Apps slow to update for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

15 of my apps updated for the iPhone 6 displays. Note that some of them support iPhone 6 and not the Plus.

 

There have been a number of threads about this, but the big problem is that although the app developers could start developing for iOS 8 over the summer during the iOS 8 beta period apple never announced the resolution of the new iphones (or even acknowledged that the new phones would have bigger, higher resolution screens), so the developers found out what screen size and resolution they would need to develop for at the same time everyone else found out on 9/12. And it takes some time to rework the apps to natively suport the larger screens... then the apps need to be submitted and reviewed by apple and it sounds like there's quite a backlog now because a lot of apps are being updated to support iOS 8 and the new phones.

It definitely took a few weeks or even a few months with the iphone 5 before the majority of apps had been updated, but in the case of the iphone 5 it was a bit easier to rework a lot of apps because the screen just got slightly longer. With the six (and especially the 6 plus) there's a lot more screen real estate, so some apps may need to be totally redesigned.

And in answer to your other question, optimized for iOS 8 simply means that it's optimized for the OS and doesn't necessarily mean that it will support the larger screens. If the app says it's optimized for the iPhone 6 and 6+, then you know it will support the larger screens.

 

Give it a little more time.

 

I've heard a few developers make comments about how the app store approval process is backed up. I don't know exactly how far backed up it is, but I believe one person said it was backed up weeks.

By the end of October I imagine anyone who is a major app developer will have their app updated for the most part. Just a guess.

 

What does 'backed up' mean? There's a backlog?

 

It is very likely the Twitter had access to the new phone well before sort of normal developers, in the same sort of way that the developers that they use for demos during the keynote are.

There are a few things at play here though. The first is that developers were never included in the new phone size/resolution or anything else. It would be relatively foolish to waste precious development time to develop for a rumored screen size or resolution. It was barely over a week between when developers found out (and had compilers that could do the job) and when the phone came out.

Beyond that, the majority of developers won't (I know I fall in this category) release an app without being able to try it on a physical device. Without having hardware in hand we have no way to know 100% how it will function. No dev wants to release an update that completely breaks on a whole range of devices. Constricted supply and not allowing advanced hardware causes this sort of problem.

I don't necessarily begrudge Apple for doing it this way, but Apple creates this problem for itself every year. They want the release to be a surprise to everyone, but by keep developers in the dark they release a phone with almost no optimized software. It's a trade off.

 

There are more apps to be reviewed and approved all at once than usual. This usually happens when there's a new major iOS release, and especially when Apple changes the dimensions of the screen.

Yeah, it's frustrating for the end users because Apple insists on being so secretive. I wish they would clue the developers in on what's coming ahead of time so that they could get their apps ready for the iOS launch date.

 

They don't change the screen size no, but they do generally change something in the hardware that they don't announce. Regardless of that though, developers are reluctant to release an update for a device on which they can not test, which is a different issue.

 

I'm not sure about that app in particular, but there were a few apps that flat out wouldn't run or had various issues on the iPhone 6. It's possible that it had some minor issues that were fixed, but they didn't fully optimize it for the new phones.

Like I said above, if you see the App Store description say 'optimized for the iPhone 6 and 6 plus' then you know it won't be zoomed. Without that, it will be.