A long-rumoured change to the Apple Store briefly came to fruition today when a gamut of 32-bit mobile games disappeared from the market and could only be found by using a direct link. They’re back now, but this temporary purge will eventually lead to support ending for all 32-bit games when iOS 11 is released. When that support goes, so will your games, unless they’re updated.
Thankfully, many developers are working towards having their titles updated to the 64-bit infrastructure demanded by iOS11’s hardware, but some games will be left to die if their backend is unable to be moved to 64-bit. Many users have already seen various warnings that their apps won’t work in future versions of iOS, so start preparing for a life without iOS 11 on an old phone or tablet if you want to hold onto old games that can’t be updated, which many can’t. Especially if it’s not monetarily feasible.
For now, before the app-ocalypse, Apple has made it easy for users to see what games are outdated. Go to Settings>General>About>Applications and if your list is blank, you’re in the clear. If you’re stuck on old tech and have an upgrade on the way, consider your old device a classic games machine and don’t update to iOS11.
