PSA: Your Older 32-Bit Apps Won't Launch After Installing iOS 11

[Falhófnir]

Making that "choice" is a really difficult road. Apple doest not allow for users to turn off automatic check for ios updates. So every new version of ios will by force be downloaded on your device. Once there, it will "remind you" over and over again to install the update. One mistake by the user (ie pressing the wrong button) will install the update with absolutely no return. Device can't be downgraded, not even with a full delete and reinstall.
Deleting the forced dowloiaded update does nothing but waste bandwidth, as Apple will download it again to your device as soon as they can.

So when users find themselves with a new ios they didn't want and with non-functional applications they wanted and liked, then Apple is to blame.

Get an iPod touch with iOS 10, load all the 32 bit iPhone apps on there you want to keep using, top the storage right off with songs, photos videos etc, problem solved - no room to be updated, you won't be bugged by upgrade messages and you can put 11 on your phone without completely losing access to the apps you want to keep using!

 

[RevTEG]

A thousand dollars? A thousand? On an app?

No wonder the dev didn’t get back to you, he’s too busy laughing all the way to the bank!

Man! I hear ya! Good thing it wasn’t all at once. 🙂 Actually, some study resource libraries are much much more than $1,000. The Logos app/program has a $7,000 dollar scholar package. I have around 6,000 physical books in my home library for sermon prep and lesson prep (I teach in an international college). An iPad plus study apps have made it to where I can carry most of my research library with me around the world. $1,000 is cheap compared to the benefits of having the books in a moblie form. Plus it’s part of how I make my living. Like buying good tools.

 

[usarioclave]

The downside to any "don't upgrade" plan is that Apple's getting Microsoft-sneaky in trying to get you to upgrade your OS.

 

[RevTEG]

This is very anti-consumerism. I have some academic apps that cost about 200 and they are not being updated. They needed a better way to transition that 32 bit apps to 64 rather than killing it off. I'm sorry that you are experiencing this.
I'm thinking you have different attitude toward apple now, huh?
What's your future plan with ios products? Are you planning to stick with it still? like future ipad pros?

Honestly, I haven’t really changed my mind about Apple. I do (did) use the app I lost for acidemic purposes and really regret the lose. However, I did see it coming. Apple warned developers to update a long while ago. The developer had already been showing signs of disappearing for some time now. I’ll continue to use my iPad Pro/MacBook. Being able to carry most of my research library with me has been incredible. I’ve started to slowly buy into a different app whose developer has been developing their product since way before iPhones and iPads exstisted. I probably should have went with them to start with.

Yes, I wish Apple would continue to support 32 bit apps but, I also see this as a way to get serious developers ro keep their apps up to date. As technology advances we don’t have any guarantees of the future of any app.

 

[Glassed Silver]

Yup, so you can make the choice not to update your device.

No, you actually cannot. You can hope to never run into issues that require a complete reset and - if desired - restore (from backup), but unlike on a Mac you cannot make the choice to just use an older version of the OS.

Certainly not as soon as something in this tightly interwoven ecosystem forces you to upgrade to 11 or up...

Glad I still got my iPhone 5, which I will use for some apps that I then will at least be able to use at home, but the inconvenience is real.

But we long stopped holding Apple to higher than default standards, haven't we.

I hear "most users shouldn't notice" and stuff like that way too often these days. In Apple's pricing world things SHOULD just work.
At least with more grace period than what we were given.

Glassed Silver:win

 

[pat500000]

Honestly, I haven’t really changed my mind about Apple. I do (did) use the app I lost for acidemic purposes and really regret the lose. However, I did see it coming. Apple warned developers to update a long while ago. The developer had already been showing signs of disappearing for some time now. I’ll continue to use my iPad Pro/MacBook. Being able to carry most of my research library with me has been incredible. I’ve started to slowly buy into a different app whose developer has been developing their product since way before iPhones and iPads exstisted. I probably should have went with them to start with.

Yes, I wish Apple would continue to support 32 bit apps but, I also see this as a way to get serious developers ro keep their apps up to date. As technology advances we don’t have any guarantees of the future of any app.

I suggest you read about the developers' background and read reviews. Yeah. and..um...if you can avoid In-app, that would be great, but it's your choice. If it will help you with work, then I guess I can only encourage it, but please careful though.

 

[Reflexiste]

Macrumors app is 32 bits... is the end for app?

 

[firewood]

No excuse really for developers to not have their apps ready for 64 bit by now.

Plenty of excuse if they went out of business. Or do you work for companies that are bankrupt and bounce your paycheck? Why don't you write some arm64 apps for free?

The majority of apps (well over 50% of all paid apps) don't produce any revenue, above maybe a few cups of coffee.

 

[Trusteft]

I don't have any iOS device but I have to say, this is a **** way of handling things for Apple.

 

[firewood]

I'm betting the reason is simple. To make it fast, the iPhone 8 can't run any 32-bit code, thus could not run iOS 11 if the OS or apps still had any.

No more 6502, 68k, PPC, armv6, or armv7. Only x86-64 and arm64 processors.

 

[pika2000]

Why? If I wrote a perfect app when the system I was working on was 32-bit why should I come back latter and have to change it. I done my job, provided a program that delivered everything I promised it would. Yet after years of working fine Apple wants me to re-write it?

Then you should tell your customers of your snobby attitude on your perfect app, that you shall not update them ever.
It's only fair.
[doublepost=1505812061][/doublepost]

Yeah, running a mission critical app on an unsupported OS sounds like a winning idea.

If it's mission critical and you want a supported OS, you will find an alternative. If you end up only whining, then it's not that mission critical, is it.

