IOS 10 - Status

Started by Elantric, September 13, 2016, 11:32:11 AM

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Elantric



GuitarBuilder

#2
John Walden was brave enough to try it:

"So have you pushed the button on iOS10 yet? Yes, this week has seen Apple roll out this year's update to our favourite (well, most of the time....) OS as the shiny new iOS10 arrives via the App Store to replace (still retaining some of its sheen) iOS9. Of course, only if you want it too....

For the general iOS user – those using an iPhone or iPad for things like web browsing, email, FaceTime, FaceBook, listening to their music or....  well, in the case of the iPhone, actually making phone calls - providing your hardware is capable of supporting the update, then most folks will just go for it and, frankly, have little to worry about other than getting used to and operational differences. And for iOS10, which despite Apple's 'big up' of the changes, is going to feel like a modest evolution rather than a brand new world, there is perhaps little to be too stressed about.

Of course, as a group, iOS musicians are perhaps a more cautious bunch... and with good reason. While we are perhaps not the only niche iOS user group that can occasionally push their systems to breaking point with multiple apps, in previous annual rounds (were you around for the iOS7 to iOS8 update?) we have had some less than pleasant experiences.

As I've mentioned on the blog this week, in the interests of research (OK, I just can't resist), I installed the iOS10 update on both my iPhone 6S and iPad Pro as soon as they became available. And – breathes a big sigh of relief – it went rather well. Indeed, with the exception of one or two very minor quirks, my experience so far has been a pretty uneventful one.

Thankfully, there are a number of developers that are already rolling out minor iOS10 updates and this has included the Audiobus team. The notes with that update suggested that Audiobus themselves are suitably reassured by the transition to 10....  And that's welcome news.

I've been working through some of my favourite iOS music apps over the last day or so. These have included Cubasis (where the only problem seems to be a rather odd graphic issue with the start-up splash screen), Thor, iSEM, AUM, DrumPerfect Pro, Patterning, Sector, iM1, Gadget, SynthMaster Player, Module, SampleTank, Animoog, iMini, Model 15, Oscilab, and, one of my latest favourites, Poison-202. And, so far at least, so good. Auria users are, apparently, having some issues with the IAA support but work on a fix is in progress and will hopefully be pushed through the Apple approval process fairly promptly.

So, if you are pondering the update, then I think the general impression I'm seeing – and reflected in my own experience – is that there is little to be too concerned about. That does not, of course, put any compulsion on anyone to update straight away. The latest release of iOS9 is still working just as before and, if you are in the middle of a specific project and things are working well, then staying put is still a perfectly valid and sensible choice.

Temptation is, however, hard to resist (doh!) and, as many iOS musicians also have a good dose of hi-tech-addiction (otherwise we probably would not be using the format in the first place), we do tend to find the update button hard to avoid. Anyway, I can't speak for others but, if I had to sum up my own reaction to the transition from iOS9 to iOS10 then, in the words of Douglas Adams, it would be 'mostly harmless'. Although if your own experience differs, then plase do get in touch and I'll happily share and bumps in the road with the blog's readership.....

Anyway, until next week, whichever version of iOS you happen to be using, here's hoping that you can get some music made.

With very best wishes,

John

John Walden
The Music App Blog"
"There's no-one left alive, it must be a draw"  Peter Gabriel 1973

Elantric


Rhcole

At least seems mostly harmless.
But, what POSITIVE motivation might there be to update other than avoiding nag screens from Apple?


Elantric

http://www.moneytalksnews.com/got-iphone-read-this-your-cell-bill-may-skyrocket/
Nearly 63 percent of all iPhone users have updated to Apple's newest operating system — iOS 10. It seems most people are happy with the changes, like better messaging, a new rise-to-wake feature and the ability to write handwritten messages in "digital ink."

But some people who updated are now finding themselves with ballooning cellphone bills.

If you've already updated to iOS 10 or you're considering doing it in the near future, pay attention. Otherwise, you could end up in a similar situation.

Kim Komando, who is also known as "America's Digital Goddess," hosts a radio show and a website geared toward helping consumers with digital technology. She writes on her site that she's received feedback "from several dissatisfied folks" about the iOS 10 upgrade "making their cell bills go sky-high."

Uh-oh. If you don't want to end up in a similar situation — unknowingly racking up a hefty cell bill this month — here are three things you need to check on your phone right now:

Wi-Fi Assist: This default feature, which enables your phone to use network data when your Wi-Fi signal is weak, can devour your data in record time. It's not a new feature. Apple introduced it with iOS 9 in 2015. But even if you had it turned off previously, the new update could have changed your custom settings, so check it again and make sure it's disabled. Go to Settings > Cellular, then scroll to Wi-Fi Assist and disable it. In an email to MTN, Apple spokesperson Jacqueline Roy recommended that users check out Apple's "About Wi-Fi Assist" page.

