Apple now allows users to download previous versions of apps

One of the biggest challenge for app developers, post app launch, is supporting app on older versions of iOS. With iOS 7 most app developers ditched iOS 5 and earlier version. In ideal world there are a lot of users out there who haven’t updated to latest iOS and continue to use unsupported older version of iOS.

Apple App Store Download Previous Version of Apps
Apple announced availability of older versions of app on App store

There are so many devices and so many versions of iOS still in circulation. No matter how purist an app developer is, he will never be able to keep supporting app for older devices and iOS. Now consider this, a user deletes the older version of your app and tries to download latest update only to find out that the app is not working properly on his device+iOS combination. Add to that the fact that he didn’t backup his device and thus lost the older version of app. There is no way that this user could get hold of old version. If it was paid app then user has just lost his money.

This situation was frustrating for both developers and users as well. I, personally, have been dealing with so many complaints from users where they haven’t backed up the app and have tried, unsuccessfully, to installed the latest version of app only to end up with no app.

Now the good news is that Apple has just announced availability of older versions of app on App store. Which means that users, who have purchased app, can download older version of app which works on their device+ios combination. This is rally much relief for app publishers and developers.

I wish these brainy people at Apple could have done it much earlier saving everyone’s time and money.

Ah! well as saying goes, better late than never.


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