 

[Ntombi]

I have 82 32-bit apps. 🙁 Most are apps I haven't used in a long time, but a handful are things I still use on a regular basis.

Luckily, I knew this was coming, so I found (mostly inferior) replacements and have been slowly switching over.

Tonight, I brought the last of my confidential notes from Take A Note into 1Password. It made me remember how far iOS has come. I downloaded Take A Note circa 2008, when there was no native notes app.

 

[WatchFromAfar]

Then you should tell your customers of your snobby attitude on your perfect app, that you shall not update them ever.
It's only fair.
.

No it's done, finished, there is no updating to do. It's only fair I should tell customers the thing they bought was isn't finished? What's wrong with that? I should say "you know that money you gave me for that thing? well guess what it's not finished"

 

[Plutonius]

They need to give us a way of deleting all the 32bit apps in one go.

Just install IOS 11.

 

[nexusrule]

There is actually an alternative for people that prefers an OS with infinite support of abandoned apps at the expense of performance, battery life, memory footprint, disk usage, it's called Windows.

 

[iapplelove]

I have zero 32 bit apps.

 

[Plutonius]

if the app is really that important, you will find a way. If you only complain, then the app is not that important.

Not updating might not be an ideal. There are going to be apps that use that might require update.

"Customers on older devices like the iPhone 5 and 5c that can't install iOS 11 will not be affected."

Phew.. my parents are safe..

I'm not sure why Apple says this ? If you reset your device, the apps will not be available for download from the app store and you can't download them from your computer since the 12.7 iTunes update 🙁.
[doublepost=1505815087][/doublepost]

I'm only losing Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3...but I still play all 3 so that may be enough to at least postpone upgrading.

Just hope you will not have to reset your device since you will be unable to get them from the app store and iTunes will no longer load them from your computer.

So iPhones/iPads running iOS 10 get their own 32-bit AppStore or are they part of operation planned obsolecense?

You will initially be okay but there is no way to get the apps if you reset your device.

The solution is easy. Buy an older iOS device now (used iPod Touch, etc. while they're still really cheap and not collectors items), put your ancient $100 apps on the ancient $10 device, and don't update it to iOS 11.

It will not work. You can no longer use iTunes to load an app into an older device you just purchased and you can now no longer download the app from the app store.

 

[Aussi3]

They're not lazy at all. Instead they switched to doing stuff that pays the bills (food, rent, tuition, etc.). Unlike wasting time on apps that users won't pay for. 99 cents a few times a few years ago does not pay the rent, or even the annual dev enrollment fee.

If they are apps users won’t pay for then I’m sure no one will be sad to see them missed in iOS 11

 

[firewood]

Why? If I wrote a perfect app when the system I was working on was 32-bit why should I come back latter and have to change it. I done my job, provided a program that delivered everything I promised it would. Yet after years of working fine Apple wants me to re-write it?

You don't. A perfect app requires that it was tested on the perfect device and OS for that app. So just tell your customers to never change devices or iOS versions, and you won't have to rewrite your perfect 32-bit app for a 64-bit-only CPU.

 

[kimmen]

Customers on older devices like the iPhone 5 and 5c that can't install iOS 11 will not be affected.

...or people like me that is still on iOS 8 on my iPhone 6 because we like it simple and smooth 🙂

 

[macfacts]

...
If it's mission critical and you want a supported OS, you will find an alternative. If you end up only whining, then it's not that mission critical, is it.

Stop saying mission critical. Are you implying that it ok for Apple to break games cause they are not important. Bioshock, marvel vs Capcom 2, these aren't no name games by indie devs. If these games can break because of an OS update, why should a user invest in iOS software?

 

[Steve121178]

No this is apple turning off apps. They don't need to do this, let users make their own minds up - it's our devices, our choice.

Yes they do. It's called progress. Apple are 100% making the correct decision.
[doublepost=1505817893][/doublepost]

...or people like me that is still on iOS 8 on my iPhone 6 because we like it simple and smooth 🙂

You obviously like insecure and exploitable software as well as it's been over two years since iOS 8 last received an update (8.4.1).

You are massively at risk.

 

[Falhófnir]

Stop saying mission critical. Are you implying that it ok for Apple to break games cause they are not important. Bioshock, marvel vs Capcom 2, these aren't no name games by indie devs. If these games can break because of an OS update, why should a user invest in iOS software?

Thing is though, regular iOS updates do break compatibility over time, even without specifically withdrawing support for standards like 32bit processing - if the apps have been left behind it's a matter of time anyway before it starts running poorly due to lack of optimisation, or stops working altogether.

 

[Ries]

What are the real world noticeable benefits of killing 32 bit apps on a mobile device? I don't run any on my device, but I also don't see any difference from when I did.

Windows 10 still runs 32 bit stuff just fine on a 64 bit platform.

Removing 32 bit support , what has that done for iOS 11? From what I'm reading , it has done zilch for performance improvements.

Testing time halfed, leacy API's can be removed/changed, a ton of 32-bit on 64-bit handling can be removed.

 

[Ritsuka]

I'm not sure why Apple says this ? If you reset your device, the apps will not be available for download from the app store and you can't download them from your computer since the 12.7 iTunes update 🙁.
[doublepost=1505815087][/doublepost]

Just hope you will not have to reset your device since you will be unable to get them from the app store and iTunes will no longer load them from your computer.



You will initially be okay but there is no way to get the apps if you reset your device.



It will not work. You can no longer use iTunes to load an app into an older device you just purchased and you can now no longer download the app from the app store.

That's not true at all. You will still be able to download 32bit apps on 32bit devices.