Like the question says, will I be able to submit iOS5/iOS6 apps to the App Store given that iOS7 is rolled out now? Or do I have to target iOS7 for my builds?
I understand that there is a great amount of UI changes, new features, not looking good, etc involved but I just want to know if it is still possible to submit old targets
Cheers
Yes it is still possible to submit apps targeted at older versions, as long as they perform on iOS 7 as well.
There is also now an option for people using legacy versions of iOS to download app versions that are targeted for that version.
Nice article about that here: http://thenextweb.com/apple/2013/09/17/apple-begins-allowing-users-running-legacy-ios-builds-to-download-older-versions-of-apps/
Your app is built to a specific SDK version, which is different from the deployment target. Apple typically require you to submit apps that have been built to the latest public SDK version, although I believe right now you can still submit apps built to iOS 6.
So you can target iOS 5/6 as you require - however, going forward your app will have to be built with the iOS 7 SDK.
Related
I am uploading my App into AppStore. My app is displayed fine on iPhone, not on iPad. In addition, my App just works on iOS 6 or higher.
How can I determine these limitations to AppsStore review team while uploading my app? Are my limitations acceptable for the review team or not?
In your Xcode project - select the target (the one being deployed) and set its Deployment Target.
You have the ability to use older versions of iOS - just make sure you only use API included in the lowest version selected. For example, don't use any of the new iOS7 backgrounding API if you are deploying for iOS6. And if you do need to use API included only in newer versions of iOS, make sure to wrap that code in respondsToSelector logic to avoid crashes.
So yes, deploying to iOS6 is totally acceptable to the review team as long as its being compiled with the newest SDK. This also allows users to download your app who haven't made the upgrade to iOS7 yet.
I have an iphone app that was accepted in the App Store before the arrival of iOS 7. The app used to support both iOS 5 and iOS 6.
Now i have updated the same app to iOS 7 and about to submit it to the App Store for approval. I have a question that is making me confuse.
Question 1: Is there any way the first version of the app stays in the App Store for iOS 5 and iOS 6 users while the new version that i am going to submit only serves the iOS 7 users. In other words, i want to save some time but not updating the same app compatible with the old versions.
A user that has an iOS version prior to 7.0 and have previously downloaded you app, can still restore the old version from iCloud.
New users of your app can not download an old version.
This is the information Apple sent out regarding this:
"Users who have already purchased your app are now able to download previous versions, allowing them to use your app with older devices that may no longer be supported by the current version.
If you do not want previous versions of your app to be available, for example due to a usability or legal issue, you can manage their availability in the Rights and Pricing section of the Manage Your Apps module on iTunes Connect."
Yes, since a few weeks. If a customer downloads your app and it is not available for his device (e.g. the app is iOS 7 only and the customer has iOS 6) and there is a < iOS 7 supporting version uploaded earlier, it will download that one.
Source: Engadget
First off I am going to ask why?
Secondly the two answers already given are completely wrong.
Too yoeribovens answer this isn't true, Apple haven't confirmed this and it isn't documented anywhere in the Apple documentation. The best reply I have for that article is it is complete rubbish. Unless Apple have confirmed it, it isn't true.
To user1673099s answer this is also not a good why to go. This means two apps to maintain on the app store, so unless one is a LITE version and the other is a FULL version I just wouldn't go this way at all.
The one thing I am going to do which is the actual way you should be working if you want to support iOS 5, iOS 6 and iOS 7 is direct you to the Official Apple Documentation for Supporting iOS 6.
This guide will help you make the transition from iOS 6 to iOS 7 and it will also instructed you on how to completely support previous iOS versions.
You might also want to read iOS 7 UI Transition Guide Before You Start and iOS 7 UI Transition Guide Scoping Your Project
I ask same question on Apple Support Communities. It is possible. They replied this-
iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks include new features that many of your favorite apps take advantage of when you update them. Some of these features are specific to the latest versions of iOS and OS X. As a result, the latest versions of some apps may not work with your device or computer if you are still using an earlier version of iOS or OS X. Thanks to the App Store, you may still be able to re-download a compatible, earlier version of an app when you are using an older operating system.
Here's how you install an earlier version of an app:
Open the App Store (with iOS 4.3.3 or later) or Mac App Store (with OS X Mountain Lion).
Go to the Purchased screen (iOS) or Purchases tab (OS X).
Select the app you want to download.
If a compatible version of the app is available for your version of iOS or OS X, simply confirm that you want to download it. For example, after purchasing iPhoto for your iOS 7 device, you can install an earlier compatible version of iPhoto from your iOS 6 device.
Additional Information
Note: Some earlier versions of apps may not be downloadable from the App Store if the app's developer has chosen not to make them available. If you don't see the version of the app you are looking for, contact the app developer for more information. The developer's contact information can be found on the app's product page on the App Store.
You can also read it from here-
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5919
You have to use the different BundleId for Ios 7 app & changed it deployment target to ios 7.0.
