How do functions/apps just stop working when a new beta OS launches?

[iBreatheApple]

I don't know much about coding and such, but say we go from iOS 5 to iOS Beta 1, how do things just stop working? If they didn't change the "coding" to that specific feature, how do things just stop working (anything that fails to work with an upgrade)?

Refer to this post below for a better explanation of my question.

 

[batting1000]

Because apps are built with specific APIs for their respective OS and when you upgrade to a new major version like 6.0, new APIs and the old ones can conflict with each other or the old ones might have been modified and need to be changed by the developer.

 

[Daveoc64]

I don't know much about coding and such, but say we go from iOS 5 to iOS Beta 1, how do things just stop working? Whether it's the whether app not working or apps crashing... If they didn't change the "coding" to that specific stuff, how does it just stop working? And I'm not talking about just those specifics, anything that fails to work with an upgrade.

Following on from above, modern software development involves interacting with other software (in this case iOS) that provides you with access to features and functionality of the underlying operating system, platform or device.

This is done using APIs.

iOS offers thousands of APIs to developers, allowing them to do all sorts of things including taking photos with the camera, finding your location using GPS or updating your score in Game Center.

Apple changes or removes some of these APIs with each major iOS update and that can result in existing Apps not working properly.

On other platforms (Windows in particular), this doesn't usually happen because compatibility with existing applications is considered to be very important.

 

[Morrus]

I'm struggling to understand the question. An app designed for one OS isn't guaranteed to work on another OS. iOS5 apps don't work on the latest Android OS, for example, and they don't work on Windows. That's because they are different OS's.

iOS6 is not the same OS as iOS5. It's not so different from iOS5 as the latest Android OS, but it's still different; otherwise it wouldn't be a new OS.

So your question should really be "I have a new OS and yet some of my apps still work? How is that possible?" rather than the other way round. And the answer to that question is that iOS6 is different from iOS5, but not so different that every aspect is changed; and if an app doesn't use any of the aspects that were changed, it will contibue to work.

This is exactly why we have beta periods for iOS versions. It's not to find bugs; it's to allow developers (the only people with legal access to these versions) time and opportunity to rewrite their apps to work with the new OS if necessary.

 

[Defender2010]

I think the op means, why will a certain feature work perfectly on a beta, for example beta 1, and in beta 2 it is broken. I don't think they mean apps, more likely OS features....

 

[batting1000]

I think the op means, why will a certain feature work perfectly on a beta, for example beta 1, and in beta 2 it is broken. I don't think they mean apps, more likely OS features....

I'd think it'd be for the same reasons. Apple is constantly tweaking APIs throughout the beta releases.

 

[Morrus]

I think the op means, why will a certain feature work perfectly on a beta, for example beta 1, and in beta 2 it is broken. I don't think they mean apps, more likely OS features....

Well, he said "apps", so I'm assuming he meant apps. But then I'm old-fashioned that way.

 

[iBreatheApple]

I'm struggling to understand the question. An app designed for one OS isn't guaranteed to work on another OS. iOS5 apps don't work on the latest Android OS, for example, and they don't work on Windows. That's because they are different OS's.

iOS6 is not the same OS as iOS5. It's not so different from iOS5 as the latest Android OS, but it's still different; otherwise it wouldn't be a new OS.

So your question should really be "I have a new OS and yet some of my apps still work? How is that possible?" rather than the other way round. And the answer to that question is that iOS6 is different from iOS5, but not so different that every aspect is changed; and if an app doesn't use any of the aspects that were changed, it will contibue to work.

This is exactly why we have beta periods for iOS versions. It's not to find bugs; it's to allow developers (the only people with legal access to these versions) time and opportunity to rewrite their apps to work with the new OS if necessary.

I think the majority of my question got misinterpreted… Or I worded it wrong. I want to know how things like texting and such start. behaving differently or acting weird.

Example. In iOS 5, you could scroll through old text history, and delete a text and retain your place. Since iOS 6 launched, it shoots you to the bottom of the messages which is very annoying. What makes little things like this happen? I really wasn't meaning to ask about third party apps.

I think the op means, why will a certain feature work perfectly on a beta, for example beta 1, and in beta 2 it is broken. I don't think they mean apps, more likely OS features....

Just read this... Exactly! From OS to the next OS beta, or even from beta to beta.

 

[Morrus]

I think the majority of my question got misinterpreted… Or I worded it wrong. I want to know how things like texting and such start. behaving differently or acting weird.

See, now you've edited your post and it no longer refers to apps, I'm the one who looks weird!

 

[Defender2010]

I think the majority of my question got misinterpreted… Or I worded it wrong. I want to know how things like texting and such start. behaving differently or acting weird.

Example. In iOS 5, you could scroll through old text history, and delete a text and retain your place. Since iOS 6 launched, it shoots you to the bottom of the messages which is very annoying. What makes little things like this happen? I really wasn't meaning to ask about third party apps.



Just read this... Exactly! From OS to the next OS beta, or even from beta to beta.

So you mean things like, "Why did the App Store app work so well in beta 1, but now in beta 3 it has more flaws than previous betas?" or "Why does the iPhone shut down sometimes and reboot in beta 3 but not in beta 2 or 1, even though they were prior and did not have this issue?"

I am not sure........nobody knows but Apple I guess!

 

[iBreatheApple]

See, now you've edited your post and it no longer refers to apps, I'm the one who looks weird!

Didn't mean for that, sorry. I just wanted to make my question clear so new readers would better understand. I don't know why I wrote apps in the first place as I completely understand why those need to be updated.

 

[batting1000]

My answer still applies. Apple is constantly tweaking features and APIs throughout betas so it's easy for something to break and then be fixed later. Why they don't notice this stuff before they release the beta is beyond me