As of June 2019, if your users are on iOS 13 the cellular download limit has been lifted. Users just get a warning now. Read here

In case the article is removed here are screen shots of it below

edited Mar 26 '22 at 13:50

answered Jul 10 '19 at 17:52

Lance Samaria

17,576
18
108
256

score 3 · Answer 5 · answered Jan 12 '16 at 21:14

3

Please be aware that the warning on iTunes Connect does not say anything about the limit being only for over-the-air delivery. It would be preferable if the warning mentioned this.

answered Jan 12 '16 at 21:14

Matt

4,261
4
39
60

score 3 · Answer 6 · edited Aug 03 '16 at 14:17

As of July 2016:

Short Answer:

If your game is released for iOS 9.0 or newer, you can have maximum app size of 400 MB for the size of the Mach-O binary file (for example, app_name.app/app_name).
Your app’s total uncompressed size must be less than 4 Gb.

Long Answer:

Your app’s total uncompressed size must be less than 4 billion bytes. Each Mach-O executable file (for example, app_name.app/app_name) must not exceed these limits:

For apps whose MinimumOSVersion is less than 7.0: maximum of 80 MB for the total of all __TEXT sections in the binary.

For apps whose MinimumOSVersion is 7.x through 8.x: maximum of 60 MB per slice for the __TEXT section of each architecture slice in the binary.

For apps whose MinimumOSVersion is 9.0 or greater: maximum of 400 MB for the size of the Mach-O binary file.

However, consider download times when determining your app’s size. Minimize the file’s size as much as possible, keeping in mind that there is a 100 MB limit for over-the-air downloads. Abnormally large build files are usually the result of storing data, such as images, inside the compiled binary itself instead of as a resource inside your app bundle. If you are compiling an image or large dataset into your binary, it would be best to split this data out into a resource that is loaded dynamically by your app.

Here is the link to Apple Developer Guide that contains the info I posted above:

https://developer.apple.com/library/prerelease/content/documentation/LanguagesUtilities/Conceptual/iTunesConnect_Guide/Chapters/SubmittingTheApp.html

You can go to the section "Submitting the App for App Review" on the link above to read more on the info I posted above.

score 1 · Answer 7 · edited Oct 04 '12 at 10:57

1

50 Meg is the max for Cell data download.

But you might be able to keep it under that in the app store and then have the app download other content after the user install and runs the app, so the app can be bigger. But not sure what the apple rules are for this.

I know that all in-app purchases need to be approved, but not sure if this kind of content needs to be approved.

edited Oct 04 '12 at 10:57

j0k

22,600
28
79
90

answered Aug 13 '12 at 18:48

Patrick

11
1

score 0 · Answer 8 · answered Feb 13 '15 at 00:13

Now Accepting Larger Binaries February 12, 2015

The size limit of an app package submitted through iTunes Connect has increased from 2 GB to 4 GB, so you can include more media in your submission and provide a more complete, rich user experience upon installation. Please keep in mind that this change does not affect the cellular network delivery size limit of 100 MB.

https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=02122015a