Nearly 200,000 apps aren't ready for iOS 11
Even though Apple released the first iOS device with a 64-bit processor three and a half years ago, there are still nearly 200,000 titles in the App Store that have not been optimized for those iPhones and iPads. And that will soon turn into a major problem for developers and users alike.
Starting with the next version of iOS, Apple plans to drop support for apps that are not updated to support 64-bit iPhones and iPads, a move which is expected to affect roughly 187,000 titles based on a Sensor Tower report.
The report, which is based on App Intelligence data, lists games as the most-affected category of apps, with over 38,000 incompatible titles -- or about 20 percent of the unsupported titles. At the other end of the spectrum are shopping apps, of which only 352 haven't been updated for 64-bit iOS devices.
As noted by Sensor Tower, Apple hasn't allowed developers to submit apps without 64-bit support since January 1, 2015. In the case of updates for existing apps, the deadline was June 1, 2015. So, basically, those 187,000 titles haven't been updated in nearly two years, based on that information.
Apple hasn't provided a reason as to why iOS apps not optimized for 64-bit iPhones and iPads will not work in the next version of its mobile operating system, but it seems that performance issues have something to do with it.
Apple made its decision known last month, through an iOS 10.3 beta, but before that preview release users were warned that "this app may slow down your iPhone," according to Mashable, when they tried to run an app that doesn't support 64-bit iOS devices.
"It’s likely that Apple is aiming to reduce the 'bloat' and increase the performance of future iOS versions on new 64-bit devices with this (potential) move," explains Sensor Tower.
If you use one of those 187,000 titles, there is a very good chance that you will have to find a replacement app when iOS 11 (or whatever the next version of iOS will be called) comes out. After all, if a developer hasn't updated an app in nearly two years, it's unlikely to do so in the following months.
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