Old Versions of iOS Apps

Dorv said:

Is there any recourse? If this isn't a legitimate reason for "that particular piece of JB software I said I'd never install," I'm not sure what is.

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I'm pretty sure it's legitimate. You're not giving them any money, so you're not 'supporting' per-se. It think this is perfectly ethical and fine to do, if that's what you're asking.

Is the old version synced into your iTunes? If so, just re-sync. If not, I think you know your answer.

Dorv said:

I think I've found an old version on my old laptop.

We'll see.

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Hi, I have the exact issue as you...

Were you able to find a version that runs on 3.1.3?

you could also email the developer

sbddude said:

you could also email the developer

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Already did, they said they can't provide me with old versions of software except through official channels, but since Apple doesn't have an official channel for old versions of Apps, their hands are "tied".

I don't see how it's such a big deal.

thatguy488 said:

Already did, they said they can't provide me with old versions of software except through official channels, but since Apple doesn't have an official channel for old versions of Apps, their hands are "tied".

I don't see how it's such a big deal.

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I can see why Apple would not want to allow them to do this. In some cases, updates to apps are due solely to Apple insisting that a certain feature(s) be removed from an app. Once done, allowing a developer to provide a user with the old version of the app would negate the change(s) that Apple insisted on.

Yes, you can say that with respect to a particular app the update was not due to Apple insisting on a change but I suppose it is just too complicated for Apple to permit some old apps to be provided by the developer and not others.

Hi, I have a similar problem, only there isn't such an easy solution.
I have an iPhone 2G (which of course can only run as high as iOS 3.1.3) and want to get a comic app, but it only runs on iOS 4.0+.
I've already tried getting an older version via the solution suggested in this thread, but as it's a free app, it's not readily available from the normal sources.

Can anyone help me?

Thank,

MageJohn

P.S: I'm new here. I've read the rules, but if anyone thinks this is in any way breaking them, then I'll immediately edit/delete my post.

You could always use the app that starts with an I that is found in Cydia but it may or may not have old versions of FREE apps.

I thought that was the method being suggested here? Anyway, I've already tried that, and it's not on there.
Thanks anyway, though!

Dorv said:

Is there a repository somewhere for old versions of iOS apps?

My story kinda sucks.

I use an original iPhone with a older style Bose Speaker dock that isn't compatible with anything newer, because of the charging issue.

I use Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil software to stream music from my MBP to a couple of sources, one being that iPhone/Bose setup, though on the much older version of Airfoil Speakers Touch. I was doing some work on that iPhone, and accidentally deleted the App. I cannot reinstall through regular means, as the only version in the App Store is 2.0+, which requires iOS 4.2, which I obviously can't install on my OG iPhone.

Is there any recourse? If this isn't a legitimate reason for "that particular piece of JB software I said I'd never install," I'm not sure what is.

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Hi, another user here in this exact same situation. Did you find a working app for the older 2G?

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I have tried installing a custom firmware by Whited00r but it does not work.

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I have also tried to jailbreak install Cydia and look for an app in there to tweak the phone to make it think it runs on newer firmware (FWchanger), but then again to no avail...

If you install the whited00r firmware that comes already jail broken

It gives you 2 appsstores one for current apps & another for only ios 3. & below

Just google whited00r is free

Makes your old iphone run faster

I want the old AIM app because they seriously @#$%ed up the new one. Is the old one available on some app piracy thing? I mean, I'd be pirating a free app

It was just an update to AIM that I installed. Now, the new version is so bad that I had to delete it.

I think in any case it would be piracy, whether a free app or not, because you would be circumventing the payload system imposed by Apple.

If it's a free app, and Jane on her computer would find the IPA and send it over to you it would either
1. Not open
2. Ask you for Jane's password to sync.

Since DRM is imposed in place and each app has a Payload information for whoever the "buyer" is (even if a free app, which you "buy" technically but thank God on iOS 6 Apple took away the restriction of having to enter passwords for free app updates), and this Payload is generated on-the-fly by the AppStore, then anything else (cracked app, server that would issue fake Payload info for an old app not on Apple's servers) is "piracy".

Anybody have a twitter 4.2 ipa or earlier they could send to me? Thanks.

Did you have the old version?

Dorv said:

I think I've found an old version on my old laptop.

We'll see.

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Hi Dorv,

Did you ever find the old version?

351n07 said:

Hi Dorv,

Did you ever find the old version?

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You are asking about a 2 year old post????

351n07 said:

Hi Dorv,

Did you ever find the old version?

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this may be a 2 year old thread...but to answer your question. you need to have an older version of the app saved somewhere on your computer

each app is tied to an email address so even if someone else gives you their version, it would not work on your device unless you use their email address for your itunes account

ipsychedelic said:

Since DRM is imposed in place and each app has a Payload information for whoever the "buyer" is (even if a free app, which you "buy" technically but thank God on iOS 6 Apple took away the restriction of having to enter passwords for free app updates), and this Payload is generated on-the-fly by the AppStore, then anything else (cracked app, server that would issue fake Payload info for an old app not on Apple's servers) is "piracy".

