Should Apple allow users to downgrade their OS?

Fausty82

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You're confusing two questions. The question posed is "should they?" This doesn't always share an answer with "will they?" Whether or not they will is entirely irrelevant to the question the OP posed.

No confusion here. Except for those that think this little exercise will change anything.

Which support issues are you concerned with? The only new support for Apple would be for them to say "I'm sorry, that app is only supported on the newest version of iOS. If you'd like to use it, please update to the newest iOS." Everything else is already in place.

For developers, the only affected devs are those with their own API, as Karen pointed out. This could be easily fixed, going forward, by adding to API rather than over-writing/eliminating components. It's not this devastating support issue you suggest it is.

This would open a huge can of worms and lead to general mass confusion, IMHO.

You don't believe people that advocate for the ability to downgrade iOS would accept a compromise that doesn't require Apple to go back and make older versions of iOS compatible with new devices? That's an easy line to draw. If Apple can successfully draw a line at not allowing any downgrading, they could easily draw the line at downgrading is only available for iOS versions originally designed for the device.

Doubtful, again, IMHO. It?s a slippery slope. Once Apple does it, the issue could easily be expanded to "if I can go back 1 generation of release, why not 2 (or 3 or 4)..." People will never be satisfied... as the adage goes "give them an inch and they want/take a mile"...

You've got a great deal of animosity in this discussion. Why is that?

No animosity. I just see this issue for what it is... an exercise in futility. It?s not going to happen, so why get yourselves all whipped up and in a frenzy about it. Apple will never do this, so the whole thread is pointless and moot.

I?m done with this one. If you are convinced that it should happen, and talking about it here will help make it happen, have at it. Don?t let me rain on your parade...
 

linsiris

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I guess they should, at least for older devices that don't run latest updates so well. I have a friend with a iP4 that wants to throw it out of the window because he upgraded to a iOS7 and phone is reeallly slow and laggy he wishes he didn't now he can't downgrade and went to upgrade his phone but now has to wait like 3 weeks to get an iPhone 5s. That's just crazy sometimes :s
 

iEd

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I guess they should, at least for older devices that don't run latest updates so well. I have a friend with a iP4 that wants to throw it out of the window because he upgraded to a iOS7 and phone is reeallly slow and laggy he wishes he didn't now he can't downgrade and went to upgrade his phone but now has to wait like 3 weeks to get an iPhone 5s. That's just crazy sometimes :s

I have a iPad 2 that runs great with iOS 7. Even better when I restored as new.
 

BreakingKayfabe

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I guess they should, at least for older devices that don't run latest updates so well. I have a friend with a iP4 that wants to throw it out of the window because he upgraded to a iOS7 and phone is reeallly slow and laggy he wishes he didn't now he can't downgrade and went to upgrade his phone but now has to wait like 3 weeks to get an iPhone 5s. That's just crazy sometimes :s

When it comes to how far back a device should support iOS 7, I think it should stop at the 4S. I've experienced iOS 7 on the iPhone 4 as well and it doesn't run very well.
 

linsiris

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When it comes to how far back a device should support iOS 7, I think it should stop at the 4S. I've experienced iOS 7 on the iPhone 4 as well and it doesn't run very well.

I agree with you! I don't know why they said iP4 could handle iOS7 when it obviously can't. 4s can very well, though.
 

theKHMERboy

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yes i think apple should allow people to downgrade their os if they want to... but then most apps are updated with ios 7 so if u were to downgrade u wouldnt be able to get the latest updates for certain apps
 

jmr1015

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I guess they should, at least for older devices that don't run latest updates so well. I have a friend with a iP4 that wants to throw it out of the window because he upgraded to a iOS7 and phone is reeallly slow and laggy he wishes he didn't now he can't downgrade and went to upgrade his phone but now has to wait like 3 weeks to get an iPhone 5s. That's just crazy sometimes :s

I was running iOS 7 on my iPhone 4 prior to picking up my 5S. While it wasn't perfectly smooth, it was 100% livable, and I would say no worse than iOS 6 in terms of lag or stutters. I experienced no crashes or excessive issues of any kind. I did restore and set up as new when switching to iOS 7. But I do that with every new overhaul of iOS.
 

natasftw

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No confusion here. Except for those that think this little exercise will change anything.

No animosity. I just see this issue for what it is... an exercise in futility. It?s not going to happen, so why get yourselves all whipped up and in a frenzy about it. Apple will never do this, so the whole thread is pointless and moot.

I?m done with this one. If you are convinced that it should happen, and talking about it here will help make it happen, have at it. Don?t let me rain on your parade...

