AIR 30 dropping support for 32-bit in iOS apps

[Flipline]

The latest AIR 30 Beta on Adobe Labs mentions a big change for releasing iOS apps with AIR:  You'll no longer be able to release iOS apps that contain both 32-bit and 64-bit versions as it's done by default for years, and instead will only be able to release 64-bit-only apps. 

This is a huge change for anyone with customers who still use the iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Mini, iPhone 5, or iPhone 5C, since all of those devices require a 32-bit version to be included in the "universal" single app alongside the 64-bit version that newer devices will use.

To clarify, I know that Apple does not accept apps that are 32-bit-only anymore.  This is concerning apps that contain both 32-bit and 64-bit code in the same single app (allowing support for iOS 9 devices as well as iOS 10+ devices), which is what AIR has done in the past and which Apple currently accepts, and which AIR 30 is dropping support for.

My biggest concern is what will happen when we need to update any of our already-existing apps in the App Store with AIR 30.  Does Apple allow you to update an app with a build that removes support for platforms?  And if so, what happens to those customers who already purchased our apps and are using them on iOS 9 devices -- will it download the update and the game they paid for will suddenly break and stop working?  Does Apple recognize they're using a 32-bit device and will prevent them from downloading the update if the update only includes a 64-bit binary?

Also I'm curious if this is something mandated by Apple -- where in the future apps will only be accepted if they're 64-bit only and won't be accepted if they include both as they do now -- or if this is Adobe's decision to drop platforms.  I haven't seen anything in the Apple Developer news or updates about dropping support for 32-bit when it's bundled with 64-bit, and Xcode seems to still create both 32-bit and 64-bit versions by default as AIR 29 currently does.

Here's the info in the release notes here:

http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/labs/flashruntimes/shared/air30_flashplayer30_releasenotes.pdf

Converting Universal iOS binaries to 64-bit and making IPA 64-bit

Prior to the AIR version 30, iOS applications were packaged as universal applications. To package a 64-bit iOS application MinimumOSVersion had to be set 11.0 in the application XML.

Starting AIR version 30, all iOS and tvOS applications would be made 64-bit only, irrespective of the MinimumOSVersion tag in the application XML. Packaging universal and 32-bit iOS applications would not be supported. ANEs could be packaged using universal as well as 64-bit only native frameworks, 32-bit native frameworks would not be supported for ANEs also.

Android packaging would remain unaffected.

[cybobear]

I'd just like to add that this thread is heavily curated. A ton of my responses were entirely omitted. I'm frankly shocked that adobe did this. They literally deleted a ton of my responses. Oh well such is as it is.

[ejthomas95746]

My concern about this decision is only in the timing. When Adobe open-sourced Flex and when they sunsetted Flash they gave us timelines so we could plan and adjust.

This decision is every bit as impactful to our business, and I sincerely hope that Adobe will reconsider their decision and support 32/64 for a little while longer and give us a time to adjust. Perhaps keep it the next two AIR releases and make an announcement that, for example, AIR 32 or 33 will be 64-bit only.

We just need a little time is all. This sort of change is inevitable and we don't oppose the 64-bit only decision per se, but please give us a little time to plan this transition. Others have also shared that it may be a bit too early to alienate iPhone 5 and iPad 4G users. We do indeed have users on those devices. Perhaps another year would be a better decision, but we'll take what we can get.

Thanks for your consideration, Adobe.

[FingersCrossed]

I just checked our stats from iTunes and we're looking at approximately 20-25% of sales in the last 90 days still on 9.3. I really don't want to lose those sales.

We could continue to release updates using AIR 29, but the way things have gone in the last few weeks, with Apple changing their submission requirements, I'm not confident that this would be workable beyond the very short term; unless Adobe supported a legacy 29 with fixes as well as the current version.

[Flashneverdies]

I agree. I'm also one of those types who don't feel the need to upgrade my iPad or iOS above 9.

Can you tell me where in iTunes I can see the iOS versions our users have? I couldn't find that info. Thanks

[cybobear]

Agree as well. I think it was @William Spence that brought up the strong point that many educational institutions for reasons I personally would disagree with, may have chosen iOS devices, like iPads, which age like the rest of us. For Adobe to preemptively cut support to these users, especially before Apple does, is, well a selfish move imo.

We're always talking about 5% market share or 20% market share, but is that all it's really about? There are potentially cases where educational apps are used by kids in rural communities that struggle with funding and can be profoundly affected by decisions like this. With the % math of how many users out of millions they get lost. They may only be 100 or 200 kids but when they're told their iPads won't work and they need to raise funds for new ones - is that really fair, is that how we want our technology, our software, to enable and enrich?

Was it a poor choice for someone to choose Apple devices in that scenario, maybe, but that happens. This gets to a larger discussion about Apple and it's own brand identity, which is sort of like a Cadillac, and as we saw with the recent battery issue, there appears to be some planned obsolescence going on (not the only tech player that's doing this I'm sure). They have their reasons. But really if you step back, having the latest, greatest, fastest hardware doesn't really change the content and quality of the app. If the app is doing some powerful A.I. computation / modelling or is all about the latest graphics maybe, but that's not what most really useful apps do. It's certainly not the case with educational apps. So if I was sourcing for educational settings I think I'd look for the Toyota Corolla (support and hardware-wise) instead of the Cadillac. Just my two cents on that. All this deprecation of hardware is also terrible for the environment.

