If you utilize an old iPhone, chances are you lot've run into the problem of not existence able to download new apps. This might be due to Apple no longer supporting iOS updates for your device, forth with app developers optimizing software for the latest iOS release—all of which pushes you to buy a new phone. But what if yous don't want to practise that?

Luckily, there are several safe and legal means that you tin install your favorite apps on an older iPhone. And information technology'south far easier than you might think! Here are all your options.

1. Let Apple Download the Terminal Compatible Version

This is the easiest option available to download an older version of an app, but one that you may not know about. That'due south because the app store doesn't make it clear whether an older version of an app exists.

On the app page, it'southward common to come beyond a bulletin telling yous that an app Requires iOS 13.0 or afterwards, leading you to believe that your phone is not uniform. Only this isn't always true. You can ignore that message and go alee and hit the download button anyway. When you do, the Apple App Shop will display a message request if you lot want to download an older version of the app.

Hither'south what to practice:

  1. Open up the App Store on your iPhone and search for the app you want to download.
  2. Select the app name or icon to open the download page.
  3. Start downloading the app by striking the Get button or borer on the cloud symbol with the downwardly pointer.
  4. Expect for the App Shop to brandish the message Download an older version of this app?
  5. Select the Download button to become the app.
A screenshot of the download page for the Reddit app on Apples App Store

If this doesn't work for you, you will instead meet the message This application requires iOS 13.0 or after. In this example, in that location are a couple of other options you can try. If you want to discover out more near iOS before standing, then you can read our explanation on what iOS is.

2. Download Apps From Your Purchased List

The 2nd option you have is to endeavor downloading apps that y'all've downloaded before. This pick works actually well if yous have recently reset your iPhone to manufactory settings, only to observe out that some of the previously installed apps now require a after version of iOS to work.

Additionally, some people find that the App Store won't automatically give them an option to download a previous uniform version. This is despite having just had a working version installed on their phone. If you're ane of those people, try downloading an app from your Purchased app listing instead. I tried it out and constitute I was even able to get an app that I had first downloaded in 2015; i that was now only available on iOS 13.2 or later.

The Purchased app list is not only apps that you have paid for, information technology is a complete history of apps you lot have downloaded using your iCloud business relationship.

To download previously purchased apps:

  1. Open up the App Store app on your phone and navigate to your Business relationship page by selecting the profile icon in the top right corner of the screen.
  2. Select Purchased to bring up a list of all your purchased apps linked to that iCloud business relationship.
  3. Curl through the list to observe the app you desire to install.
  4. Striking the cloud icon with the downward arrow beside the app to begin downloading it.

3. Use a New Device to Add Apps to Your Purchased List

I've tried re-downloading apps from my Purchased list and found that information technology worked with no issues at all. Just what practice you practise if at that place's an app yous want that y'all haven't purchased or downloaded in the past? One workaround is to use a newer iPhone running on a more recent iOS to download the app you want.

The fundamental is to make sure you log into your iCloud account on the newer device, to ensure that the app is saved to your history of app purchases. Once the app is downloaded, head dorsum over to your onetime device and try downloading information technology from your Purchased list, following the aforementioned steps equally in the previous method.

To test this method, I borrowed a friend's iPhone XS to log into my iCloud business relationship. I downloaded an app that I knew couldn't be downloaded on my older device. Once I got the app, I went dorsum to my old iPhone 5S and downloaded the same app from my Purchased list, and it worked!

Here are the steps laid out:

  1. Log into your iCloud account using an iPhone running a contempo iOS version.
  2. Open the App Store and download the app you want.
  3. Go back to your quondam iPhone device and open upwards the App Store.
  4. Navigate to your Business relationship page by selecting the profile icon in the tiptop right corner of the screen.
  5. Select Purchased to bring up a list of all your purchased apps linked to that iCloud account.
  6. Scroll through the list to notice the app y'all just installed on the newer iPhone device.
  7. Hit the cloud icon with the downward arrow abreast the app to begin downloading it.

Limitations

The benefit of these methods is that they doesn't require you to download any 3rd-political party apps that may be unsafe or present security bug. Just, of course, it doesn't mean that our methods will work for every app.

Some newer apps won't have backwards compatibility, meaning that they were developed for more contempo iOS systems. Apps like that won't have an older version bachelor for you to download, and there's nothing you tin can exercise near that. Calculation to this, the further back y'all go in the iPhone lineup, the less likely yous are to find a uniform version of the app yous're after.

But with how easy information technology is to run into if an older app version is available, it's well worth giving these methods a go.

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About The Author

Garling Wu (33 Manufactures Published)

Garling loves exploring artistic uses for engineering. With a background in music, she spent many years hacking computers to brand weird and wonderful sounds. When non making music, she writes most the all-time DIY electronic projects.

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