I'm not sure anyone here has suggested a petition in the hopes of changing Apple's strategy. Calling it an "exercise" rather than the "discussion" is a tad disingenuous.

Based on this reply, you're clearly still confused. Take a look through iMore's forums. Apparently we should remove the "rumors" section because those may not happen and discussing them here certainly won't change what happens. You're entirely confused in your belief that people discussing it means they're naive enough to think Apple is going to spend time on iMore's forums looking for ideas going forward. They were simply discussing.
 

WhiteSpir1t

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I must say...the conversations here, I find at iMore, is so much more intelligible and sane than the delusional users at crackberry, but not all of them.

The issue at hand or topic being discussed here is so much more evolved than the group who is in support of devices that are no longer relevant in today's society. So irrelevant that it's becoming more insufferable by the day as portrayed by posts that are so "delusional".

You guys here have no idea how great you have it. I'm grateful to still have hung onto my 4S.


Posted via BlackBerry Z10 <------only when you have finally given up on life
 

Speedygi

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I must say...the conversations here, I find at iMore, is so much more intelligible and sane than the delusional users at crackberry, but not all of them.

The issue at hand or topic being discussed here is so much more evolved than the group who is in support of devices that are no longer relevant in today's society. So irrelevant that it's becoming more insufferable by the day as portrayed by posts that are so "delusional".

You guys here have no idea how great you have it. I'm grateful to still have hung onto my 4S.


Posted via BlackBerry Z10 <------only when you have finally given up on life

Well, you can't blame the Crackberrians, the company itself is going a little crazy lately. It is proportionate to the amount of madness that the Crackberry forums operate on...

Apple doesn't have that problem.
 

Tre Lawrence

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I must say...the conversations here, I find at iMore, is so much more intelligible and sane than the delusional users at crackberry, but not all of them.

The issue at hand or topic being discussed here is so much more evolved than the group who is in support of devices that are no longer relevant in today's society. So irrelevant that it's becoming more insufferable by the day as portrayed by posts that are so "delusional".

You guys here have no idea how great you have it. I'm grateful to still have hung onto my 4S.


Posted via BlackBerry Z10 <------only when you have finally given up on life

Good convos exist on CB if one is willing enough to ignore the chaff... just like on every internet forum.

I think CB has some of the most intelligent posters on MN... but I may be a bit biased. :)
 

FutureMedia

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It would be a nice choice to have but it might also be difficult to keep data and settings straight if you are downgrading to previous versions of apps that work in 6 but not in 7. And how would that be done automagically? Not very is my guess. I think there's a trade off one needs to accept when moving from 6 to 7. It's not all roses and champaign up at 7 but I think the advantages of 7 far outweigh the disadvantages of staying on 6. We're really following the developers as well as Apple. And they are voting overwhelmingly in favor of iOS 7. Incredible number of updates for iOS 7 plus many are making entirely new apps to take advantage of the A7 and M7 processors as well as just plain old 32-bit iOS 7 for the older iPhones. I think any downgrade to iOS 6 might require a RESTORE path rather than an ?as you were? mode. But I doubt Apple will offer this proposed downgrade unless that guy suing them gets a court order for Apple to offer it. Highly unlikely. I can't see a judge telling Apple how to run their business. 😜
 

mrb666

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My belief is no. If you've issues if the ios7 then best voicing them. Over time apple will listen and rectify. Going back will only leave what issues that may apply. Seems pointless to me
 

jclisenby

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No. Plain and simple, having all devices on the same OS helps make the Apple experience possible. We see how well 10 different versions of OS is working out for Android.


Tappin and Talkin from my iPhone 5
 

Grabber5.0

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There are already older devices still running older versions of iOS. So why not let a few newer devices do the same if the owners decide that's what they want? I think they have the resources to do that. But then, offering a choice isn't really Apple's way. I wonder, do any of those older devices still get iOS updates with security fixes or are they completely unsupported?
 

Fausty82

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There are already older devices still running older versions of iOS. So why not let a few newer devices do the same if the owners decide that's what they want? I think they have the resources to do that. But then, offering a choice isn't really Apple's way. I wonder, do any of those older devices still get iOS updates with security fixes or are they completely unsupported?

The older versions of iOS are unsupported, in the sense of security updates/fixes. There will be no new updates to any version of iOS prior to the current version (as of this writing, iOS 7). The original iPhone is stuck at iOS 3.13. The iPhone 3G and 3GS are stuck at 6.1.3. At some point, the iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5C and 5S will stop getting updates, and what ever the most current is at that time will be it.
 

lush242000

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Lead, follow, or get out the way

As it has been said..."if you are not the lead dog on the team, the view never changes."


Sent from somewhere.
 

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