Install iOS 8 after iOS 9 release - ios

I don't know is SO is the best place to ask this, but this is related to iOS development so here it goes :
For development purposes, I have kept an iPhone under iOS 7. With the official release of iOS 9 coming soon, I will probably drop support for iOS 7 and need to upgrade this iPhone to iOS 8 (again, for development purposes).
My question : Will it be possible to upgrade to iOS 8 (from iOS 7) once iOS 9 is out, or will the iPhone only let me upgrade directly to iOS 9 ?
Thanks (and please don't make any guesses, I'd like a definite answer, maybe from someone who experienced this situation last year)

My understanding is that if obtain a copy of the iOS 8 download now, and keep that file saved somewhere then as long as it is still signed you should be able to install it.
Plug the iPhone in, open iTunes, click on the summery tab hold down Alt (Or Options) and you should get a file dialog window, browse to the downloaded version of iOS 8 and you should be set.
Bear in mind Apple normally stops signing older versions of iOS pretty quickly after new versions come out, so this might not continue to work.

At the time of writing you can download both iOS 8.4.1 and iOS 9 GM Seed from here. Once you have downloaded iOS 8, you can upgrade your phone from iOS 7 via iTunes.
So download it now, ready for when you want to upgrade, as Apple don't provide links to older versions of iOS, as far as I can see (not even on their developer download site). You can probably get older versions from alternative sites, but then you have to trust those sites.

Related

App developed in Xcode for native iOS

We have our native iOS app developed in Xcode and now software developer is saying that we should upgrade our code to Xcode 9 as we may face issue with the new release on the App Store if we continue using Xcode for development. I would like to know if this is a fact, since I am not from iOS development and I don't know if this is a fact.
Any help in this regarding or a pointer to documentation would be appreciated.
Appstore won't reject your app because compiled with version 8 but as your developer says, It will be better approach to compile the project with latest version of Xcode.
In addition, with iPhone X release, Apple probably look into support for iPhone X so If you send a new version without iPhone X support, It may be rejected and for iPhone X support, you need to use Xcode version 9 or later.
Apple Xcode Support:
You should use the latest version of Xcode available on the Mac App Store to submit your apps, or when available, the latest GM seed release from the Downloads page. For more information, read the App Distribution Guide.
Note: If your source codes are written fully with Objective-C then compile won't be problem because with Xcode 9 nothing changed on Obj-C side. However, If you have a swift code It may needed to be updated to Swift 4.
To contrast the other posters here: I'd say it depends. Right now, iTunes Connect accepts updates/uploads for apps built using Xcode 6 (six). There is no hard technical requirement to use Xcode 9 today, and there isn't going to be one in the forseeable future. 2019/2020, maybe, but by then we'll likely also have Xcode 11 or 12.
That said, there are many reasons to actually switch to the most recent Xcode release rather sooner than later, not the least of which is being able to target the current iOS version, iOS 11 and make your app work correctly on the new iPhone X.
Yes, your developer is absolutely right.
General Suggestion: Your project/app source code should be compatible with latest technological upgrades.
Why should you move your app development on Xcode 9?
Here are several useful stack over flow discussions (questions and answers), explaining, new changes with Xcode 9.
Xcode 9 Release Notes
iPhone-X interface support - Safe Area of Xcode 9
Swift 4 - Code migration from Swift 2.x to Swift 4
Face-Id Authentication (If you have used biometric authentication)
Facebook integration IOS 11 & FBSDKShareDialog not working on IOS11
Navigation Controller and Navigation Bars
Apple releases a new version of Xcode every year, while it also removes the functionality in iTunes Connect to upload builds from older Xcode versions. So, to be brief, your developer is right!
Source: App Store - Submissions

Mark IOS app not compatible with IOS 8? And add new app for IOS 8 and future?

I have an app that IOS 8 breaks. I've updated this app many time for free for years. It's time to charge for an update which stupidly has to be released as an entirely new app, however I'm also going to lose support for lower versions of ios 5 and 4 at the same time. Which brings up 2 questions..
1) Is it possible to leave this app up for sale and mark it as NOT IOS 8 compatible?
a) so that no one downloads it and it doesnt work properly if they have IOS 8
b) so that it remains available for users that are on ios5 or less for which the new version of the app will not support
2) Can I alert current users that upgrade to IOS 8 of the update?
Thanks..
"a) so that no one downloads it and it doesnt work properly if they have IOS 8"
I think its not required. If you app build with iOS 6 or iOS 7 then it will un smoothly on iOS 8 devices without any major issues. You should not cut down iOS 8 users.
if you compile with xcode5 and leave the BaseSDK set to 7 it should just work -- nothing to change
-- [in theory ;) I have experienced SOME situations (first hand and with other apps where this is not the case) ]
only if you go to xcode6 with the base sdk set to 8 THEN you have no way unless fixing the app
you can't say it won't run on ios6

iPhone Dev. Program: what happens when public release of XCode and IOS8 are available?

