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App Store Stopped Showing 32-bit Apps For 12-24 Hours, Now Reportedly Showing

By Harsh Soni h_soniji@rediffmail.com | Jun 05, 2017 06:06 AM EDT

Apple has been pushing iOS app developers toward 64-bit code for the years. It has started by requiring 64-bit support and then told users that 32-bit apps might run poorly. Lately, there has been the warning that 32-bit apps wouldn't work in "future versions of iOS," however, it's pulling the plug. The latest update claims that 32-bit apps have started to show up on the App Store again.

According to an update from the source, 32-bit apps are once again searchable on the Apple App Store. Now it isn't exactly clear what this means, but it is considerable that for a good 12-24 hours 32-bit apps vanished from the App Store search. 

According to a report on TouchArcade, 32-bit iOS software no longer turns up in App Store search results but the user can still use direct links, but that's about as far as the user can go. The publication also notes that Apple might be doing this move to make way for iOS 11.

There are a number of advantages to moving all apps to 64-bit technology. The user won't usually see much of a performance difference - unless an app can benefit from 64-bit math, it will run as quickly as before. Modern iOS devices don't have more than 4GB of RAM, so user wouldn't need support for extra memory. Apps will not demand so much space on Apple devices, and the hardware itself can ditch unnecessary 32-bit components in favor of making the 64-bit parts more powerful.

According to Phone Arena, the end of the line for 32-bit apps started with the Apple iPhone 5s in September 2013 that featured the Apple A7 chipset and its 64-bit CPU. Among iOS builds, Apple iOS 7 was the first to run 64-bit apps.

Now, Apple is expected to put the kibosh on 32-bits. The only advantage for iPhone users, in addition, the ability of apps to handle more complex math equations if needed, would be the ability of iOS devices to support more than 4GB of RAM.

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