With iOS 9, developers can cutoff younger devices in a way that was not previously possible. Although iOS 9 runs on every device that runs iOS 8, app developers are free to specify more restrictive compatibility requirements.
In fact, with iOS 9, developers can choose to make their apps exclude any non-64 bit architecture. This means all iPod touch models, all iPhones before the iPhone 5s and all iPads before the iPad Air will not be able to install apps where developers have required 64-bit CPUs.
Apple started using 64-bit CPUs with the A7 in the iPhone 5s, a 2013 device. Developers often complain about supporting older hardware platforms (such as the A5 which is very slow by modern standards) and so this option will offer a quick-and-easy way to simplify development.
If a developer enables this option, customers browsing the App Store with older devices will simply not see that app in the Store and won’t be able to download or install it.
The limit has little to do with the 64-bit support itself — binaries can be built that support both platforms. However, the processors are simply much more powerful than their predecessors which puts a lot of strain on developers to support both platforms well. Apple showed how GPU performance increased dramatically in the last two years with the 64-bit processors (above).
It’s a highly convenient cutoff for developers to make it easy for them to drop compatibility for older devices. Obviously, customers with non-64 bit iPads and iPhones may be upset as developers may actively cut off support in their apps for these hardware variants due to the convenience, not necessarily for technical reasons.
As developers like making their lives easier, with iOS 9, users may find their devices become obsolete faster as more apps no longer support them.
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I think, unless the app really needs the extra power 32bit machines will still be supported. Why cut off a large proportion of your market?
Hey Steven
Pretty sure a developer would only limit this if it was absolutely necessary. Otherwise as you say, they are limiting their potential market. But if the apps really don’t work well on older hardware, people are going to write negative reviews saying the app is slow, crashes, etc, which doesn’t look good on the app store as you try to promote your app.
My apps don’t need much processor power, so of course I want them available to as many people as possible. Therefore I wouldn’t limit em.
Noel
I have a feeling this is a move for the Gaming Apps and more intensive Video and Photo Apps as they would be the ones that really need the power.
Yeah, I’m not sure of the specifics but I think by being able to only target the higher-end devices (in terms of specs) you can do things that wouldn’t be possible if you had to target all devices. I think there’s an App Store rule that your app has to run on all supported devices and my understanding (from listening to podcasts) is that limitation was preventing developers from doing some advanced things with their apps.
https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=12172014b
It needs to support not only 64, but 32/64 devices.
That doesn’t say it requires 32 bit support. It says it requires 64 bit support, and if you want to build a single binary to support both, you can.
What I really hope is Apple lets developers cut off all devices without 2gb of ram. As I hope some game developers will want to push the platform, as opposed to total profits!
I think one of the few game studios brave enough to do this would be Kojima Productions, assuming they make another Metal Gear game. Though rumor has it that it may go away soon http://n4g.com/news/1694360/rumor-kojima-productions-name-retired-kojima-disassociating-from-metal-gear-and-konami
To limit it to 64bit devices does it have to be limited to iOS 9 also or can you allow iOS 8 too?
How to do this? I searched all over Internet but cannot find a working way to drop support for 4S without being rejected by App Store.
Anyone knows?
It’s pretty easy. Just remove support of armv7 architecture. Leave only arm64.
How?
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