Apple Offering 'Last Compatible Version' of iOS Apps for Older Hardware

[simplyparticular]

Tis has been my #1 complaint about the iOS system.

When I got a newer iPad and updated my reading apps to be compatible with (at the time) iOS 5, iTunes overwrote all the apps, so the next time I synced my iPhone 3G, it copied the newer, incompatible versions. Which then failed to open on my older phone. I haven't been able to read on my phone in quite some time.

That really penalizes Apple's most loyal customers, who own multiple devices. I'd love to update every time Cupertino announces something new, but I suspect that's the exception, not the rule.

[Barty]

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

It should not let you download an update that is incompatible with your OS version.

It doesn't. At least when I try to download an app that requires a higher iOS versions than I have, it won't let me.

Devs can now specify which versions of their app they want to make available for older devices.

Incidentally, if you want to never update an app, just delete itunesmetadata.plist in the app's folder.

[Sregener]

Originally Posted by jocampo

I see nothing wrong on keep using a tablet that is three or more years old. But people should not expect to be able to download updated versions of their Os and apps or get mad because apps crash. They need to understand that the device is now too old. And if the issue is about using those devices, then they need to acknowledge that further updates are not possible without stability issues.

Well, this was actually the very issue that soured my relationship with Apple. I was an early adopter - I bought an iPad 1. Six months later, they came out with the iPad2, and I was okay with that because I enjoyed my 1 and saw no reason to upgrade. IOS versions and updates came out, and I installed them faithfully. I mean, this is Apple. They're not going to release an update that ruins things, right?

Out came IOS 5 and the iPad was supported. It worked pretty well. Out came 5.1, and it worked well, too. Granted, there were bugs and things, but it was a pretty robust OS. Then came 5.1.1. Horrible! Crashes in apps all over the place, even Safari. A memory leak was quickly suspected and then confirmed. IOS 5.1.1 had a serious memory leak that cause applications to stop, frequently.

As you may or may not know, when you upgrade an iDevice, you get a short period to revert back to the previous OS. Like 2-3 days. It took me a week to figure out the memory leak issue, so too late to go back. But okay, Apple knows about the problem, so a patch should come out any day and my iPad can start working properly again. Weeks passed. Then months. Apple announce IOS 6 and guess what!?! iPad1 was not supported. The last IOS 5 version was 5.1.1. Forever.

So Apple effectively broke my iPad. Then dropped support for it. Yeah, I still use it, because there are things I like an iPad for, and things I need it for. There are even some very well-written apps out there that avoid the memory leak and thus don't crash. But most of them do, and some of them crash all the time. If I get 15 minutes with one of them, I'm shocked.

Now, if I had an Android device, I'd have some options. I could go to Cyanogenmod and still get updates, like my Samsung Nexus S that is running 4.2.2 in spite of the last official update being 4.1.x. Or I could load back to any older version of Android I wanted, from when the phone was supported. But Apple locks their stuff down and then breaks it and walks away from supporting it.

When the time came to buy a faster tablet, I looked at the shiny iPad3 and 4, but I looked at the price tag and said, "Can I really afford to shell out $250/year for another device they'll break in 24 months and then stop supporting?" So I spent $200 for a Nexus 7 (the first version.) And it's become my primary tablet.

I like Apple. I really do. I like their products. I think they're worth the price premium they charge (at least, some of them.) And I'm writing this now on an antique PowerBook G4 that still works great because Apple didn't break it before they stopped supporting it. But I've been burned, and telling me I should just accept that my iPad is old is not an acceptable answer. It isn't its age that is the problem. It was fine running 5.1.0 and if I could, I'd back load to that version and probably be very happy. But I can't.

[Mike L]

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

It should not let you download an update that is incompatible with your OS version.

That is so true. In fact, it's the best point I've seen made in this thread so far.

The point is that it will happily let you download a new version, overwriting the old one in the process, only for you to later discover that the new version is not compatible with your OS version. So you are worse off than when you started.

I've virtually bricked my iPod Touch because of that. All the apps are now useless, and I'm left with an expensive MP3 player.

Mike

Originally Posted by afv011

Why, to engross those already overly larger coffers corporations have. Have you heard of capitalism?

Actually, I have never encountered an iOS app upgrade that required a payment.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Actually, I have never encountered an iOS app upgrade that required a payment.

The joke flew just right over your head.

[kevinp]

I read an article about this on CNet or someplace. The author said that some of the apps, even though they installed fine, they didn't work because they needed to communicate with a server somewhere that had been updated to work with only the latest program (or something to that effect).

I can imagine installing the Kindle program and it not being able to Sync or something.

I've got an 4 year-old iPod Touch on which nothing works. I used to run the Kindle app. I'm hoping it will work again, but I doubt it.

[kevinp]

OK, I just tried it and it worked on my old iPod 2nd Gen. I went to install the Kindle app and it asked if I wanted to install an old version. Now my iPod is good for a couple more years. Yeah!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by kevinp

OK, I just tried it and it worked on my old iPod 2nd Gen. I went to install the Kindle app and it asked if I wanted to install an old version. Now my iPod is good for a couple more years. Yeah!

Oh, now that is very good news. (Goes to try it out on an old iPod.)

[pdurrant]

Unfortunately, I couldn't get it to work. I could only get the 4.0 version of the Kindle app, which iTunes tells me in incompatible. I'd really like to get the 3.11 version, but I don't want to jailbreak the iPod. (iTunes 11.1, Mac OS X 10.8.5, iPod Touch with iOS 4.2.1)

[kevinp]

It showed the latest version in the app store, but then it installed Ver. 3.1.1 after asking about installing an older version.

I have 2nd Gen iPod Touch with ios 4.2.1.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by kevinp

It showed the latest version in the app store, but then it installed Ver. 3.1.1 after asking about installing an older version.

I have 2nd Gen iPod Touch with ios 4.2.1.

Do you know if your iTunes folder already had ver. 3.1.1 in it, or did it download that version today?

[kevinp]

I've reinstalled Windows and everything lately, so I know it wasn't already in there.

[curtw]

Originally Posted by Barty

...
Incidentally, if you want to never update an app, just delete itunesmetadata.plist in the app's folder.

I don't have any files with that name. And none of my apps are in their own individual folders; everything is just a .ipa file inside of a "Mobile Applications" folder in my iTunes Library folder. What OS are you talking about?

However, I did just discover a "Previous Mobile Applications" folder there as well, and it has versions going back to the day I moved my Library to this Mac. Including Kindle 2.7 (my last "update" was to 3.7). Others might find older, working versions here?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by kevinp

I've reinstalled Windows and everything lately, so I know it wasn't already in there.

Thanks. That makes me hope it'll work for me eventually. Hmmm... perhaps I'll try from Windows in Bootcamp mode and see what happens.