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I read on Engadget this morning that Apple is now letting users who can’t or won’t upgrade their version of iOS to download older versions of apps – versions that have been replaced. This is a real game-changer for app developers. Let’s talk about the implications.

First, it means that requiring support for newer versions of iOS is a lot easier to justify. If users can download older versions of your app to suit their needs, you can focus your attention on the latest-and-great iOS version.

A subtle implication here is that your app’s latest version is not necessarily always going to be the fastest-growing market segment. If your app is really popular with oldsters running iOS 4, then you might have a problem. If your backend web servers aren’t expecting API calls to be made from that version of your app anymore, then you’re not prepared to serve the appropriate responses. Uh oh.

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