Apple began permitting developers to submit 64-bit applications to the iOS App Store back in 2013, allowing for improved app performance and reliability on 64-bit iOS devices. Then in June of 2015, Apple began enforcing that all apps and app updates released on the App Store must use the 64-bit architecture, meaning apps that are still 32-bit have not been updated in well over two years. With the upcoming launch of iOS 11, 32-bit apps won't be supported at all moving forward.

32bitappsios11

Trying to open a 32-bit app on iOS 11 will present users with this message

Recently, SensorTower decided to take a look at the remaining 32-bit apps on the App Store, which amounts to more than 180,000 worldwide. Looking at the last quarter, revenue from 32-bit apps amounted to "less than 1 percent" of Apple's total portion of App Store revenue. The older apps made approximately $37.5 million worldwide in the last quarter, and Apple's cut from that was about $11.3 million -- or "a mere 0.41 percent of its total revenue" from in-app purchases and paid apps on the App Store.

While unsurprising, it's interesting to see the last few apps from the old era of the App Store clinging to life ahead of iOS 11. SensorTower pointed out that the two remaining highest-grossing 32-bit-only apps are "The Amazing Spider-Man" by Gameloft and "Trigger Fist" by Lake Effect, which in August made $45,000 and $36,000 worldwide, respectively. Without updates, these games and any like them will be defunct on any iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 11, but Apple won't be losing much profit from the apps' incompatibility with the new software.

sensortower 32 bit apps

As the chart above illustrates, the share of revenue generated by the more than 180,000 remaining 32-bit apps on the App Store worldwide has been steadily decreasing since Apple required all new app updates to be 64-bit in June of 2015. In the third quarter of that year, we estimate that they represented about 1.13 percent of worldwide gross App Store revenue, or approximately $53.5 million. By 3Q16, that amount declined to about $43.6 million, or approximately 0.61 percent of all revenue.

Anyone on iOS 10 can check to see if they have 32-bit apps on their device by navigating to the Settings app > General > About > Applications > "App Compatibility." Here users will be able to see a list of any outdated apps that won't be supported on iOS 11. All iOS devices with a 64-bit chip will support iOS 11, including the iPhone 5s and newer, the fifth-generation iPad, the iPad Air, the iPad Air 2, all iPad Pro models, the iPad mini 2 and later, and the 6th generation iPod touch.

Top Rated Comments

BeyondtheTech Avatar
99 months ago
I think the research is missing the point. No one is developing 32-bit apps anymore, and very few are buying 32-bit apps anymore either. The real issue is that people want to continue using some of their old, favorite apps they have, that just have not been updated anymore, or at least for 64-bit compatibility. Not every one of these apps needs to be fixed, as many of them run just fine, but the fact that they won't run at all on iOS 11 anymore is what is going to irk some users.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
redheeler Avatar
99 months ago
Because if it isn't highly profitable, Apple doesn't care. Mac mini knows how that feels...
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OldSchoolMacGuy Avatar
99 months ago
I think the research is missing the point. No one is developing 32-bit apps anymore, and very few are buying 32-bit apps anymore either. The real issue is that people want to continue using some of their old, favorite apps they have, that just have not been updated anymore, or at least for 64-bit compatibility. Not every one of these apps needs to be fixed, as many of them run just fine, but the fact that they won't run at all on iOS 11 anymore is what is going to irk some users.
Blame the developer, not Apple. They're the ones that abandoned the app years ago.

If you truly have a need to still run that app, don't upgrade. The same was the case with macOS years ago and the move away from old Carbon apps.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
firewood Avatar
99 months ago
Blame the developer, not Apple. They're the ones that abandoned the app years ago.
Don't blame the developer. If the app is at all worthwhile, blame cheap-skate customers.

Those apps bring in too little revenue, if any, to pay for the work required to update them. This work is often nearly complete rewrites due to deprecated tools and changed APIs in iOS. And the cost of hiring iOS programmers to write or fix the old code hasn't gone to zero.

So why don't those customers who complain about abandoned iOS apps learn to code and rewrite those valuable 32-bit apps themselves?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
decimortis Avatar
99 months ago
I have one 32-bit app that the developer hasn't updated, and I don't forsee them updating since they've moved onto a version 2 of the app. Problem is, I like the version 1 immensely better and until I find a suitable replacement for it, I'm staying on iOS 10. This also doesn't bother me as 10.3.3 is running like a rock on my 7+ and I'm not planning to upgrade for a while.

TLDR: Cool story, bro.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChpTrk Avatar
99 months ago
Goodbye Flappy Birds.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...