Why and How to Check for App Compatibility with iOS 8

Often when a major iOS upgrade is released we rush, filled with excitement, to install it on our devices—instantly our iPads feel new again! There is a thrill that comes with trying out the new features or app additions designed to improve and deepen our user experience. But, should we be so quick to upgrade? Is there any potential downside or issues that could arise with immediately upgrading to a new iOS? The answer is: it depends.

An important question to consider is, will all of my mission critical apps—the ones I rely on and use on a daily basis—still function and perform as expected after this upgrade? 

iOS is the foundation that enables a iPad to manage and run all apps that reside on it. 
For an app, upgrading to a new iOS can be like relocating to a new office. We expect that necessary work items will still exist, but the location of these items and the layout of the building could be very different. A bit of reorienting might be necessary.

After an iOS upgrade, an app could experience problems functioning in the new iOS environment— and might need to reorient. The developer of the app would need to release an update addressing these problems or "bugs" as they are commonly called. This is nothing new to developer community; often developers of very popular apps need to release an update within days of a new iOS upgrade being made available to "confirm compatibility" (ensure that they continue to functioning optimally). Not all apps are updated immediately following an iOS upgrade; and at times, some of these "un-updated" apps can experience unexpected behavior. If apps that you use regularly have yet to receive a developer update "confirming compatibility" with iOS 8, consider upgrading only one iPad to iOS 8 to and then verify if the "un-updated" apps still function as expected.

The below PDF guide provides a quick "how-to" on verifying whether apps are "confirmed compatible" with iOS 8. Please consider taking a few moments to verify that your mission critical apps will continue to function as expected prior to upgrading the iPads.  

NOTE: Any websites that have been saved to the home screen as a "web clip" should not be affected by an 
iOS 8 upgrade. 

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iOS 8: How to Check App Compatibility
File Size:	884 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Written by Gerald Proctor, iOS Device Management Administrator