How can we preserve our favorite 32-bit iOS apps?

cuttheredwire

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All signs point toward Apple removing 32-bit apps from the app store. We're getting warnings about them. There are no 32-bit iDevices. Heck, Apple has been cleaning house in the App Store in general. They done everything except officially announce it.

And there are some 32-bit gems: Liberation Maiden, PS Touch, original Paper by 53 (yes, I still have the old version). I really like these apps. Liberation Maiden is abandoned. PS Touch was pulled from the app store. Paper has been updated, but the update arguably destroyed the app I loved. Point being there are many reasons to want to preserve these apps.

So how can we preserve those 32-bit apps that we love and that are unlikely to be updated?

I did have an idea or two:

1. Have a dedicated 32-bit device.

The idea being to have a device that you never upgrade the version of iOS. This has a lot of problems, the biggest being security, but you can turn off access to Safari and other apps to help mitigate that risk.

2. Create a backup with 32-bit support and apps.

The idea is to revert back to a previous version of iOS every once in awhile. The backup would have all the games and other apps you use. The problem is I'm not sure if you can use an old iOS backup if a new version of iOS is installed. Now, this still would be useful if you bought an old iOS device with the right version, but that's tricky to do.

3. Just backup the apps.

The idea here is to just keep old versions of the apps archived. You can get a old iPad that has a 32-bit processor almost anytime down the road. Heck, this might be a great thing to do with an old iPad: make it into a retro-modern gaming machine. If you don't have one, it does mean you may need to buy one, which could get expensive over time.

4. Emulation

Let's face it, while this would be ideal, it isn't possible. I know of no way to emulate iOS. Let a lone emulate an older version that is hard to get a hold of.

So, what are your thoughts? Are you going to try to preserve your old apps, or are you going to just let them go?
 

Ledsteplin

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I have about 10 32 bit apps I like. 3 or 4 I use a lot. The prospect of these getting an update is extremely slim, save for AppShopper. They may. I'll probably stay on iOS 10.1.1 and buy a new battery for my 6s Plus. I have another reason to do so. And I doubt anything new in iOS 11 will change my mind. I have no problem with iTunes removing those apps from the App Store. Most of the 32 bit I have are already gone anyways. They do remain in my purchased list though. Rendering them useless in iOS 11 is just wrong. I was happy that Vizzywig was just updated to 64 bit. That was their first update in 3 years. There's gonna be some upset users when they discover some of their favorite old apps no longer work.
 

cuttheredwire

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There's gonna be some upset users when they discover some of their favorite old apps no longer work.

That's a really good point.

For example, say you are a business owner. You use a surveillance app. It's 32-bit and works just dandy. Then you update your phone. Poof. Your camera app that you use to check on your business, including PoS (Point of Sales), is gone.

But it works on your employee's Android phone.

The warning needs to say: "This app will not work with the next version of iOS." The update also needs to warn users that X number of apps will not work with the update, and list them. This at least gives people time to figure out what to do.
 

Ledsteplin

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That's a really good point.

For example, say you are a business owner. You use a surveillance app. It's 32-bit and works just dandy. Then you update your phone. Poof. Your camera app that you use to check on your business, including PoS (Point of Sales), is gone.

But it works on your employee's Android phone.

The warning needs to say: "This app will not work with the next version of iOS." The update also needs to warn users that X number of apps will not work with the update, and list them. This at least gives people time to figure out what to do.

I can see the pop up with said apps giving a stronger warning that they will no longer work in iOS 11. But they won't do that for fear many might not update or upgrade. But they should. You want them to list 187,000+ apps? Lol Most people don't read the tech articles like we do and will be clueless about this if Apple doesn't make it clear to everyone.
 

cuttheredwire

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I can see the pop up with said apps giving a stronger warning that they will no longer work in iOS 11. But they won't do that for fear many might not update or upgrade. But they should. You want them to list 187,000+ apps? Lol Most people don't read the tech articles like we do and will be clueless about this if Apple doesn't make it clear to everyone.

No. iOS should notify them of the apps on their device.
 

