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Tell HN: All new iPhone apps and app updates submitted must support iPhone 5

31 points by m2mapps 13y ago

From Apple: "As of May 1, all new iPhone apps and app updates submitted must support the 4-inch display on iPhone 5."

Samuel_Michon 13y ago
This has been known for over a month[1]. I’d say it’s good change. Within 2 months of when the iPhone 5 was released, about half of the apps I use most had received updates that optmized for the larger screen. After 7 months though, the remaining apps still haven’t been optimized, even though many of those apps did receive updates in the meantime. As of May 1st, a developer can’t just post a bugfix without also optimizing for all the different iPhone screens. [1] http://www.macrumors.com/2013/03/21/apple-will-no-longer-approve-apps-using-unique-device-identifier-udid-beginning-may-1/ http://www.macrumors.com/2013/03/21/apple-will-no-longer-app...
- jonknee 13y ago
  I don't know why it has taken this long. It should have been the case as soon as the iPhone 5 started shipping.
  - k-mcgrady 13y ago
    >> "It should have been the case as soon as the iPhone 5 started shipping." That would have been a nightmare. A lot of apps would need to redesign UI's and create new graphics. Let's say it took 2-3 weeks to get all that created, working, and tested. What if they had some urgent bugs they needed fixed before then? Or developers who didn't manage to get the device on launch day and had to wait a few weeks. Are they supposed to release updates which include iPhone 5 support having only tested the iPhone 5 portion in the simulator?
kennywinker 13y ago
The reason this is an issue at all is that in order to support te iPhone 5 screen you must drop support for everything before iOS 4.3. Many of the apps you see holding out are doing so because they have (or believe they have) a significant >4.3 user base. This got better when iOS 6 got jailbroken, but it's still an annoying forced obsolescence. The reason they did it this way is unclear as well.
- Samuel_Michon 13y ago
  The only devices that can’t run iOS 5 or newer are the original iPhone (2007), iPhone 3G (2008), 1st gen iPod touch (2007), and 2nd gen iPod touch (2008). Compared to later models, their share of the total iOS devices sold is very low. About 30 million iPhones of the first two generations were sold. About 20 million iPods touch of the first two generations were sold. Out of 550 million total iOS devices, that’s under 10 percent. And of course, many of those older iPhones and iPods touch are not in use anymore.
  - M4v3R 13y ago
    Add first generation iPad to that list.
    - Samuel_Michon 13y ago
      Nope. All iPads support iOS 5 or higher. http://www.macworld.com/article/1162925/how_to_upgrade_your_ios_device_to_ios_5.html http://www.macworld.com/article/1162925/how_to_upgrade_your_...
      - M4v3R 13y ago
        Check your facts. http://www.apple.com/ios/whats-new/ http://www.apple.com/ios/whats-new/ Bottom of this page.
        ben1040 13y ago
        That's iOS 6, not iOS 5. The original iPad is EOL'd on iOS 5. The list you were replying to was the list of devices from 2008 and earlier that are end-of-lifed on iOS 4. That is also the list of devices that you basically have to abandon if you begin targeting iOS 6 and iPhone 5.
        lucaswagner 13y ago
        That's for iOS 6. The first-generation iPad will still run iOS 5.1.1: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1521 http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1521
WA 13y ago
Important note: This also means that you cannot release any updates that support the iPhone 3G (iOS 4.2.1), since you cannot compile for both, iPhone 5 and 3G. iPhone 5 requires Xcode 4.6, which doesn't allow to build apps for iOS < 4.3.
- WildUtah 13y ago
  That's probably the only reason that the iP5 requirement was delayed until now. Apple isn't good about keeping its build tools compatible with older editions of OS/X or of IOS. It's a little tough for them since their systems are built to last for so long with better hardware components. If it weren't for that irony, the iP5 requirement probably would have gone into effect the day the iP5 was released.
- ryanpetrich 13y ago
  To support old versions of iOS, one can build an armv6 version using an older version of Xcode and then lipo it to an armv7+armv7s version built with Xcode 4.6 (details: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12619124/how-to-support-both-armv6-and-armv7s-for-release-build-in-xcode-4-5 http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12619124/how-to-support-b...)
  - WA 13y ago
    Thank you, but still, this is considered more or less a hack. The question is how long it'll take until the first apps get rejected that aren't built "properly".

