Apple's iOS 11 could kill almost 200,000 apps

Apple's iOS 11 could kill almost 200,000 apps

PanARMENIAN.Net - If the coming app-pocalypse is real, then nearly 200,000 apps aren't long for this world. A whopping 187,000 apps could die with iOS 11, Mashable reports citing a new research from app analytics company Sensor Tower.

A quick refresher: after years of encouraging developers to update older apps to make them compatible with the 64-bit processors that debuted with the iPhone 5S, it seems that Apple will begin to force developers' hands with iOS 11. Warnings that "this app will not work with future versions of iOS" began appearing in beta versions of iOS earlier this year, feeding speculation that Apple will finally end support for these outdated apps once and for all.

While "app rot" as it's known in developer circles is a real problem, it was hard to quantify just how many apps could be impacted by such a change. There's now a much clearer idea thanks to new data from Sensor Tower.

As it stands now, at least 8 percent of all apps in the App Store could be rendered obsolete overnight if Apple chooses to end support for 32-bit apps. That adds up to about 187,000 apps, according to the firm.

This, by the way, is somewhat of a conservative estimate. Sensor Tower came up with the number by looking for apps that were submitted prior to the launch of the iPhone 5S in 2013 (when Apple first started supporting 64-bit) that haven't been updated since.

Though the company introduced 64-but chipsets in September 2013, Apple didn't start requiring developers to support 64-bit architecture until nearly two years later in June of 2015, so it's likely there are far more incompatible apps than the number reflected in Sensor Tower's report.

And while the vast majority of these apps won't be missed, there are quite a few classics — some of which still enjoy devoted followings — from the early days of the App Store that could be at risk should Apple force them to update or die.

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