Apple would love for you to upgrade to the iPhone 14, but the reality is that your old phone is probably still doing its job just fine, even if Apple isn’t going to provide any more support for it. The absence of official software support is a concern, but when independent developers quit producing apps for your device, that’s when things really go bad for old technology.
While you may not require the newest iOS features from Apple, you will begin to run into functional dead ends if Instagram or Snapchat cease operating on your iPhone.
With Android’s sideloading feature, you may easily install backward-compatible app versions. However, for the sake of user security, iOS apps are often locked to the App Store (and, of course, money). It’s possible that you won’t be able to download an app if it no longer supports your device. Actually, iOS has a built-in answer to this problem that it doesn’t promote.
When using an unsupported device, you can access the App Store’s archive of older versions of apps by opening the store, tapping your profile icon in the upper right, and selecting Purchases. All the apps you’ve ever downloaded with this Apple ID are displayed here in reverse chronological order,
so you can easily find the first one if you’re intrigued. Go back until you find the app you want but that your device can’t run, then tap the iCloud download icon that appears next to it.
A notification will appear once the system finishes loading, informing you that the current app is not supported on your device but an older version is. If you tap “Download,” your iOS device will automatically download and install a version that is backward compatible with your current device. At that point, you’ll be allowed entry.
But what if you haven’t purchased the app before? Even though it’s impossible to successfully download the software for the first time at this moment, there is a workaround. If you have access to another, more recent Apple device, you can use that to sign into your Apple ID and get the app.
When you get back to your previous device, the app will be waiting for you on the Purchases page. However, there are times when this strategy won’t be successful. Both the app and the service must be compatible with the mobile platform you’re using.
Although Netflix’s “compatible” app downloads may be available for older devices, the streaming service only works with hardware it officially supports. No Netflix app version will actually work on your device if it isn’t one of those officially supported by Netflix.
