4 ms·

My problem isn't that new stuff stopped being developed. It's that old stuff that previously worked is now broken. Supposedly, the app store will keep track o

My problem isn't that new stuff stopped being developed. It's that old stuff that previously worked is now broken. Supposedly, the app store will keep track of versions and let you download the "last known good" version for your hardware. Unfortunately, many devs released updates that claimed to work on hardware that it didn't actually work on. I had a program that got an update, and suddenly wouldn't work because it now required a "front facing camera" on hardware that had no such camera. They overwrote the "last known good" version for my hardware, so there was no way to go back. Even if they don't actively develop and support things on the old hardware, how about just not screwing it up for people? My Macbook Air just went out of OS support, and apps have already started to bitrot. My iPhone just went out of iOS support, so it's just a matter of time before I start getting "bad" updates that wreck my stuff. My iPad and iPod touch went out of support years ago, and the only thing that still worked consistently was 2 magazine subscriptions on the iPad...which broke sometime in August 2019. How much effort is it to keep the digital lifeline services still working, so that I can continue to use paid-for content and apps? I know it's greater than 0, but I went from being a dedicated Apple user to one who will never buy another Apple product. Every single previous purchase has resulted in pristine and perfectly functioning hardware being rendered useless by loss online support services. If I can't update on my schedule and my budget, I can't justify buying the hardware.

javagram 7y ago
You can go into the App Store settings and disable auto-updating. Seems like that could fix the issue for you? One used to be able to back up apps directly to Mac or PC via iTunes but it seems like that ability was lost in 2018, now that I search for it. For Macs, it’s still easy. Use time machine and if an app updates to a bad version you can just restore the earlier .app file from your time machine.
proidgeree1 7y ago
App creators are given an API and ways not to break support for your device; it’s on them to do device testing of all their app’s corner cases. This doesnt seem unreasonable to me. What else should apple do?
- cnst 7y ago
  Why not let the user download any old version? Let the users mark newer versions as broken for their hardware, so that the last-known-working-version is not reset? I mean, they have a platform, but the feedback loop seems kind of broken.
- g051051 7y ago
  Apple can share the blame, because they didn't test the app like they should have to verify that the app was in fact compatible with the hardware the dev claimed. Or maybe the dev did everything right, but Xcode had a bug. But mainly, just let me download whatever previous version I want.
  - craftinator 7y ago
    Maybe Apple doesn't have a spare iPad just lying around; they're hoping that the devs have bought all their extras, to test software updates in different platforms...
seba_dos1 7y ago
Meanwhile, Nokia N900 is still a capable device with new software releases being developed for it (like Devuan-based Maemo Leste or Alpine-based postmarketOS).

javagram 7y ago

You can go into the App Store settings and disable auto-updating. Seems like that could fix the issue for you? One used to be able to back up apps directly to Mac or PC via iTunes but it seems like that ability was lost in 2018, now that I search for it. For Macs, it’s still easy. Use time machine and if an app updates to a bad version you can just restore the earlier .app file from your time machine.

proidgeree1 7y ago

App creators are given an API and ways not to break support for your device; it’s on them to do device testing of all their app’s corner cases. This doesnt seem unreasonable to me. What else should apple do?

cnst 7y ago
Why not let the user download any old version? Let the users mark newer versions as broken for their hardware, so that the last-known-working-version is not reset? I mean, they have a platform, but the feedback loop seems kind of broken.
g051051 7y ago
Apple can share the blame, because they didn't test the app like they should have to verify that the app was in fact compatible with the hardware the dev claimed. Or maybe the dev did everything right, but Xcode had a bug. But mainly, just let me download whatever previous version I want.
- craftinator 7y ago
  Maybe Apple doesn't have a spare iPad just lying around; they're hoping that the devs have bought all their extras, to test software updates in different platforms...

seba_dos1 7y ago

Meanwhile, Nokia N900 is still a capable device with new software releases being developed for it (like Devuan-based Maemo Leste or Alpine-based postmarketOS).