With the announcements of the redesigned App Store and iOS 11 at WWDC 2017, Apple will also phase out 32-bit app support this fall when iOS 11 is released to the public. This means that many legacy apps will no longer work. The Zoom mobile app for iOS now requires a 64-bit device with this release. The most recent version available for 32-bit devices will be 5.11.3 (4068).
Apple is expected to eliminate all 32-bit code from iOS. Because the App Store regulates its submission requirements, all recent apps in the iOS store have 32-bit code in addition to 64-bit code. When 32-bit legacy apps run on a 64-bit device, a 32-bit subsystem must be loaded before the app can run on the 64-bit device. This has an impact on the device’s battery, performance, and memory.
The following iOS devices are 64-bit:
- iPhone 5s/SE/6/6s/7
- iPad Air and iPad Air 2
- iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, and iPad mini 4
- Sixth-generation iPod touch
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro and 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- 9.7-inch iPad (2017)
Any Apple device older than iPhone 5s will be rendered obsolete, once Apple does away with the 32-bit support.
Apple believes that phasing out 32-bit apps, it will not affect end users, but rather developers will work to ensure that all of their apps are updated before support is no longer available. This shift is the result of Apple’s plans to remove “problematic and abandoned apps” from the App Store, which is one of the company’s first steps toward emphasizing app quality over quantity.