I got a bit tangential from the thread there for awhile - this thread was very active and I've been thinking about it a lot. Just wanted to share some thoughts.

[Flashneverdies]

Thanks Cybobear - very well put. So many good points here. People have been stuck on the technical issues and pandering to Apple's game. It's all about the content and not the latest tech. That's all the user wants. And millions of kids will have to beg their parents for new iPads. It's just senseless and wasteful.

And 'Fingers Crossed' - thanks for the Analytics tip.

[ASWC]

Our company entire market is in education, on mobile Apple products represent 90% of our users and Android 10% but we also offer our apps online in HTML5 and there we saw a huge increase in Chromebook use in the past 2 years and those are pretty cheap device. I don't have data on this but I'm guessing some of our Chromebook users used to be on mobile and probably Apple so this could be a good shift if this continues.

[cybobear]

Sounds like a winning model using Chromebook as a target. Do you have any insight as to why Apple products would find their way into so many classrooms? Or is this more representative of the parents devices the students may be using?

[ASWC]

I don't know about the big picture but I do know some school districts (that we work with) did and do indeed buy IPads in large orders, no idea why but on the other hand some IT people from schools we did work with really do like chromebooks for how easy it is to setup and restrict.

[FingersCrossed]

I click on App Analytics, select the time period at the top right (e.g. last 90 days), then click on an actual sales figure for a particular app.

This then shows a line graph of sales for the app. Then from the "View By" drop down you can select "Platform Version".

I found a significant population still running (and buying) on older iPads.

[chris.campbell · Accepted solution]

Based on this thread and others, and after regrouping internally, our plan is to revert the 64-bit only restriction when publishing for iOS.  Our next AIR beta (hopefully out in the next few days) will return functionality to create universal targets for iOS just like you could with AIR 29 (and it'll have the ad hoc fix that many of you are waiting on).

We do not plan on re-implementing this restriction in the near future, but when we do we'll make sure to provide plenty of advanced notice so no one is taken by surprise.  In hindsight, we should have squared away the issues with AIR 29 before making a significant change like this.  Thank you everyone for the feedback.

[Frédéric C.]

Oh my god, that's such a relief! Last days have been pretty stressful for us . Thank you for your understanding Chris. I'm so happy to still be able to use this wonderful framework. Keep up the amazing work!

[FingersCrossed]

Fantastic news! And thanks to all the AIR team for pushing out all of these fixes for iOS submission changes over the last few weeks!

[Flashneverdies]

Thanks so much Chris and cheers to the whole Air team!

[Flashneverdies]

Crisis averted for now, but this situation has been a wake up call.

I'm still a bit confused about what it means for future updates if Apple does suddenly decide to force 64 bit. Can anyone please clarify this checklist of potential events?

1) Let's say I use the latest Air 30 build coming up (32 / 64 hybrid)

2) In 6 months time Apple forces all apps to be 64bit only (removing support for iOS 9 etc)

3) The future build of Air then forces 64 bit

4) Can we add this code to our xml doc?

<key>MinimumOSVersion</key>

<string>11.0</string>

5) Then, will the app be:

a) rejected by Apple

b) the app can only be updated by iOS 11 users  (is this handled by Apple so that only 11+ users get the offer to update?)

6) For Air 30 do we still need to Add the Assets.car file using the online tool?

Thanks,

Matt

[Frédéric C.]

I think it's just too early to answer those questions. Apple will definitely have to design a migration plan or anything that will ensure compatibility with existing apps and updates. The issue with AIR 30 was that this plan doesn't exists yet, so we would have had to handle a situation where Apple was not really part of the process.

In due time, I'm sure everything will go smoothly.

[FingersCrossed]

Based on history, I think "No" to 5a and "Yes" to 5b. Using Minimum OS is an accepted way of restricting devices (I used this several years ago as a way to stop old iPad1s from downloading an app when I hit problems with the limitations of the device).

and a "Yes" to 6 (as far as I know)

[PippoApps]

AIR team rocks.

Thank you Chris.

[Flipline]

Chris, thanks so much for listening to our concerns and taking action to revert these changes, it really means a lot that you and the AIR team listen to our feedback.  This is a huge relief knowing we can continue with hybrid apps and will be able to keep updating our existing apps with AIR 30.  Thanks for the help and for all the great work you do!

[ejthomas95746]

Thank you AIR Team!

[cybobear]

Thank you Chris and the entire AIR team! I think this decision with have a real positive impact!

[William Spence]

Chris, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to listen to our feedback and really take it to heart.  It means a lot that we are partnered with a company who listens to their users and takes into consideration our development needs.  This is an ENORMOUS relief and will help us remain competitive.  I am still convinced that AIR is the ultimate cross-platform delivery system and makes it possible to reach so many different clients with just one tool. Thank you for developing and maintaining this tool, and for all you do for this community!

Sincere Appreciation.

[cybobear]

I made a big case for supporting legacy and 32 bit apps, my post was entirely deleted. Don't ask me why.

[cybobear]

Why did you delete my posts?

[cybobear]

Why did you delete my posts which ironically support your final position?