[Throwaway90283]

Random story from last week, and my experience with Apple software. I don't use Apple products too often, but I was downloading some apps for a family members ipod touch 4g (latest model being 5g). The 4g only supports up to iOS 6, and nearly every app I tried downloading on the device gave an error saying it required iOS 7 and it couldn't be installed.

I thought that was strange, I used most of these apps before on older devices, why does everything no longer work on a device that's relatively new? According to those error messages the device is basically useful, it can't install apps any more, which is the heart of the ipod touch.

I searched around online and there's an official solution. I had to install itunes on a computer and login to the same account as the Apple account on the device. Then I had to download the incorrect iOS 7 version of the free app I wanted. That would assign it as a purchase to the Apple account. Then I could delete that download. Then, I had to open up the Apple store on the device like I was doing previously, find the free app on there again, and click download. After doing all that, it wouldn't give an error saying the device wasn't supported, but now ask if I wanted to install the last compatible version.

My mind was blown. How could such popular software provide such an awful user experience? The ipod touch said the app isn't supported for the device, but then I 'buy' the free app on itunes, and magically it is supported and I can download a compatible release.

[simonh]

The 4G was launched in 2010. It s not what I'd call 'relatively new'.

The reason for the block on just automatically downloading an old version is that it is not the version advertised on the App Store. Advertising a product with features you won't actually get is generally frowned on. The reason the hack works is that it tricks the App Store into thinking you must have 'bought' an earlier version of the software, so supplying a previous version is fine.

Bear in mind governments take advertising accuracy very seriously. You casualy talk about free apps, but there's no such thing on the App Store now because the EU doesn't consider apps provided at no initial cost, but which might be add supported or have in app purchases as being free.

[lvs]

The 4g ipod touch was discontinued May 30, 2013. So, they've been selling it to customers as a new product on store shelves until less than two years go.

[rjvir]

I think the ideal scenario would be to show the App Store description and screenshots from the last available version. This way, it would be the version last advertised on the App Store.

[elmar]

I have an ipad 1 same problem, but appstore let's me download the latest supported version.

[kenrikm]

Because they are trying to nudge you into upgrading. Lets face it, the fact that Apple ruthlessly kills hardware after 3-4 years is both a benefit to Apple (sells more hardware) and developers (don't have to support old versions of the OS). Though, as a consumer sometimes it makes it difficult to know if you're buying a dud (iPod Touch 4th gen) vs something that'll have a long happy life (iPad 2nd Gen)

[tokenrove]

It's awful for consumers, though. And for developers, it's not great, either, because you end up having to support a customer on an old version of OS X, for example, which means keeping a suitably old environment around just so you can keep your builds compatible, or jump through all kinds of hoops.

I don't feel like this is a good thing to encourage in an industry that already has more than enough churn as it is.

[kenrikm]

I've never run into that issue, ~90% of our users are on iOS8 or above. With iOS you can safely support the current version and last version while only pissing off 2-3% of the customers which is exceptional compared to most platforms. I also do Android development, Don't even get me started on what a mess that is, complete opposite..

[on_and_off]

holly hell ! How can this be an official solution ? Ok, Android devices upgrade cycle could use improvements, but as far as back compatibility goes, it gets it right. You can publish different versions of your app, so even if you drop an old OS version with 1% of marketshare, you can still let users download the last version of the app for their OS. From an user point of view, it is transparent, you click install and get the last compatible version, period.

[jeremycole]

Eh, well, the alternative is perhaps that you buy a "new" app, install it on your device, and find that it's never updated anymore. Their current workflow allows you to get the last available version of an app you already own, which is what you want. You don't probably want to newly buy an app to find that the last version released that actually works on your device is years old.

[intopieces]

What year did this happen? Mashable reported in 2013 Sept that Apple implemented "legacy app" downloads [0]. Did it lose that functionality? (Not an iOS user, so a genuine question)

[0]http://mashable.com/2013/09/17/ios-legacy-apps/