Home/ Questions/Q 6539135
In Process

The Archive Base Latest Questions

Editorial Team
  • 0
Asked: 2026-05-25T10:49:17+00:00

If something is not used in C++, it’s not compiled at all. Is the

  • 0

If something is not used in C++, it’s not compiled at all. Is the same true for iPhone?
If I compile a program and there are unused classes or other stuff, will it be compiled or ignored?

Share

Leave an answer

You must login to add an answer.

Need An Account,

1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    It depends on your build settings.

    Under your target build settings, then under "Linking" there is an option for "Dead Code Stripping". It defaults to yes for projects created with Xcode.

    enter image description here

    Here’s a link to the build settings documentation from Apple (with an excerpt):

    https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/DeveloperTools/Reference/XcodeBuildSettingRef/1-Build_Setting_Reference/build_setting_ref.html

    DEAD_CODE_STRIPPING (Dead Code Stripping)

    Description: Boolean value.

    Specifies whether dead code is stripped from the binary.

    Prerequisite: $GCC_DEBUGGING_SYMBOLS = full

    Values:

    YES: Dead code is stripped from
    the binary when the prerequisite is met.

    NO: Dead code is not stripped
    from the binary.

    Default value: NO Companions: “GCC_DEBUGGING_SYMBOLS
    (Level of Debug Symbols).” Prerequisite for:
    PRESERVE_DEAD_CODE_INITS_AND_TERMS

    Note, the docs say the value defaults to NO, but Xcode project settings default the value to YES.

    • 0