Older Apps

[Chris Pink]

This is a bit of a 'will this work' kind of question to try and find a solution to something Apple, bless their pointy head, and their friends Claris have made unnecessarily complicated.

I have a client who has a database hosted on a shared Filemaker 14 server*. That's fine, it's a simple animal. They have a desktop client Filemaker 16 which can access this fine. But they would like to access it with Filemaker Go.

The only available version is Filemaker Go 19 which doesn't work with Filemaker Server 14

On my iPad, I have been able to go into to Purchases and restore Filemaker 16 which plays fine with the FM14 server.

But the client doesn't have an iPad history to be able to restore this.

My question; is it possible to sign in on their iPad using my Apple ID, download the older software and then sign out and sign in with their ID and continue to use it. The software is free so no need to restore any purchase.

*about 1/6th of the price of later version hosting

 

[juniorcaesar]

GitHub - qnblackcat/How-to-Downgrade-apps-on-AppStore-with-iTunes-and-Charles-Proxy

Contribute to qnblackcat/How-to-Downgrade-apps-on-AppStore-with-iTunes-and-Charles-Proxy development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

if you have a windows machine you can sign in on iTunes with their credentials and follow this guide to obtain older version(s) of the app they want.
apple removed the iTunes 12.6.5.3 download page recently, but you can download it directly from apple:
64 bit
32 bit

 

[Chris Pink]

GitHub - qnblackcat/How-to-Downgrade-apps-on-AppStore-with-iTunes-and-Charles-Proxy

Contribute to qnblackcat/How-to-Downgrade-apps-on-AppStore-with-iTunes-and-Charles-Proxy development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

Thank you. The issue here seems to be that this only works for Apps that are still available in the App Store and Tool Lantency lists those. I can still access the App from my App Library through the App Store, even though they are no longer available.

I think the only way here is to 'suck it and see' but with another iPad before inflicting it on a (tech-adverse) client.

 

[juniorcaesar]

Thank you. The issue here seems to be that this only works for Apps that are still available in the App Store and Tool Lantency lists those. I can still access the App from my App Library through the App Store, even though they are no longer available.

I think the only way here is to 'suck it and see' but with another iPad before inflicting it on a (tech-adverse) client.

i see, because the apps we download from AppStore are linked to the iCloud account, you need to give them your credentials when you first open the app. if you are okay with this, you should obtain the .ipa with iTunes 12.6.5 in theory (in AppStore section, scroll to the bottom and click "Purchased".) i think your best bet will be decrypting the app using a jailbroken device and giving them the .ipa. by decrypting it, you remove the iCloud credentials from the app and they can install the app by signing it with a apple developer account or free account with AltStore (though they'll need to re-sign the app every 7 days to use it)

if you want to go though the second route, i can write a tutorial to help you.

 

[Chris Pink]

Tempting though it is to remove Apple's 'locks', it's not really something I can do with a client who just expects it to work.

I reach for Filemaker as a lazy tool because it's quicker to set up layouts but really I should junk it and just build all my database applications in PHP/MySQL/Javascript. At least they are not subject to the pointless and unexplained vagaries of Apple's access rules.