Ledsteplin

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No. iOS should notify them of the apps on their device.

I knew what you meant. There's still time for Apple to do more. They may even mention it at the WWDC. But again, most users don't watch that. I'm not even sure they could know what apps one has on their screen. Purchased list, yes.
 

cuttheredwire

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It's going to be a bumpy ride. The good news is that devs do know. Between the notices from iOS, Apple pushing 64-bit, and users like us contacting devs directly, it's hard for a dev *not* to know.
 

Ledsteplin

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It's going to be a bumpy ride. The good news is that devs do know. Between the notices from iOS, Apple pushing 64-bit, and users like us contacting devs directly, it's hard for a dev *not* to know.

Some of the devs of those I have are long gone. They abandoned the apps or Apple pulled them. I have 2 by Tidy, Inc. Had 4 years or more. They introduced a new app that was really nice. Next thing some short time later all their apps are gone in the App Store. The 2 I had still in the purchased list. Their website taken down. No clue. Emailed them, but no reply. Some devs may pass away. Family doesn't do anything with the apps. There's reasons. I have a game called Gutterball: 10 pin bowling. 4½ stars. Hasn't been updated in over 2 years. Can't reach the dev. He doesn't update it'll be removed from the App Store. So it goes.
 

cuttheredwire

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I have a game called Gutterball: 10 pin bowling. 4½ stars. Hasn't been updated in over 2 years. Can't reach the dev. He doesn't update it'll be removed from the App Store. So it goes.

And that is the sad part. Some of the best apps for iOS are going to be lost. For other OSs, you can virtualize it and run the program. I doubt we will ever see such a feature in iOS, even though a modern iPad could easily virtualize an earlier version of iOS.

This isn't the first time Apple has done this. We saw it with macOS when legacy support was dropped. Emulation was seen as a stopgap measuring, not a preservation technique. The historian in me is saddened.
 

Ledsteplin

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Yeah. I thought you meant a complete list from Apple. My old iPhone 5 will no longer be supported. No more app updates. Oh, well. It's just for back up in case anything happens to my 6s Plus.
O, NOES! NOT FLAPPY BIRD!

b4089679d05828ca6a8a29845dc6b6f4.jpg
 

cuttheredwire

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Yeah. I thought you meant a complete list from Apple. My old iPhone 5 will no longer be supported. No more app updates. Oh, well. It's just for back up in case anything happens to my 6s Plus.
O, NOES! NOT FLAPPY BIRD!

//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170328/b4089679d05828ca6a8a29845dc6b6f4.jpg

I can kinda see why you thought that, but you really only care about 1) apps you use; & 2) apps you own.

The warning needs to say: "This app will not work with the next version of iOS." The update also needs to warn users that X number of apps will not work with the update, and list them. This at least gives people time to figure out what to do.

iOS should notify them of the apps on their device.

Huh… they added the list of installed 32-bit apps and warned that tthey may stop working. Awesome. :D

And I do not have Flappy Bird. That is one to preserve, for sure.
 

Ledsteplin

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I can kinda see why you thought that, but you really only care about 1) apps you use; & 2) apps you own.







And I do not have Flappy Bird. That is one to preserve, for sure.

Just went through and counted. There's 13 that are 32 bit. I still have Video D/L Pro. It'll download a video from just about anywhere. Maybe 6 of the 13 I'd really hate to give up.
 

cuttheredwire

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Just went through and counted. There's 13 that are 32 bit. I still have Video D/L Pro. It'll download a video from just about anywhere. Maybe 6 of the 13 I'd really hate to give up.

Man, that's a lot. I don't know what to tell you. Me, the apps I want to keep are either iPad only or better on iPad. iPhone, I mean, maybe pick up a used iPod Touch for Flappy Bird; beyond that, I don't know. That's a tough scenario.

I'm just going to "preserve" my iPad mini 2 at iOS 10 (it's not likely to support iOS 12 anyway).
 

wrldwzrd89

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Oh... this thread just reminded me that I have an iPad 2 lying around, running iOS 9.3.5 as that's as far as it can go. PERFECT device for 32-bit app preservation!