How to download older versions of apps ios

These affiliate partnerships do not influence our editorial content. Apple hasn't totally left old iPad owners behind. In addition to still signing the last iOS releases for those devices, you can still download software for them — assuming you know where to look. Maybe you're hanging on to an older iOS device or maybe you just got a great secondhand bargain. Either way, you can't update the device to the latest iOS and so you also can't download the latest versions of your apps.

Since the App Store only ever shows you the latest versions, it looks as if you're stuck unable to get your old apps back. Yet you can do it, and you can do it easily — if you know where to look. Open the App Store on this older device of yours and then tap on the Purchased button.

As great as older iOS devices are, they are older and they are usually slower so this won't be quick. Especially not as you need to wait until the complete list of your previously purchased apps is displayed. Once the list is complete — and all the icons have displayed too — search for the app you want. Just tap on that iCloud download icon and you're done — or very nearly. The trick here is to wait. And maybe wait for a considerable time, too.

Don't tap away, don't leave the App Store, just wait. After some amount of time, the App Store will display a notification saying that no, you can't have this app because it doesn't work with the version of iOS that your device has. However, it will also offer to let you download a previous version. This is a really smart feature from Apple because it offers you this compatible version but it also makes sure that you're getting the newest that you can.

If an app has been updated five times a year, you'd struggle to know which was the very latest you could use but Apple knows and Apple tells you. Apps get updated for a reason. You're not going to have the same experience with an older version of an app on an older device than you will with a newer setup.

Speaking of newer setups, though, it looks as if you can only use this download trick with apps that you have previously bought. If this older device is your sole iOS one then that's true, but if you have a newer one as well, you can do something more. On the newer iOS device, find and buy an app you want — that you know has a previous version which will work on your older machine.

This method does not require the app to be on your device or Apple ID. You just need another Apple device that runs the latest iOS operating system. Unlike Android phones, Apple does not give its users too much authority to access their iPhone or iPad system files. So users can not install the old version of the app by downloading the app from the internet and copying it to the system file. Sometimes once an app got updated, it means that you could never find the old one back.

Seek to backup the old version of apps for iPhone? AnyTrans can help you make it easier. It helps you establish your own app library and store your iPhone apps there.

Free Download it and backup old versions of apps now. The best way to prevent this situation is to back up different versions of apps. Here we recommend a third-party software — AnyTrans. These are what can AnyTrans do for you:. Now please free download AnyTrans and follow these steps to see how to backup and install the old version of the app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Free Download. Let me show you how it works! We shall update the post as soon as we find the solution.

Note: This simple trick will work with only those apps that were once compatible with the iOS version running on your device. For instance, Facebook had the support of iOS 7. Step 4. You need to tap on Download the prompt to confirm. Then, let the download process be completed. What if the new version of the app is compatible with your device but, you still want to use the older version? As a user, I really appreciate this feature.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. While getting stuck on older software is par for the course, it can be frustrating.

The way Apple has the App Store configured, you are always directed towards the newest version of an application. Before we walk you through that trick there is one minor and obvious caveat: the trick only works on apps that once had versions compatible with your OS. To get Comic Zeal on our iPad, we need to make a quick stop at either our computer or another, newer, iOS device. Does it matter which you use? Fire up the app and search in the search box for the name of your application.

Select the app in the search results. At this point, the app will install as expected and you can use it, albeit without the features present in the newer updates. It might not be the most convenient way to go about doing things, but this little workaround is a great way to breath life into old hardware.

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