diff --git a/gRPC-Core.podspec b/gRPC-Core.podspec
index 3bf7ab7d7d5..2095c0f5297 100644
--- a/gRPC-Core.podspec
+++ b/gRPC-Core.podspec
@@ -32,8 +32,6 @@ Pod::Spec.new do |s|
   s.source = {
     :git => 'https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git',
     :tag => "v#{version}",
-    # TODO(jcanizales): Depend explicitly on the nanopb pod, and disable submodules.
-    :submodules => true,
   }
 
   s.ios.deployment_target = '7.0'
@@ -179,7 +177,7 @@ Pod::Spec.new do |s|
     ss.libraries = 'z'
     ss.dependency "#{s.name}/Interface", version
     ss.dependency 'BoringSSL', '~> 8.0'
-    ss.dependency 'nanopb'
+    ss.dependency 'nanopb', '~> 0.3'
 
     # To save you from scrolling, this is the last part of the podspec.
     ss.source_files = 'src/core/lib/profiling/timers.h',
diff --git a/templates/gRPC-Core.podspec.template b/templates/gRPC-Core.podspec.template
index 9811742f81d..538e1e64905 100644
--- a/templates/gRPC-Core.podspec.template
+++ b/templates/gRPC-Core.podspec.template
@@ -59,8 +59,6 @@
     s.source = {
       :git => 'https://github.com/grpc/grpc.git',
       :tag => "v#{version}",
-      # TODO(jcanizales): Depend explicitly on the nanopb pod, and disable submodules.
-      :submodules => true,
     }
 
     s.ios.deployment_target = '7.0'
@@ -138,7 +136,7 @@
       ss.libraries = 'z'
       ss.dependency "#{s.name}/Interface", version
       ss.dependency 'BoringSSL', '~> 8.0'
-      ss.dependency 'nanopb'
+      ss.dependency 'nanopb', '~> 0.3'
 
       # To save you from scrolling, this is the last part of the podspec.
       ss.source_files = ${ruby_multiline_list(grpc_private_files(libs), 22)}