I'm getting very interested in the new Swift programming language and I'd like to start coding some examples with it before XCode 6 becomes available to the public.. So I'm thinking to subscribe to the iPhone Developer Program and I have two questions:
1) If I install XCode 6 beta and I already have XCode 5, does it install over it or do I need to remove XCode 5 at first? When XCode 6 is released in the App Store, does it upgrade the XCode 6 beta or do I need to remove it before? I'm asking this to avoid messing up my OSX installation, which I use for work
2) If I install IOS 8 beta on my iPhone, do I loose my current settings/configuration/data? When IOS 8 is finally released to the public, will I risk to loose settings/configuration/data? I'm asking this because I do not have an IOS Device to use for the only purpose of developing software and I would install the IOS 8 beta on my primary phone.. I understand that it is beta and that I could have some problems, but at least I'd like to understand what may happen to my settings and data, to evaluate if it is better to buy an old iPhone 4s to develop software.
Thank you if you can help me with your own experience with the iPhone Developer Program or point out some links.
You can run Xcode 6 Beta along side Xcode 5. They will not interfere with each other. When Xcode 6 hits the app store, it will update your Xcode 5 install, and you will need to delete your Xcode 6 Beta manually.
You can install iOS 8 on your phone without losing data. Of course, make sure you back it up first though, because you may lose everything. It has happened. You shouldn't be installing betas on a primary phone, unless you're ok with not having a phone for some length of time if something breaks.
If you're looking for a test device, you're better off using an iPod touch 5th Gen, or an iPad mini. They're cheaper and don't need to be activated. Sometimes an old phone will lock itself until you activate it with a valid SIM card. Using an iPad mini as a test device lets you run iPhone and iPad apps so it's definitely more versatile.

Migration project to iOS 7 required or not?

I have project which was developed iOS 6 and when I install it on device with iOS7 it's looks good. But now I update xcode to 5th version and now it's look not so fine. I know about application migration. My question is will I have some problems if I will continue using xcode 4 and upload to Apple will be targeted to iOS 6?
Your iOS 6 app runs in a compatability mode when run on iOS 7. You can currently submit apps compiled with older versions of Xcode but they will stop accepting them at some point -- and probably quite soon.
To directly answer you question: no, you don't have to update now. But assuming you will want to maintain the app for more than another couple of months it's some work you'll have to schedule.
Update: Apple will require new and updated apps to be compiled with Xcode 5 from February 1 2014, around four months after iOS 7 came out.
You are fine with Xcode 4 -- for now. But I would advise to get familiar with the iOS 7 SDK and Xcode 5 as soon as possible.
You did not explain why "it's look not so fine". Just set the target OS to 6.0, and it should really behave exactly the same way, maybe with a couple of more warnings.
I have left a project on the App Store, compiled with iOS 5.
With my surprise (I did not know about that) I found out that the App, running on iOS 7 device looks perfectly fine, without all the problem of elements positioning, just as it was on an iOS 5/6 device. Even the keyboard is displayed old style.
On the contrary if I run with a simulator, everything is messed up. So I choose to leave as it is, and plan a layout upgrade in the nearest future.
Yes. You can use 4.
You want you can build against an older sdk with 5.
How to build against older iOS versions with the latest Xcode downloads?

Taking new iOS version into account when submitting an update to the App Store

We are just about to submit an update to the App Store for some minor bug fixes and enhancements. The curve ball at this point is iOS 7.
My question is, what do I have worry about in regards to iOS 7? I'm not phased in utilizing any of the new features of iOS 7, we just want to make sure it works with it fine.
Just wondering if anyone could give advice on what I should be taking into account for this update.
This is actually a pretty complex question. I recommend the following strategy:
1) Submit your app update as it is for iOS 6, or whatever versions you are currently supporting.
2) Begin building and testing your app against the iOS 7 Beta using XCode 5 and get a feel for the major things that you are going to have to fix for iOS 7.
3) Read up on some of the big changes in iOS 7, in particular you should be familiar with the iOS 7 transition guide, available here:
https://developer.apple.com/library/prerelease/ios/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/TransitionGuide/Scoping.html
4) Watch the following developer videos to get a good overview of the new changes:
Platforms State of the Union
Building Interfaces for iOS 7
I would take a look at the following documents:
iOS 7 Release Notes
iOS 7 APIs Diffs
What's new in iOS
The most obvious changes are to the UI, so unless you're making a game, I'd perhaps also spend time reading iOS 7 UI Transition Guide.
You're going to have to submit the app using Xcode 4.6.2. Past betas of Xcode have not allowed you to submit versions to the app store.
If Xcode 4.6.2 doesn't give you any error messages, you should be able to submit your app without a problem.
You shouldn't worry about iOS 7 now, as it's a beta. However, I recommend start adopting your app to iOS 7 on a branch or something like that. This way, when iOS 7 is finally released, your app will be ready.

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