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Shame on Apple for forcing people to "pirate" by, say, not letting devs (easily) target (=support) old(er) platforms in their apps (as do Android - it's much-much more programmer and user-friendly in this respect) and/or make old versions easily accessible / downloadable.

Apple could easily fix it but no - all they want is force people to upgrade to newer hardware. And, then, Apple still dares to ask why a lot of experts fed up with Apple's greed are leaving for Android...

Menneisyys2 said:

Shame on Apple for forcing people to "pirate" by, say, not letting devs (easily) target (=support) old(er) platforms in their apps (as do Android - it's much-much more programmer and user-friendly in this respect) and/or make old versions easily accessible / downloadable.

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50/50
From one point of view, if they offer iOS "upgrades" (read: firmware) for older devices, like an iPhone 3G is able, right now to update to 4.2.1 (unlike any other device), it sounds reasonable for them to also offer old version of apps.
But then:

Menneisyys2 said:

Apple could easily fix it but no - all they want is force people to upgrade to newer hardware.

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Yes, it's called the tech business and not only Apple does, most companies do.
Now, we can get to nitpick biz by saying "it's just an older version of an app" but in reality hardware stops being supported, and so does software. Is it mean? Maybe if you don't have the funds. But to be honest, if I owned Apple, I wouldn't support 3 year old devices either!!!

Imagine if what you had was say, version 1.4 of an app (let's say you paid for it but never cared to upgrade). 1.5 works with iOS 4, then 1.6 and ahead broke compatibility and only works with iOS 5.
Now, you upgrade to your "latest" or "maximum" available version per platform (1.5). It has bugs. What do you do? File a complain to the developer, about it having a bug, and then would you expect the developer to check 3 year old code (now in version 2.0 and iOS 6)? Do you expect to rate 2-stars on a 3-year old version?
As a developer, the sole idea of having a bug report of something more than 3 years old is just... woah!! What a PiTA. You know?
Then of course you'd say you wouldn't do that and so on so forth, but trust me, there are a lot of folks out there that would.

And that's just off the top of my head right now. More scenarios could be painted with the word "trouble" right there in bold.

So in the end yeah, it might seem as Apple is the bad guy in this case, but in reality, old hardware is just old hardware. As I said before it sounds mean to people who don't have the means to grab new one (but again if you have an iPhone 2,3,3GS then you either had money back then because Apple is expensive, or you just bought a second hand device that happens to be years old instead of getting something like an inexpensive Android model), but if we played the nice guys and go Gandhi on everything evolution of technology wouldn't take place and we would be still on keypad phones or typewriters.

ipsychedelic said:

So in the end yeah, it might seem as Apple is the bad guy in this case, but in reality, old hardware is just old hardware.

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Not necessarily. Models that can't be easily developed for (iPhone 2G/3G, iPod touch 1G/2G) could run a lot of non-CPU/GPU-intensive apps like Web browsers etc. Still, Apple has pulled the plug from even 2nd-gen devices (iPhone 3G, iPod touch 2G) last September by raising the minimal deployment target to 4.3. (Before that, the deployment target had been 4.0, making any new apps incompatible with 1st-gen devices.) Particualrly annoying and anti-consumer is the fact that Apple rendered the iPod touch 2G incompatible with any updated / new app only two years after ceasing selling it. (The 8GB model was sold, alongside the 3rd-gen 32/64GB ones, up until Oct/2010.) Think of a customer: he purchases the 2G in Sept/2010 only to find out his device has become completely useless two years after.

This is plain greed and can't be explained by anything else than being greedy. I had to learn Android programming lately and, in addition to seeing how insanely powerful and advanced its 4.x+ API is (much-much better than that of iOS), I also saw you can even target even the first Android devices from the same(!) app. No silly minimal deployment targets - if you, as a dev, want your app to not only run on current, but also old hardware, you can do it from the same program. And it'll be approved by Google.

This is why, lately, I started really despising Apple's business practices. It's really consumer-unfriendly. Because of really greedy steps like this (deployment target can only be 4.3 and up), I don't even recommend Apple's phones any more to anyone any more - unlike, say, back in 2010.

ipsychedelic said:

but if we played the nice guys and go Gandhi on everything evolution of technology wouldn't take place and we would be still on keypad phones or typewriters.

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You don't need to. However, if you render a platform absolutely unable to run anything after two years of stopping selling it, it's not only not "being Gandhi", but also a VERY unfriendly (read: greedy) move. This is what Apple has done. And it wasn't the first of its kind.

Again, look at Google: they aren't forcing devs NOT to target old devices / platforms. They can if they choose so. This is how Apple should also do instead of screwing up their customers.

BTW, I've very thoroughly discussed these questions at https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=16894761 - feel free to check out the #.