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10 Comments

iOS Apps - when to stop supporting previous versions?

Making first iOS App, iOS 13 has been minimum requirement. However, iOS 14 has features that will make development easier and product slicker. Abandoning support for iOS 13 would streamline our process, should we?
Some factors:

  1. Product launch scheduled end of 2020.
  2. Adoption of iOS 14 currently lagging iOS 13.
  3. Xmas will see a lot of new iOS presents with iOS 14 installed.
  4. Our product would appeal to minimalists . i.e. people who do not upgrade tech regularly.
    I'd love to know your thoughts, experiences?
  1. 2

    @jared suggestion to support 2 version prior to the current is a good rule of thumb. A few thoughts:

    There are a number of factor to consider: dev. effort to support older os versions, newer oses provided features, targeted users, etc.

    Unless you are aiming at a niche group that you can only reach by leveraging the latest iOS 14 features (and/or you are certain that the development effort saved will outweigh the benefits of a larger audience), I would, by no means, drop iOS 13 support for a 2020 release, specially having in mind factor 4. in your list.

    We recently dropped support for iOS 11, so our minimum is iOS 12. We usually resort (among other variables) to Apple stats before deciding on minimum iOS to support:
    https://developer.apple.com/support/app-store/

    Right now those stats tell us that there are still 13% iPhones using iOS 12, (19% considering previous versions), a bit larger in the case of iPad (as of June, 2020). Based on your factor #4., these numbers may be larger in your case.

    Afaik, the biggest jump in terms of dev. effort and features is between iOS 12 and iOS 13 (SwiftUI + Combine for example) rather than between 13 and 14.

    1. 1

      Thanks @DarioJG . A reason we have been considering this, is there is one particular Swift UI feature in iOS 14 that we would have to find a workaround to replicate in iOS 13. This will just add to the delay in reaching our already tight deadline of launching before Xmas and for the New Year which is important to us. As this will be a first version and we expect to iterate on feedback, getting one solid version out faster is more important than having a larger install base. We are now considering getting the iOS 14 version out, then spending some time seeing if adjusting for iOS 13 is worth it. It may seem counter intuitive or working backwards, but prioritising the newer OS will help us get to market.
      Also if we can only get one version out, that would be the best version. Looking at these stats, I think it is the right course now:
      https://www.macrumors.com/2020/10/27/ios-14-adoption-nears-50-percent/

      I would like to thank you all for your replies, it's good to get valuable input from experienced developers.

      1. 1

        I see, in that case your decision makes sense. Best of luck with that release!

        1. 1

          Thanks @DarioJG . It's very helpful to talk through things here.

  2. 2

    @tcurdt has a solid answer. If you're trying to get a good hacker community gauge, I support 2 version prior to current. So, I'm going to remove support for iOS 11 as soon as I come across something I want to use in iOS 12

    1. 1

      Thanks a lot @jared ! agree @tcurdts answer is good, to actually calculate revenue loss by not supporting one. It looks like dropping iOS 13 now is probably the way to go for us, as adoption of iOS 14 by Xmas should be over 65% and not supporting both will help us meet our launch target as well as improve the product.
      In general I think we would support two versions, but it depends on what Apple throws at us with new versions.

  3. 2

    Check the general numbers of adoption, check your installation base and then calculate what loss of profit and potentially angry users this could mean for you. You need to compare that to the cost of maintaining more iOS versions.

    On iOS I'd usually recommend to support the current and previous version of the OS. More only if you really really have to. It really is a case-to-case decision.

    1. 1

      Thanks @tcurdt . That's very reasonable and in line with what we are thinking.
      Supporting current and previous version as you suggest is the ideal, but we are in a bit of funny launch window as the new OS is just being adopted and it is a significant upgrade, with all the icon customisation etc. For us some of the animation features will work really well for us.
      As we haven't launched, it won't be like we are taking something away later if we don't support iOS 13 now. Checking adoption rate and calculate revenues as you suggested is the best thing to do and also good to hear it is case by case rather than general rule of thumb. I have read today that adoption rates of iOS14 are edging over 50% and that is probably enough for us to abandon iOS13 considering the time savings it will give us in getting to market. Thanks again for your practical answer.

      1. 2

        It all depends on your target audience. If you are not targeting slow adopters, and since you haven't launched, I also would recommend and just go iOS 14. Now is the time to avoid technical debt. The rule of thumb exists - but it is more relevant for a re-launch. Good luck! And feel free to get in touch directly if you have further question. I got a couple of (re)launches unter my belt. I am also @tcurdt on twitter.

        1. 1

          Thanks a lot @tcurdt . All good points, yes we won't be targeting slow adopters and are okay with not having a bigger market share if it means our pipeline will be streamlined. 'Now is the time to avoid technical debt' is something I need to write in big letters on my wall! Thanks a lot for your reply.

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