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Apple Begins Offering 'Last Compatible' Version of Apps for Users Running Legacy Versions of iOS

bretm said:
So developers broke their own apps?
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Lack of armv6 support when updating my apps to support the iPhone 5 broke compatibility for the early iPhones and iPod Touches. I didn't want to drop support, but I had to. I'm very glad that those users will now hopefully be able to download my games again if they had deleted them.
 
So Apple's logic knows what version you are running and just downloads that last version that works for your app?

This is great news and much needed. My dad will be much happier with my hand me down iOS devices. It's really overdue but very happy to see it.
 
This is long overdue and a good start on legacy support. Both Apple and developers need to be more graceful about upgrades and legacy support. At lot of times the latest and 'greatest' features that block out old hardware and OSs really aren't much and could have graceful fallback positions.

Frankly, Apple needs to not only offer more robust software (and hardware) but they people need to support legacy software all the way back to MacOS 1.0 CLASSIC and iOS 1.0. You should support 68K, PPC, Rosetta, etc. Apple should even support the original Apple II and I, the III, the Lisa. Heck, throw in CPM, DOS and Windows as well. All under the same roof. Just make software work. There is a tremendous amount of wonderful legacy software, especially in the education field but also in entertainment and small business that does not work anymore because Apple abandoned it. Bad Apple, bad apples. Apple has the manpower, the money and the code to make this all work. Just do it.
 
Is there a developer note on this somewhere in the Dev Center?

This isn't good news for us that changed backends from older versions of our apps, meaning they won't work at all for 'legacy' users. Hence the reason for even updating apps.
 
Bear said:
This may or may not be something that is feasible to do. It depends on how many new decent apps come out that need a later version of iOS than you are on.
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Very true, fingers crossed. My iPad 2 is still on iOS 5.0.1, and it's only recently that the latest versions of a few apps have become incompatible.

On a related-ish note: I did download an app (Pivvot) on iTunes, then went to my iPad and it started to auto-download, only to get stuck mid-install. It was only after a few attempts an error popped up saying my iOS version was too low. Odd that it let me download an incompatible version - maybe it only happens if you (first) download via iTunes.
 
Apple really screwed up here, in my opinion. Those batteries of the older devices were NEVER designed to last this long. They should have become obsolete paper weights by now.:D
 
Now if Apple can change iTunes so that if you deselect 'Sync Apps' when syncing your device, it won't delete all your apps off your device. Then you won't have a copy of all your apps on your Mac/PC - just download them from the cloud when needed.
 
TallManNY said:
This is part of Apple's low cost market share strategy. This "market share" won't show up in the sales numbers that get reported. But it will make older iPhone 3 and 3Gs much more compelling products for a lot longer. Those used devices will slowly find their way to the third world or to non-smartphone user smartphone users (i.e., Grandma). And this will give them a better device.

Watch as the Android "market share" continues to be robust, and then the difference between App downloads between eco-systems puzzles folks. It will be because every Android made four years ago is currently in a landfill, while iPhones from four year ago will still be being used.
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My brother's 3GS is more than four years old and still runs the latest version of iOS.
Not for long though :D
 
ArtOfWarfare said:
It's actually a terrible thing. Now customers have an unreasonable expectation for developers to support legacy devices. Your iPhone 1 running iOS 3 is no longer supported - get over it and buy a new iPhone that is supported.
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This is nothing that has any developer input, it just saves people from updating an app that requires a higher iOS version than they (can) run and being unable to use their app anymore.

I don't think developers will be able to submit additional versions of their apps that support older iOS versions (like ONE iOS7 version and ANOTHER iOS4 version), but Apple will simply take the last version that was able to run on iOS 6 (for those devices that are stuck on iOS 6 and apps that require iOS7 after an update) and offer it to those users who need it.

troop231 said:
Is there a developer note on this somewhere in the Dev Center?

This isn't good news for us that changed backends from older versions of our apps, meaning they won't work at all for 'legacy' users. Hence the reason for even updating apps.
Click to expand...

This is targeting users on an iPhone 3GS or iPod Touch 4th Gen, the moment you release an update to your app that requires iOS7 (and they install it - no one reads the "DON'T INSTALL ON 3GS!!!!!" in the update notes) , those users wouldn't be able to use your service anymore.

With this, they will at least be able to use services that had no backend-changes.

Result: More users - and the complaints from problems due to backend changes will probably less less of a problem than complaints from people who can't use your app at all, due to them clicking "Update All".
 
iOS devices just got cheaper!

Because a) this will be great for resale value and b) this will be great for usable life, so you don't have to buy a new device as often. TCO just dropped.

Another reminder that Apple makes their money by giving a good experience. Of course, decisions like this are forgotten while any time something legacy is lost, it's "pure greed" :p

And life just got simpler for people with limited needs and budget, for whom an older/slower device is "good enough." A bunch of iPad 1's were just granted eternal life!

