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Apple Increases Maximum App Size from 2GB to 4GB

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MacRumors

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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appstore.png
Apple today announced that it is increasing the maximum app size from 2GB to 4GB, letting developers release apps that are up to 4GB in size. The extended limits will likely be useful for high-quality game titles that need the extra space to introduce improved graphical effects or longer playtimes.
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.
Click to expand...
Apple's 2GB size limit has been in place since the App Store first launched, so today's new 4GB limit marks the first-ever size increase. The 2GB size limitation has prevented some games from being available on the App Store, such as Final Fantasy VII. In 2013, Square Enix producer Takashi Tokita said that a version of Final Fantasy VII was "years away" due to the 2GB iOS app size limit.

Over the last several years, as iPhone and iPad displays have improved in quality, developers have needed to increase the size of app assets to create content suitable for Retina screens. The new 4GB limit will give developers more freedom when it comes to content creation and it also paves the way for higher-resolution displays that may require even larger apps.

Though the maximum app size has increased to 4GB, Apple is still enforcing the 100MB over-the-air download limit introduced in 2013.

Article Link: Apple Increases Maximum App Size from 2GB to 4GB
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/02/12/apple-increases-maximum-app-size/
Dargoth

Dargoth

macrumors regular
Oct 27, 2014
242
372
Time to move my iTunes directory off of FAT32!

Seoras said:
32bit is limited in addressable memory to 2G.
So I'd say that this is Apple starting to show the benefits of 64bit.
Click to expand...

Nope. This has nothing to do with memory addressing (the 32-bit limit is 4GB btw). You could, in theory, have a multiple terabyte application on iOS, you'd just have to find a storage medium large enough to hold it, and somehow serve it to iOS. Can't be done (normally), but you see my point.
 
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SilentLoner

SilentLoner

macrumors 65816
Dec 29, 2007
1,065
6
So glad I got the 64gb iPhone plus. I don't need the 128gb model yet but next upgrade I do will be 128 or higher
 
zorinlynx

zorinlynx

macrumors G3
May 31, 2007
8,169
17,688
Florida, USA
We're getting to the point where there really should be a switch to override cellular restrictions. I have a 20GB data plan. Sometimes I want to do bandwidth heavy things on cellular! Hell, sometimes my cellular connection is FASTER than the available Wifi.

If I go over and have to pay overages, it's my fault, not Apple's. Give us an override switch!
 
F

Frizers

macrumors regular
Jul 18, 2013
105
11
Would it not be better to allow bigger than 2gb apps on a case by case basis so that apps aren't unnecessarily big?
 
K

kolax

macrumors G3
Mar 20, 2007
9,181
115
They really need to stop being so stingy with iPhone storage and how much it costs us.
 
M

Mobster1983

macrumors 6502a
Sep 8, 2011
653
476
This is awesome! Can't wait to see some games that take advantage of this to truly set a new standard.
 
zorinlynx

zorinlynx

macrumors G3
May 31, 2007
8,169
17,688
Florida, USA
Seoras said:
32bit is limited in addressable memory to 2G.
So I'd say that this is Apple starting to show the benefits of 64bit.
Click to expand...

No, it's not. This is the maximum size of an app PACKAGE. That includes all media that comes with the app. It has nothing to do with the maximum address space size of a running process, which can still be way under 2GB while the package size is > 2GB.
 
C

CFreymarc

Suspended
Sep 4, 2009
3,969
1,149
zorinlynx said:
We're getting to the point where there really should be a switch to override cellular restrictions. I have a 20GB data plan. Sometimes I want to do bandwidth heavy things on cellular! Hell, sometimes my cellular connection is FASTER than the available Wifi.

If I go over and have to pay overages, it's my fault, not Apple's. Give us an override switch!
Click to expand...

The limit is not Apple but the carriers.
 
Icaras

Icaras

macrumors 603
Mar 18, 2008
6,344
3,393
Finally. About time! This should open up for more opportunities for game developers. Can't wait to see what original titles and more modern console ports we'll see come to iOS in the future.

But if Apple doesn't make 32GB the standard, we're going to have a problem...
 
6

6836838

Suspended
Jul 18, 2011
1,536
1,325
Seoras said:
32bit is limited in addressable memory to 2G.
So I'd say that this is Apple starting to show the benefits of 64bit.
Click to expand...

Go back to school. We're not talking about a single addressable file/...

Close but no cigar.
 
tevion5

tevion5

macrumors 68000
Jul 12, 2011
1,966
1,600
Ireland
Seoras said:
32bit is limited in addressable memory to 2G.
So I'd say that this is Apple starting to show the benefits of 64bit.
Click to expand...

As others have said, this is not relevant. Only if one file was greater than that limit. Not a collection of files, like an App.

And in any case, that limit is 4GB, not 2GB.
 
N

nouveau-apple

macrumors 6502a
Sep 29, 2014
807
98
It's not bad news. Big improvements in graphics and games are always good. I don't have any iOS games right now that I'm really into.
 
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