Background refresh: According to WTVB, some apps use "background refresh," which allows them to eat into your monthly data allotment even when you're not actively using the app. Go to Settings and find your list of apps, then select and disable the feature on apps you don't want to refresh.

Cell data: WCPO recommends turning off cell data for apps you don't use often. It's also recommended to turn off cell data for app updates, which will then ensure that your apps update only when you're connected to Wi-Fi.

Elantric

https://arstechnica.com/apple/2017/01/future-ios-release-will-soon-end-support-for-unmaintained-32-bit-apps/

Future iOS update will shut the door on apps from the dawn of the smartphone
Apple is on track to complete its 32-to-64-bit transition in just four years.


Beta builds of iOS 10.3, the first of which was issued last week, generate warning messages when you try to run older 32-bit apps. The message, originally discovered by PSPDFKit CEO and app developer Peter Steinberger, warns that the apps "will not work with future versions of iOS" and that the app must be updated by its developer in order to continue running. The apps still run in iOS 10.3, but it seems likely that iOS 11 will drop support for them entirely.

Though the error message doesn't explicitly mention the app's 32-bit or 64-bit support, it's definitely only older 32-bit apps that trigger the warning. Similar messages that did explicitly mention 64-bit support were present in the betas of iOS 10.0, but they were removed in the final release of the software. Apple has required 64-bit support for all new app submissions since February of 2015 and all app update submissions since June 2015, so any apps that are still throwing this error haven't been touched by their developer in at least a year and a half (developers could add 64-bit support as early as 2013, but most of them opted not to until it became a requirement).

In part because of Apple's total control of its hardware, operating system, and app distribution platform, iOS' transition from 32-bit software to 64-bit software has been uncommonly smooth and quick. The first 64-bit edition of Windows was released in 2005, and though 64-bit Windows has usually been the default since the Windows 7 era, there's still a 32-bit version of Windows 10, and it still ships on some low-end hardware. Mac OS X (now macOS) began to build 64-bit support into the OS starting in 2003, a process that wasn't completed until 2012; current versions of the OS can still run 32-bit apps that aren't otherwise incompatible. Android's 64-bit transition is complete if you have a newer phone, but some new phones still ship with 32-bit Android, and older phones (even those that actually get software updates and have 64-bit hardware support) will continue to use 32-bit Android.

To provide some perspective, here's iOS' complete 64-bit timeline:

September 2013: Apple introduces the iPhone 5S. Its Apple A7 chip makes it the first 64-bit iDevice. iOS 7 is the first 64-bit version of iOS, at least when running on the A7.
October 2013: The iPad Air and what is now called the iPad Mini 2 are introduced. Both include the Apple A7 SoC.
March 2014: iOS 7.1 is released. It resolves most of the memory-related crashes in 64-bit iOS.
September 2014: The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are released. Their Apple A8 chip is Apple's second 64-bit SoC. Apple stops selling the iPhone 4S, making the iPhone 5C the last of the 32-bit iPhones.
October 2014: The iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 are released. Both include 64-bit chips (the A8X and A7 again, respectively). The fourth-generation Retina iPad, which had been on sale for $399, is discontinued. The original iPad Mini is the last of the 32-bit iPads.
February 2015: All new apps submitted to the App Store must include 64-bit support.
June 1, 2015: All app updates submitted to the App Store must include 64-bit support.
June 19, 2015: Apple quietly discontinues the original iPad Mini. The only 32-bit iPads Apple now sells are refurbished.
September 9, 2015: Apple announces the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus and stops selling the 32-bit iPhone 5C in favor of the 64-bit iPhone 5S. All new iPhones Apple sells from this point on are 64-bit.
June 13, 2016: Apple announces iOS 10. Beta versions generate a warning about 32-bit apps, though this is removed in the final release. iOS 10 drops support for the Apple A5, making the Apple A6 and A6X the last supported 32-bit iOS SoCs.
January 24, 2017: Apple releases the first iOS 10.3 beta, which restores the warning about 32-bit apps.
Removing 32-bit support from iOS would also dovetail with another effort Apple is making to remove old and unmaintained software from the App Store so people can't find it in the first place. Apple is attempting to contact app developers so that anyone who wants to update their apps still can, but they won't be allowed to stay up indefinitely. If iOS 11 drops support for the 32-bit iPhone 5 and 5C and the fourth-generation iPad, removing 32-bit app support could also allow Apple to strip all 32-bit code out of iOS entirely.

As Apple says, purging older apps and keeping them from running is mostly good for users; even if an older app still runs on iOS, it won't support all the newest APIs, and users may experience crashes and other issues that an actively maintained app wouldn't suffer from. The main problem, as is often the case with software and services, is about how to archive these older apps for study or for later use or emulation. When these apps—many of them games—stop working and are removed from the App Store, it will become that much harder to recall the dawn of the modern smartphone era and to research it for other projects.