Dangerous to update apps?

No, I havn't had any problems on my old iPod touch which I havn't updated the iOS on - it only updates apps if the update is compatible with the its iOS. The problem is if you update the apps on iTunes on your pc/mac, which would mean that you would no longer be able to re-install the apps from there (unless if you've taken a back-up of them).

I'm not positive that's true, Penguin.

In December I updated an app from the iphone, as always (3Gs, 3.1.2) which the app "update description" said nothing re the app won't work with 3.1.2 after updating it, but that's what happened. When the app would not open (after the update but would instantly crash/close, I sought out the app it the app store itself & THERE in THAT description it said it would no longer work with 3xx whatever, but the ditz developer did not specify that in the "app update" description.

In various other apps I've read tons of reviews of people complaining of similar events, not being forewarned in
"app update" descriptions that if you update but still have iOS-whichever, the app won't work.

So imho yes it IS DANGEROUS these days to update apps without going to read reviews first & see if the update screwed up anybody else, 'cuz it happens all the time.

The app store (on iphone) is like the Wild Wild West... a lot of fake cowboys running loose, creating all types of *****, including "no warning, update at your own risk" app updates.

(Since the December occurrence I became leary & quit updating ANY apps since 12/22/10. The apps I love & use a lot work fine as is, so I don't see the need for the incessant repetitive updating. It gets very old & very tiring after awhile.)

Why is your 3Gs still using 3.1.2? That's not the latest version for your phone, have you not updated your iOS version?

What iOS I choose to use is not the problem.

The problem is devs who write lousy, incomplete descriptions.

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FWIW, I have no intentions of updating the iOS & for good reasons.

1. The change Apple made in the Mail app, for starters, to that r e t a r d e d "unified inbox."

2. The flood of horror stories re how slow, bogged down & terrible iOS4 works on 3Gs & how those people wished they had never updated.

3. I have about 4 dozen homescreens organized to the hilt with webpage icons (& some apps) for different work projects & I hear updating the iOS will completely destroy all my homescreens & contents.

4. The one time I did update the iOS, 1,000 photos I had accumulated on iphone disappeared.

5. The few apps I love & use often & the phone itself all work FINE as is. I'm not taking any more chances with "the UNKNOWN," & that includes iOS updates & app updates, as neither can be trusted.

FWIW, I have no intentions of updating the iOS & for good reasons.

That's a choice you're entitled to make, however you have to make it in the knowledge that you're creating problems for yourself.

1. The change Apple made in the Mail app, for starters, to that r e t a r d e d "unified inbox."

Personal preference, I prefer it.

2. The flood of horror stories re how slow, bogged down & terrible iOS4 works on 3Gs & how those people wished they had never updated.

iPhone 3G had initial problems, Apple fixed them. I've heard of no-one with a 3GS having performance issues with iOS4.

3. I have about 4 dozen homescreens organized to the hilt with webpage icons (& some apps) for different work projects & I hear updating the iOS will completely destroy all my homescreens & contents.

I can't see why it would, mine were left untouched by the upgrade,

4. The one time I did update the iOS, 1,000 photos I had accumulated on iphone disappeared.

But of course you backed up before upgrading so you were able to restore your pictures?

5. The few apps I love & use often & the phone itself all work FINE as is. I'm not taking any more chances with "the UNKNOWN," & that includes iOS updates & app updates, as neither can be trusted.

TBH most of your issues are coming over as self-created but you seem happy in your misery so I see no reason to try persuading you to rethink. What you shouldn't do however is claim wrongly that there's any danger in upgrading apps when there's not.

Jesse Wonder Clark wrote:
Hi,

My wife has a 1st gen iPhone, with 3.1.2 installed. I've heard that apps have started breaking compatibility with older iPhone OS versions. If she does an update through the App Store app on the phone, will it actually update apps so that they no longer work on her phone?

If you keep backups of the computer to which her iPhone is synced, then if she has problems, you can always restore that one app from your backups. Of all the apps I have worked with, they will all tell me that they require a higher level OS than is on my device and they won't even sync if the device still has OS v3.1.3 and the app requires iOS 4. In that case, I have the newer app version on iTunes, but the older on on the device. I can chose to restore that one app from my backups, or I can connect the device to iTunes after the sync completes I can delete the offending app from iTunes, then "Transfer Purchases" from the device and download the older (working) version from my device back into iTunes.

I learned my lessons quite some time ago about not keeping backups of my device apps. One of my apps put out an update that removed some functionality form the app. The things removed were my primary purposes for using the app, and since I had not been keeping my app backups yet, I was unable to roll back. Since that time, I have been keeping my app backups, and I have only needed to use them once or twice, but I got my "working" app back very quickly.

