Can you download apps on older iOS?

Your subject line and text say "iOS" when I think you're asking about Android. I'll assume that's the case.

My phone runs Android 2.3.5 and almost every app in the Play store and Amazon appstore is available. I can also acquire apps from a variety of other sources and install them on my phone. If Google ever decides to stop supporting my version I can still get apps elsewhere.

I'm sure there are some apps designed only to work with newer versions but I haven't found any that I want or need.

I thought Apple allows you to update your iOS...was that not an option?

 

On Android, its not about whether Google stops support for older OS, but whether developers will. For example, Facebook works across almost all versions of Android. But newer apps taking advantage of newer features of the OS like Helium Backup will not work on older Android versions. Heck you can still use Android 1.0 now and still get some apps from Play Store.

 

Moved to the Android Lounge and welcome Thankyouapple2

 

Apple does allow you to update your iOS, and some many apps require modern revision of iOS to run. However! There's a cutoff point for the older iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches - they cannot get the most modern versions. As a result, they cannot run some apps. As apps continually update, eventually these older devices can run less and less of apps of the appstore, until - they become outmoded.

 

The real trick is finding a phone that runs 1.0 as opposed to 1.5, though. Did any?

 

lol what was 1.0 even called? Earliest i can think of is Cupcake

 

Sure 1.0 would have been prototypes, back from before Google bought the Android company and OS. Think there was an HTC that was 1.1. The first widely available phones were 1.5 Cupcake and 1.6 Donut AFAIK.

 

That's what I figured, the first commercially available phones were already running 1.5. I still have my wife's old T-Mobile G1, and even that right out the gate started with 1.5/1.6. It's currently relegated to alarm clock duties, though.

 

FYI someone managed to get JB onto a HTC Dream, aka the G1 awhile back, not sure how since it has like, 190mb RAM? ICS iirc requires at least 256.

That said, back when I had my first iPhone, then a new 3GS, I remember the app store on the first iPhone no longer working, essentially saying the device is too old. However, Apple does seem to have rather long life cycles on their products, but using something that old today is like using a 486 computer these days. Most would not hold onto old tech that long...

 

My dad has hit this problem. He is using the first gen iPhone on straight talk. His app selections is nada. If he wants to use Facebook, he has to do it in his browser. Maybe someday I can talk him into a newer droid. I'm going to show him my shiny new Nexus 4 next week when I go home to visit.

 

Android 1.1 was Alpha and 1.2 was Beta.
But there's lots of apps which require at least 4.0 to run. Some even require 4.2 like Dashboard Widget.

 

There are still new apps being developed that support even version 2.2, including the new Play Store updates.