31 points by m2mapps 13y ago

From Apple: "As of May 1, all new iPhone apps and app updates submitted must support the 4-inch display on iPhone 5."

This has been known for over a month[1]. I’d say it’s good change. Within 2 months of when the iPhone 5 was released, about half of the apps I use most had received updates that optmized for the larger screen. After 7 months though, the remaining apps still haven’t been optimized, even though many of those apps did receive updates in the meantime. As of May 1st, a developer can’t just post a bugfix without also optimizing for all the different iPhone screens. [1] http://www.macrumors.com/2013/03/21/apple-will-no-longer-approve-apps-using-unique-device-identifier-udid-beginning-may-1/ http://www.macrumors.com/2013/03/21/apple-will-no-longer-app...

jonknee 13y ago
I don't know why it has taken this long. It should have been the case as soon as the iPhone 5 started shipping.
- k-mcgrady 13y ago
  >> "It should have been the case as soon as the iPhone 5 started shipping." That would have been a nightmare. A lot of apps would need to redesign UI's and create new graphics. Let's say it took 2-3 weeks to get all that created, working, and tested. What if they had some urgent bugs they needed fixed before then? Or developers who didn't manage to get the device on launch day and had to wait a few weeks. Are they supposed to release updates which include iPhone 5 support having only tested the iPhone 5 portion in the simulator?

kennywinker 13y ago

The reason this is an issue at all is that in order to support te iPhone 5 screen you must drop support for everything before iOS 4.3. Many of the apps you see holding out are doing so because they have (or believe they have) a significant >4.3 user base. This got better when iOS 6 got jailbroken, but it's still an annoying forced obsolescence. The reason they did it this way is unclear as well.

Samuel_Michon 13y ago
The only devices that can’t run iOS 5 or newer are the original iPhone (2007), iPhone 3G (2008), 1st gen iPod touch (2007), and 2nd gen iPod touch (2008). Compared to later models, their share of the total iOS devices sold is very low. About 30 million iPhones of the first two generations were sold. About 20 million iPods touch of the first two generations were sold. Out of 550 million total iOS devices, that’s under 10 percent. And of course, many of those older iPhones and iPods touch are not in use anymore.
- M4v3R 13y ago
  Add first generation iPad to that list.
  - Samuel_Michon 13y ago
    Nope. All iPads support iOS 5 or higher. http://www.macworld.com/article/1162925/how_to_upgrade_your_ios_device_to_ios_5.html http://www.macworld.com/article/1162925/how_to_upgrade_your_...
    - M4v3R 13y ago
      Check your facts. http://www.apple.com/ios/whats-new/ http://www.apple.com/ios/whats-new/ Bottom of this page.
      - ben1040 13y ago
        That's iOS 6, not iOS 5. The original iPad is EOL'd on iOS 5. The list you were replying to was the list of devices from 2008 and earlier that are end-of-lifed on iOS 4. That is also the list of devices that you basically have to abandon if you begin targeting iOS 6 and iPhone 5.
      - lucaswagner 13y ago
        That's for iOS 6. The first-generation iPad will still run iOS 5.1.1: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1521 http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1521

WA 13y ago

Important note: This also means that you cannot release any updates that support the iPhone 3G (iOS 4.2.1), since you cannot compile for both, iPhone 5 and 3G. iPhone 5 requires Xcode 4.6, which doesn't allow to build apps for iOS < 4.3.

WildUtah 13y ago
That's probably the only reason that the iP5 requirement was delayed until now. Apple isn't good about keeping its build tools compatible with older editions of OS/X or of IOS. It's a little tough for them since their systems are built to last for so long with better hardware components. If it weren't for that irony, the iP5 requirement probably would have gone into effect the day the iP5 was released.
ryanpetrich 13y ago
To support old versions of iOS, one can build an armv6 version using an older version of Xcode and then lipo it to an armv7+armv7s version built with Xcode 4.6 (details: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12619124/how-to-support-both-armv6-and-armv7s-for-release-build-in-xcode-4-5 http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12619124/how-to-support-b...)
- WA 13y ago
  Thank you, but still, this is considered more or less a hack. The question is how long it'll take until the first apps get rejected that aren't built "properly".