diff --git a/cmake/QtAutoDetectHelpers.cmake b/cmake/QtAutoDetectHelpers.cmake
index 167c0c89e18..2b8152ec75f 100644
--- a/cmake/QtAutoDetectHelpers.cmake
+++ b/cmake/QtAutoDetectHelpers.cmake
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ function(qt_auto_detect_apple)
             # macOS
             set(version "12.0")
         elseif(CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL iOS)
-            set(version "17.0")
+            set(version "16.0")
         endif()
         if(version)
             set(CMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET "${version}" CACHE STRING "${description}")