Over 187,000 apps could become obsolete with Apple's 64-bit only 'iOS 11'
Some 187,000 apps could be rendered useless with the launch of "iOS 11," according to an app analytics firm, assuming the anticipated update is when Apple plans to kill 32-bit support.
The number represents about 8 percent of all titles on the App Store, Sensor Tower said. The real-world figure could potentially be much higher though, as the firm's numbers are based on apps that were submitted prior to the Sept. 2013 launch of the iPhone 5s and haven't been updated since.
The iPhone 5s was the first iOS device to include a 64-bit processor, but it was only in Feb. 2015 that Apple required new apps to offer 64-bit support. For updates to existing apps, the cutoff was a few months later in June.
With the first iOS 10.3 beta, Apple inserted a message warning that 32-bit apps "will not work with future versions of iOS." Previously iOS only cautioned that 32-bit apps might slow down a device.
"iOS 11" would be a logical cutoff point. The finished 10.3 update has yet to be released, and Apple is expected to reveal iOS 11 during its Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
Many apps could be potentially be removed from the App Store by the time "iOS 11" launches later in the year. Recently the company engaged in a purge of broken or outdated apps, and indeed Sensor Tower noted that 47,300 apps vanished in October alone.
iOS 10.3 will bring in a number of changes, including the switch to a new filesystem, APFS, and the addition of a Find My AirPods app. It will also incorporate an official Reviews API, which may reduce the tendency of apps to ask for ratings.
The number represents about 8 percent of all titles on the App Store, Sensor Tower said. The real-world figure could potentially be much higher though, as the firm's numbers are based on apps that were submitted prior to the Sept. 2013 launch of the iPhone 5s and haven't been updated since.
The iPhone 5s was the first iOS device to include a 64-bit processor, but it was only in Feb. 2015 that Apple required new apps to offer 64-bit support. For updates to existing apps, the cutoff was a few months later in June.
With the first iOS 10.3 beta, Apple inserted a message warning that 32-bit apps "will not work with future versions of iOS." Previously iOS only cautioned that 32-bit apps might slow down a device.
"iOS 11" would be a logical cutoff point. The finished 10.3 update has yet to be released, and Apple is expected to reveal iOS 11 during its Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
Many apps could be potentially be removed from the App Store by the time "iOS 11" launches later in the year. Recently the company engaged in a purge of broken or outdated apps, and indeed Sensor Tower noted that 47,300 apps vanished in October alone.
iOS 10.3 will bring in a number of changes, including the switch to a new filesystem, APFS, and the addition of a Find My AirPods app. It will also incorporate an official Reviews API, which may reduce the tendency of apps to ask for ratings.
Comments
When we first rolled out Windows 95 (yes, you heard me correctly) in our organisation, a lot of talk was about how we would need to retire certain applications as they were end of life, and we needed to move forward, with a potential end-goal of 32-bit compliance. This was going to include redeveloping some internal systems that used old 16-bit apps for some parts of their processing. So it was decided to sunset the specific applications on a set date.
Except our developers couldn't get it done on time, and so a special exemption was given for the two 16-bit apps that were still needed.
Cut to 6 years later, and we're rolling out XP. This time, definitely for sure, we need everyone to get rid of the 16-bit app dependencies. Our developers came back with "You can't do that, you haven't given us enough notice."
6 fecking years.
My point is that it doesn't matter how much warning you give people, some of them are just not going to do the work, and you are going to cop the blame for breaking things. Even when, in most cases, it's just a matter of the developer recompiling with the 64-bit only setting. (Ironically, I expect most of the really big apps that need to be re-engineered to some extent will probably get done fairly quickly, since it's in the developers' interests.)
I hope they do go 64-bit only in iOS11. It will be an excuse to get rid of a heap of old apps that aren't being supported. Just wait for the plaintive wailing from some sections of the community.
Apple allows devs to pay to get their app at the top of your search. Ok, I can tolerate that. But even without an ad at the top, it's almost rare to find an app I searched for at the top of the lineup.
Not the worst idea I've ever seen offered here but definitely at that end of the spectrum. A clusterfuck in the making.
Agreed. And many of those are probably from less than scrupulous devs who took the money and dusted their broom.
To be fair Apple has more than their fair share of users who think $1.99 or more is far, far too much to pay for any app, no matter how nice, complicated, or feature rich it may be.
A lot of my apps have already been updated to 64-bit at no charge. Some I'd buy again if need be; other will fall prey to a clean sweep.
1. My kids are still using lots of educational apps that I know are never going to be updated to 64 bit and they still work just fine on their iPads
2. I have yet to see the true benefit of 64 bit mobile apps and at least one solid reason why 32 bit apps can no longer be supported
3. Many apps got pulled from the App Store in the meantime for no apparent reason, apps that worked just fine until Apple implemented that super annoying "this app may slow down your xyz" message. The irony? Many of them happily live on in the google play store and, again, work just fine on most android devices.
4. Microsoft had many opportunities to kill 32 bit apps on their desktop OS but they never did it. Why do we need to kill them on a mobile OS?
5. As a result of such move Apple may witness the slowest ever adoption of iOS 11, so they better find some other cool stats for their keynotes
Keep in mind, this same argument happened with at least 8-bit and 16-bit programs, yet today no one seems to complaining about those long forgotten issues.