Information on the subject of iOS 4.3 device support is pretty thin on the ground at the moment. However, the lack of a 4.3 beta for iPhone 3G devices (and older iPod touch devices) leads many to believe this could be the end of OS upgrades for older devices.
Even if this assumption is incorrect right now, one day it won't be. There are hardware limits that will eventually stop Apple from supporting the oldest of devices with new iOS updates.
Given that iPhone application development debugging has the requirement of both iOS SDK and iOS version being the same, how would one continue development using iOS 4.3.x SDK releases while doing device performance testing on an iPhone 3G (or older device)? Are there ways of debugging over different iOS/SDK versions? Or do we have to simply drop development support for the older devices and tell those customers who don't upgrade their hardware: "tough"?
You should have no problem running code written using the 4.3 SDK on an older phone. I'm currently doing testing using the latest beta SDK, but running the code on a iPhone 3G running 3.1.3. As long as you are careful to check for the existence of newer methods/classes, your app will continue to run on old OSs. I'm not sure where you heard that OS and SDK versions need to match to debug; that is not true.
If you're willing to forgo the latest features, you should be able to support the original iPhone as long as you like.
You have to set a deployment target with an earlier build number - you can still target 3.0. You just have to be careful about what frameworks and calls you use and check for compatibility.
Since the newer SDK's do not have simulators that support earlier IOS versions, it's important to keep around devices with older builds.
For using iPhone 3G as debugging device in Xcode 4.3 just go to Build Setting and edit
the Architectures to armv6 and armv7 both. armv6 architecture is used for older devices.
Select the Deployment target 3.0.
This will work.
Related
I need an iOS app to be compatible with previous iOS versions, at least from 4.0, and also with prior devices (iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS... and likely all iPad devices). I found some posts dealing with the iOS versions backwards compatibility that already have some years (for example, How to build against older iOS versions with the latest Xcode downloads?), and I don´t know if this is deprecated or it still is the way to proceed, at least concerning the app building. Regarding programming issues, I guess I should check the documentation to know if the SDK features/libraries/frameworks I want to use are supported by all the iOS versions I want to be compatible... And having such information, how could I check programmatically the iOS version the device is running, in order to provide a certain feature or not?
On the other hand, regarding iOS versions and devices running them: could I find any Apple document listing which iOS versions supports each existing device? What hardware-dependent issues should I take into account while developing the app?
Thanks so much
Edit: Target architecture(s) is the only hardware consideration I've to take into account? Knowing that, for example, an iPhone 3GS is able to run, and is running, iOS 6.1.3, can I assume that the device will then support all the SDK's features, or I still need to check for the availability of such features depending on the device?
with the newest xcode version that supports iOS 6.0, you cannot develope for devices with iOS < 4.3 (lowest base SDK), and also the version that supports iOS 4.0 doesn't support iOS 6.0. For older devices you have to set the Architectures to armv6 armv7 in you project-settings tab "Build Settings".
for checking the iOS Version running, just check the available posts here at stack, you will find one that fits for you ;)
All in one I would set the base SDK to 5.1 because it's the last that can be used by iPad 1 and iPod touch 3. gen. and long enought available so everyone should have the latest update.
Older devices can have only iOS 4.2.x and are not supported by current xcode (4.6.2 (4H1003)).
iOS Support Matrix v2.4
This version is updated and includes iOS 7.
Link: http://www.iossupportmatrix.com
There is a great infographic that shows what versions of iOS are supported by which devices at http://iossupportmatrix.com.
I am new to iphone app development and am wondering which deployment target to use (as ios 6 approaches). My app is simple (http web service interaction, map) and my natural inclination is to target 3.1 to maximize potential use. However, I understand that ios 6 will soon be available to all iphones and I presume it will be widely adopted.
So, if I target 5.1 today, will my app be available to most, if not all, iphone users once ios 6 is released?
Right now, requiring a minimum of 5.1 is a bit bold in my opinion, but that depends on your app. It is customary to support the current version and the previous major release.
If you want to expand your target, you may considering going back to 4.3 or even all the way down to 4.0. But 3.x is practically obsolete. but:
Warning: Don't target a version you can not test on device. If you don't have a device running 4.0, testing your app only on the 4.0 simulator is not recommended (although perhaps it is OK. No assurance).
The iPhone 3G can run up to iOS 4.2.
All other phones and iPads can run the latest OS (5.1.1)
Not sure about iPod Touch devices but 3rd (and 4th) gen. should run iOS 5.
You can use 5.1.1 as deployment target if it is available to your menu.. if not 5.1 is best for your needs for now.
This way all (Who have not updated to IOS 6) can use your app...
Best luck for app development.
