iOS 11 may be dropping support for 32-bit apps

Back when iOS 7 was first introduced, Apple brought 64-bit support to its mobile operating system and since then, all iPhones and iPads have come with 64-bit capable SoCs too. Since then, Apple has continued to support both 32-bit and 64-bit but it looks like that could be changing this year with iOS 11, as reports this week indicate that 32-bit support may be dropped entirely this year.

This follows from Apple's notice to developers back in 2015, requiring all new apps to contain 64-bit support going forward. Now, in a warning placed into the latest iOS 10.3 beta, it seems that iOS 11 may be the first to drop 32-bit support.

The new alert found in the latest iOS 10.3 beta appears on apps that have not yet been updated to 64-bit. For example, the ‘Waterslide' app on iOS now carries a warning that reads: “this app will not work with future versions of iOS. The developer of this app needs to update it to improve its compatibility”.

Judging by the wording of the new warning, it appears that Apple is planning to drop support for 32-bit apps in the future. A change that will likely come about with iOS 11 later this year.

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KitGuru Says: The move away from 32-bit could affect a number of apps on the iOS store but it does make sense, particularly given all current iOS devices are 64-bit capable. 

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