iOS, older phones & non-functioning apps & planned obsolesence.

In the entire history of computers, there has never been any law requiring backward compatibility. Any developer can write an app however they want. Period. So could you. Period.

As a developer, you're looking at who would pay for your app so you can, you know, actually make a decent amount of money on the weeks, months, or even years it took you to create the app. That generally leaves out older hardware which can neither run the app well, or have very many possible buyers.

The gaming industry in particular push titles. They write their apps to take as much advantage as possible of the most current hardware in order to create the most realistic graphics that won't stutter during gameplay.

come_from_away wrote:

It's called competition.

It's called "unrealistic expectations!" You can continue to try to impress us with your idea, but you're honestly wasting your time here. This is a technical support forum to ask questions and find solutions for your iPhone from other users. Since there aren't any solutions to use apps which are no longer supported by app developers on older out of date devices, there is no user here who can help you. If you are hoping to get others to agree with you, what will that accomplish? Even if many did, they too can't make app developers do what you want. So, you're wasting your time trying to make a point here that no one can do anything about.

come_from_away wrote:

Sure, changes in iOS means older phones can't run newer versions of it. Makes sense. However, it should be illegal for app makers to not offer versions of their apps for older phones with an older iOS. It's basically discriminatory and penalises people who are content with the older phone they use. Governments across the globe and the EU, etc. should enact legislation that requires app makers to also offer versions of their apps that will run on older versions of iOS, with huge fines for those who do not comply.

Take it up with your representatives in government.

There is nothing anyone here or at Apple can do about it.

come_from_away wrote:

It's called competition.

If competition alone was sufficient to get developers to support apps on old/obsolete hardware and operating systems, the developers would be doing that already. They obviously aren't.

If anything, competition is what's driving them to abandon support for old phones. Every dollar, or hour, spent developing code for, or supporting, old phones that are not providing revenue for the developer is a dollar or an hour not spent developing code for, or supporting, new phones. In effect, new phone and old phone owners are competing for the developers' attention. The owners of the new phones are making a more attractive, and more competitive offer. Because the owners of the old phones are not making a competitive offer, or at least have not convinced the developers that they are making one, they lose the competition.

Even Free Software / Open Source developers do not support old operating systems forever. Sure, you can get source code for Firefox or LibreOffice and try to port it to old versions of macOS yourself, but the developers of both of those projects now only provide pre-built binaries for macOS Catalina and later. If you are still stuck on, say, High Sierra, tough for you.

come_from_away wrote:

Sure, changes in iOS means older phones can't run newer versions of it. Makes sense. However, it should be illegal for app makers to not offer versions of their apps for older phones with an older iOS. It's basically discriminatory and penalises people who are content with the older phone they use. Governments across the globe and the EU, etc. should enact legislation that requires app makers to also offer versions of their apps that will run on older versions of iOS, with huge fines for those who do not comply.

Illegal? Good luck with that. Most of the apps, which won't run on older iOS version are completely free. Why would you have any belief that app developers who make their apps free should be governed to continue to waste their time, money or resources on continuing their apps on older devices? Nowhere is it ever suggested when you buy any mobile or electronic device it will be supported forever. That's just a completely unrealistic expectation.

You are more than welcome to contact your elected officials, but your chances on this are surely less than 0%.

If Apple or Microsoft, or even Google would implement rules like that for apps in their app stores, you could pretty much kiss all 3rd party apps goodbye.

No developer in their right mind would agree to that.

come_from_away wrote:

My point. They should be forced to by legislation. Planned obsolescence is predatory behaviour.

OK, we understand your point. But no one here are your legislators, so this really isn't an appropriate discussion for this forum. We can't do anything to make app developers support older devices. Apple can't make app developers support older devices. But I do NOT agree with your suggestion at all. And as I mentioned above, I believe you have less than a 0% chance of convincing your legislators they have any legal standing at all to force developers they don't own to support old technology. None WHATSOEVER.

If it’s competitive, then use the competitors app and move on. If I create something, it’s mine and I own the copyright to it. If you want to compete with my product, then develop it yourself or hire a developer to write software for you.

What you’re proposing smacks of fascism in 1930’s Germany and forcing writers, poets, painters and cinematographers to do what the government told them to do.

come_from_away wrote:

My point. They should be forced to by legislation. Planned obsolescence is predatory behaviour.

Oh, I get your point. Legislation requiring this would kill 3rd party support completely.

It would spell the end of 3rd party apps for phones and tablets.

Force people and small businesses to do something they don’t want to do and in the process lose money. That’s your solution?