I could tell by your first condescending question that I should have ignored your first comment the first time around, & your second comment proves my initial instinct was correct. My mistake for engaging.

I agree about many of the 'updates' actually being dreck. The update notifications are a nuisance, as there is no way to manage them. I always read user comments before updating, and check the app out before syncing. I posted a while ago about the random order of the update list, since some updates I would prefer to strike from the list. If I recall, I got a judgmental reply about the number of apps I have. There are many cases where a formerly well-performing app has been crippled or inundated with ads, and the developer simply lists it as 'upgraded features'. Btw I'm running iOS 4.2 on iPhone 4.

Martin_UK wrote:
...you're creating problems for yourself.

Only 1 so far. I learned quick. No more problems.

I prefer it.

I didn't ask you if you did so I really don't care what you think re unified inbox. Obviously I use my emails differently.

I've heard of no-one with a 3GS having performance issues with iOS4.

You must live in a cave.

I can't see why it would, mine were left untouched by the upgrade,

Good for you, but I've read otherwise, & choose not to chance it, so what's it to you?

Use your phone as you wish & let me do the same.

But of course you backed up before upgrading so you were able to restore your pictures?

It was so long ago I don't remember.

...you seem happy in your misery...

And you seem like a self-righteous oaf. I never said I was miserable, that was YOUR choice of word. What I said was:

The few apps I love & use often & the phone itself all work FINE as is.

What part of the word "FINE" don't you understand?

I love my 3Gs, it works GREAT & always has from Day One, (but for that one app & that was typical devs writing lousy update descriptions).

What you shouldn't do however is claim wrongly that there's any danger in upgrading apps when there's not.

What you should Explicitly Not Do is tell me I cannot share my experience. How pompous of you.

There certainly IS danger when devs do not write up complete update descriptions. I have read HUNDREDS of complaints in the app store reviews from app customers who upgraded all sorts of apps & got skewed because of it.

Hence the advice to the other poster -- Not You -- that it's a good idea to go read reviews before updating.

Face it: Many apps have lousy non-detailed descriptions. The fault is with devs who write lousy incomplete descriptions (a common occurrence), not with the customers.

END OF "CONVERSATION."

tplSF wrote:
I agree about many of the 'updates' actually being dreck.

Thank you tpISF, you are somebody describing the REALITY of the "app update madness" (vs. glossy-eyed Apple fanboy-speak). 😀

The update notifications are a nuisance, as there is no way to manage them.

So true. I would love to be able to "delete" certain updates from the list, right from the phone.

I always read user comments before updating, and check the app out before syncing.

Wise advice. It's a pain to go read the comments first, but it does pay off because if anybody "got bit" by the latest update, there will definitely be "squealing" going on in the Customer Reviews.

I posted a while ago about the random order of the update list, since some updates I would prefer to strike from the list.

Exactly. For instance, you cannot "Update All" when there are 1-2-3, etc. in the list you'd rather not update, so you'd have to update them individually.

One of my MOST beloved apps of all time is a memory-sweeper app that is AWESOME & which I use many times a day (heavy browser use makes that necessary). But of course Apple had to put the whammy on memory-sweeper apps about a year ago. So the subsequent update to that particular app will remove its ability to sweep the memory. No way will I ever update that app as long as I keep the 3Gs.

If I recall, I got a judgmental reply about the number of apps I have.

Why should it matter to anybody how many apps a person has? I hope you told them to take a long walk on a short pier. 🙂

There are many cases where a formerly well-performing app has been crippled or inundated with ads, and the developer simply lists it as 'upgraded features'.

Devs, like anybody, "can be" sneaky desperate people. Tread softly & without "blind faith"... Or as my boss used to say, "Never Assume Anything"... especially in the app store.

I could tell by your first condescending question that I should have ignored your first comment the first time around, & your second comment proves my initial instinct was correct. My mistake for engaging.

Yet you then chose to respond twice to my second post....

Couldn't let you have the last annoying word... 😀

(So make that 3 times now.)

G'day across the big pond.

Hi macs4bg,

For whatever reason, this is a rather hostile forum -- you often can't ask a simple question without getting a lecture (or worse). Yes, I do read the manual before posting, and, yes, I do have a fairly technical background . . . I'm just not fluent in the cult of Mac. If people find a question ignorant, their time would be better-spent moving on to something more relevant. As far as the original post goes, my apps wish list includes an update manager, or something that tracks doggy/poison pill updates and calls out unscrupulous developers.

The iphone is a superior device, but it has a few areas that could use improvement. I'm talking to you, Contacts app!