For several years now, Apple has been trying to push its iOS app developers towards using 64-bit code. In October 2014, Apple told its developers that their apps must have 64- bit support from February 2015. Following this, Apple warned users that apps that had 32-bit code would run poorly and more recently, told developers that newer versions of iOS would not support 32-bit apps.
Yesterday, it came to the notice of TouchArcade that the App Store no longer allowed you to search for apps that were supported by 32-bit software. While you could still download or find these apps in the Store by directly searching for a URL, it was not possible to find these apps by name. Their own app showed the following prompt when users tried to download it.
There have been speculations that iOS 11, which is to be unveiled by Apple today at WWDC 2017, will only support 64- bit software. It was suggested that if Cupertino plans to support only 64-bit apps in the future, there is no point in continuing 32-bit apps. Apple first introduced support for 64-bit apps with the launch of the iPhone 5S.
However, an update on the TouchArcade website said that 32-bit apps had been restored and could be searched for once more on the App Store. The 12-24 hour window when they were removed has not been explained by Apple but it could be deciphered as an indication to developers to update their apps or be left behind, or it could have simply been an error on the company’s part.
While it is clear that 64-bit apps will not run faster than 32-bit ones, there will be a few advantages. The most important of these is that apps will take up less space on your device and will, therefore, not need support for extra memory. Additionally, the hardware of the device can also be modified to remove 32-bit components and include more powerful 64-bit ones.
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