I'd also really like this as a developer: knowing my work can keep serving more people longer, AND making it easier to focus on taking advantage of newer hardware--game graphics especially. (Just make sure to bug-fix an app before releasing a version with higher hardware requirements--but that's a practice good developers have always done.)
 
Great news!!! This will help people who wants to wait form 7.0.1 and stay in the Great iOS6
 
SILen(e said:
This is nothing that has any developer input, it just saves people from updating an app that requires a higher iOS version than they (can) run and being unable to use their app anymore.

I don't think developers will be able to submit additional versions of their apps that support older iOS versions (like ONE iOS7 version and ANOTHER iOS4 version), but Apple will simply take the last version that was able to run on iOS 6 (for those devices that are stuck on iOS 6 and apps that require iOS7 after an update) and offer it to those users who need it.



This is targeting users on an iPhone 3GS or iPod Touch 4th Gen, the moment you release an update to your app that requires iOS7 (and they install it - no one reads the "DON'T INSTALL ON 3GS!!!!!" in the update notes) , those users wouldn't be able to use your service anymore.

With this, they will at least be able to use services that had no backend-changes.

Result: More users - and the complaints from problems due to backend changes will probably less less of a problem than complaints from people who can't use your app at all, due to them clicking "Update All".
Click to expand...

This is still bad news because some apps won't work without the backend. And I definitely don't want people writing bad reviews due to them being too cheap to buy a new device. Anything under iOS 5 should be forgotten and left in the past where it belongs.
 
nagromme said:
iOS devices just got cheaper!

Because a) this will be great for resale value and b) this will be great for usable life, so you don't have to buy a new device as often. TCO just dropped.

Another reminder that Apple makes their money by giving a good experience. Of course, decisions like this are forgotten while any time something legacy is lost, it's "pure greed" :p

And life just got simpler for people with limited needs and budget, for whom an older/slower device is "good enough." A bunch of iPad 1's were just granted eternal life!

I'd also really like this as a developer: knowing my work can keep serving more people longer, AND making it easier to focus on taking advantage of newer hardware--game graphics especially. (Just make sure to bug-fix an app before releasing a version with higher hardware requirements--but that's a practice good developers have always done.)
Click to expand...

Great post. :cool:

I totally agree (from the user experience to the value to us developers). Funny enough, a few posters immediately tried to spin this into a negative (I bet they're fun folks to hang around with ... :D )

Per my previous post, I'm still curious if there's going to be a multi version control option in ITC, so we could continue to update a legacy app parallel to a version that requires a newer OS.
 
nagromme said:
iOS devices just got cheaper!

Because a) this will be great for resale value and b) this will be great for usable life, so you don't have to buy a new device as often. TCO just dropped.

Another reminder that Apple makes their money by giving a good experience. Of course, decisions like this are forgotten while any time something legacy is lost, it's "pure greed" :p

And life just got simpler for people with limited needs and budget, for whom an older/slower device is "good enough." A bunch of iPad 1's were just granted eternal life!

I'd also really like this as a developer: knowing my work can keep serving more people longer, AND making it easier to focus on taking advantage of newer hardware--game graphics especially. (Just make sure to bug-fix an app before releasing a version with higher hardware requirements--but that's a practice good developers have always done.)
Click to expand...

iPhone's usable life is limited by irreplaceable battery. This new feature will do nothing to help it.
 
Gudi said:
Now I can stick with iOS 6.
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Wonder how many others will say the same thing. If too many this could affect the adoption rate of new OSs that has been historically very high which Apple touts all the time. Generally, I like the move, but I wonder about the adoption implication.
 
troop231 said:
This is still bad news because some apps won't work without the backend. And I definitely don't want people writing bad reviews due to them being too cheap to buy a new device. Anything under iOS 5 should be forgotten and left in the past where it belongs.
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But they will write bad reviews anyway!

With this change, they will write "1 Star - Multiplayer stopped working after update".

Without this change, they would write "1 Star - Game won't run after update, giev me monney back!!!!".

Now, at least all those apps that don't require a connection to a server (or with backend-architecture never changes) won't stop working just because a user clicked "Update all" without reading the "Don't update if running iOS6" notes.
 
Presumably Apple is rolling this out to coincide with the auto-update feature of iOS 7. The last thing they want is for people to auto-update to incompatible apps. It may not be an issue initially, but it would have become an issue down the road.
 
SILen(e said:
But they will write bad reviews anyway!

With this change, they will write "1 Star - Multiplayer stopped working after update".

Without this change, they would write "1 Star - Game won't run after update, giev me monney back!!!!".

Now, at least all those apps that don't require a connection to a server (or with backend-architecture never changes) won't stop working just because a user clicked "Update all" without reading the "Don't update if running iOS6" notes.
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Actually, if they're using an iOS that isn't supported from the App Store's app description page, then they shouldn't even be allowed to write a review.
 
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