I am working on a major feature update for my application and would love to include features such as iCloud, Core Data, ARC and storyboards among other things. The issue is that I don't have data on how many users are still running 4.x. I realize that the ideal solution would be to support both at once and just select the available features based on what version the particular device was on, but my upgrades would be so substantial that this would be very difficult. Does anyone else have reliable data on the percentage of users on older versions? And also would it be advisable to release an iOS 5+ version of my app separately as an "App 2.0?"
... my company`s app still suport ios 3.x ,although only 2% on ios 3.x and below... but we can do the vast majority of ios4.0+ effect with 3.x and below API.
Here's an article for reference.
80% on iOS5
With the OTA updates, Apple devices are normally upgraded very quickly. The decision to create an iOS5 only app early this year was not too hard to make and more so now.
I believe iOS users are the fastest ones to upgrade when there's a new update. Also I don't know if it is accepted to have 2 different apps for different versions of iOS. What you could do is having the app check what version of iOS the app is running and exclude the features that are unsupported for lower versions.
Can't find any really reliable sources but you could check out some update stats around.
Link
Changes for ios 6 and Xcode 4.5.x
Xcode 4.5.x (and later) does not support generating armv6 binaries.
Now includes iPhone 5/armv7s support.
The minimum supported deployment target with Xcode 4.5.x or later is iOS 4.3.
The minimum support for iPhone is iPhone 3GS or later as earlier versions use armv6.
I am just about to upload my first app to appstore :-)
I have tested the app on an iPhone 3G (IOS 4.2) and my iPhone 4. What version of code should i upload and:
If i upload 4.2 to support iPhone 3G, will that cause any problems with newer phones?
If i upload the latest version of the code i guess iPhone 3G's will not be able to run it?
Is it worth while to still support iPhone 3G?
Can someone please recommend me what to do?
If you upload a version that the 3G does not support, then all 3G users will not be able to download the app.
If you upload a version that is supported by 3G, then only if the users have updated their firmware will be able to use the app.
In other words, the role of thumb is: upload the one that is tested on the latest firmware, but can be launched from as many firmware version as possible.
That might mean to just upload the one that is tested on the least firmware possible, but be careful because newer firmware versions might stop supporting certain APIs that you might have used, and then all newer (potential) customers will be locked out of your app.
If i upload 4.2 to support iPhone 3G, will that cause any problems with newer phones?
No.
If i upload the latest version of the code i guess iPhone 3G's will not be able to run it?
You need to compile for arm6 in addition to arm7 architecture.
Is it worth while to still support iPhone 3G?
That's a matter of opinion. This there any requirement for you specific app that requires a iPhone 3GS?
Choosing the latest ios as the deployment version is bad idea. iOS 4.3 isn't supported by Verizon devices, which means that you will lose a big portion of US users.
I believe most of apple's apps are using "iOS 3.1" as the deployment version, and i would recommend choosing the this as the lowest supported version.
iOS 3.1 is the last version supported by the original iphone, which guarantees that all users can use your app. Note it's not enougth to just pick 3.1 as the deployment version. you will have to test it with a REAL 3.1 firmware. There are a few guides on downgrading your iphone to 3.1, which is helpful for testing (such as http://lifehacker.com/5572003/how-to-downgrade-your-iphone-3g%5Bs%5D-from-ios-4-to-ios-313)
We are about to issue version 4.0 of our iPhone app and have had some complaints recently that previous versions are only available from iOS 4.1 plus. I know that to change this I can set my Deployment Target (In Project>Build) to iOS 3.1. However, I've run through the app on an emulator and again on my iPhone (uses iOS 4.2) but I'm not able to test on anything older as everyone here has the same iOS or 4.3. Can I safely assume that just by changing the Deployment Target and testing the app on later models that the app will run safely on later versions like 3.1.
We are familiar with the reason why people with older iPhones wont upgrade to iOS 4.0 and above, so we would like to accomodate them but not if it means the app is unsound and we have no way of testing it.
No, just because it compiles and runs on newer version of the SDK does not mean that it will work on older versions. If you're using features that are only available in iOS 4+ you'll need to check for their existence before using them; your app will crash otherwise.
There are some subtleties that you'll probably miss the first time too (or at least I did). In short, there's no real alternative to testing.
for the problem you have you need to install older versions of xcode having ios 3.0 support and you need to check whether it's working on the same or not as there are lots many changes in os 4.0 and above so it's definite that the application will not work with the ios 3.0, 3.1 available device and it will crashed.
Just install older version of SDK and test on simulator , if works then fine else you need to make code according to ios version 3.0 and ios version 4.0 in your code by differentiating the os and run the code accordingly.