So, idea is that you are making two different apps.
ios<7.0
ios=7.0
May this helpful to you.
I have a mac with OSX version 10.5.6 and I'm wondering about the limits of developing iPhone apps with it.
Since I need to install an old SDK, will the apps I make still be possible to use on new iPhones? What kind of features will I miss out on, by using an old SDK? Are there any major changes in the new version of Xcode that will make it reduntant or unprogressive for me to learn an old SDK?
You will not be able to submit an app to the App Store unless it has been compiled against the latest iOS SDK (iOS 5.1 at this time, iOS 6 soon.) This does not mean it needs to use the features in the latest SDK, but you must have used that SDK when compiling. Apple will automatically reject apps compiled against an older SDK.
If you don't care about the App Store and just want to play around, you can do so with an old SDK but it might not allow you to attach the debugger to a device running a newer version of iOS.
Since I need to install an old SDK, will the apps I make still be
possible to use on new iPhones?
The code is for the most part is still the same. Your apps will work on all iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches.
What kind of features will I miss out on, by using an old SDK?
Faster Compiling, Code suggestions, and a few other things that won't prevent you from making iOS apps in the future.
Are there any major changes in the new version of Xcode that will make it reduntant or unprogressive for me to learn an old SDK?
No
Good luck!
I have released an App in the App Store with target platform 5.1. The app also was developed using SDK 5.1. My customer phoned me and said this is crap because als the jailbroken phones aren't able to download the app yet - because there is currently no jailbroken version for 5.1.
What do I have to do? I'm coming from Android - therefore I want to be really sure what I am doing when applying an App update to ensure that it is also available for 5.0 users.
I also use a Library Project - which also uses SDK 5.1 as shown in the screenshot below.
I would be really glad about some instructions how to reduce the required version for the app and if there are some compatibility troubles/problems occurring to my code when I do this.
You should change the deployment target, in the summary tab of the target, as shown in the image:
And call your customer and tell him there is already Jailbreak for 5.1 ;)
Release App version 1.1 with deployment Target OS as 5.0 or what ever else version you want to include ...
Just found this now while researching another question, so I'm sure this has already been handled, but here's my $0.02, eight years later....
You provided a working app to the App Store. All apps on the App Store are guaranteed to work on compatible iPhones that have not been jailbroken.
If your user is doing non-sanctioned things with his iPhone, it's not really your concern. There were plenty of big-name apps which had the same problem as yours: people couldn't use the latest version because a jailbreak wasn't yet available. They had to wait until such a jailbreak was out. That's the risk you take with using a jailbreak.
The difference here is that if FaceBook or WhatsApp or whatever big-name app changed its target SDK to an iOS version that did not yet have a jailbreak, users couldn't call Zuckerberg on the phone to complain or threaten. You, as an independent developer, got the phone call.
It's a balancing act. You want to use the latest, greatest features of the iOS version, but existing users might not have the latest, greatest OS. So you have to decide what's more important: new features or supporting existing users.
I have an application that I would ideally like to run on all iOS versions, however I think Apple accepts apps only from a version and above (3.0 I think, but not sure). So my question would be, what's the minimum iOS target version you can send in review (and get accepted). If anyone with greater iOS publishing experience would answer my question it would be great and maybe point out some places where I can read about it.
Many thanks!
Sometime last year, an Apple DTS employee posted (and later clarified) on the iOS Developer Forums that the App store would no longer be accepting apps with a Deployment Target lower than 3.0. That might indicate that a lower Deployment Target has or will become grounds for an app to be rejected.
I would never set the Deployment Target lower than that of the lowest OS version among the devices I plan to use to test the app before submitting it to the App Store.
Also, the installed based of devices which haven't been upgraded to 3.0 or above might be too microscopic to be worth a developer's time or effort (unless you happen to still have and use one for some reason).
ADDED in 2013: App store submission now requires that the app support the 4" display, which requires iOS 6.0 or later, which allows a minimum deployment target no lower than iOS 4.3
To back up what hotpaw2 indicated, this is from the News and Announcements for iOS Developers on June 29, 2010:
Make sure that your applications are
compatible with iOS 4. All new
applications and updates to existing
applications must be built with iPhone
SDK 4. In addition, the App Store will
no longer support applications that
target iOS 2.x.
ok... strangely Im having a hard time verifying this... but it's my belief that you must build your app with the latest base SDK (4.0), but you can target an IOS version all the way back to 2.0. Ill continue to try to verify that.
You can only build your apps with the SDKs you have installed.
Since XCode will nuke your old SDKs whenever you upgrade (unless you install XCode elsewhere), it is assumed that you will always be building using the latest stable SDK version. This is in contrast to, say, Android, which will always retain SDKs whenever you upgrade.
Your deployment target can go back as far as you want, right back to 2.0 - but you may find it difficult to actually test it on that platform! Most people would just target 3.x upwards, which gives you as close to 100% coverage as makes no difference.