Latest beta providing hint at upcoming app support in iOS

Feb 1, 2017 09:15 GMT  ·  By

The recently-released iOS 10.3 beta 1 provides us with a glimpse into how Apple sees the future of the platform, as new evidence indicates that support for 32-bit apps is very likely to be pulled.

Apple first paved the way for the demise of 32-bit apps in iOS with the introduction of version 10.0, when the company implemented a warning that such apps could slow down devices. With the debut of iOS 10.3 beta, Cupertino goes one step forward and updates the notification to state that apps need to be updated in order to continue working.

In the original version of iOS 10, the message displayed to users read “[The app] may slow down your iPad/iPhone. The developer of this app needs to update it to improve its compatibility.” Starting with iOS 10.3 beta, this message states that “[the app] needs to be updated. This app will not work with future versions of iOS. The developer of this app needs to update it to improve its compatibility.”

Coming in iOS 11

Although this change has been introduced in iOS 10.3 beta, there’s a very small chance to see it going live for everyone with the release of the final version of 10.3. Instead, Apple is most likely planning to make it official with iOS 11, when the focus would be entirely switched to 64-bit apps, a move that syncs with the release of the iPhone 8.

Most likely, Apple will detail these plans at WWDC in the summer, when the first beta version of iOS 11 could also be shipped to developers.

While the release of iOS 11 will indeed leave behind 32-bit apps, it also has an impact on older iPhones that only support these apps. iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, and the fourth-generation iPad can only run 32-bit apps, so iOS 11 will pretty much be the end of the line for these devices. All of them will become unsupported, although 32-bit apps will continue to be available (yet, not updated).

Judging from the new message implemented in the beta, 32-bit iOS apps will no longer launch in iOS 11, so unless updated to 64-bit, these old apps will become obsolete.