I have just released a new version of my watch app, which requires watchOS 8 and is therefore not usable by series 2 and older watches.
Is there any way that users with those watches can get the previous version of the app? The new version of the iOS app runs on their phones but the watchOS app will not run on their watches, so they need to use the old version of both.
Thanks in advance.
How this works is a little complex, and I might not have it exactly right because I don't have an array of devices and apps to verify with handy, but I think it goes like this:
If your watch app is independent, I think when the iOS app updates to the latest version, Series 1 and 2 users will keep the older version of the watch app because there's no requirement that the watchOS and iOS app versions stay in sync. (I'm not sure whether this requires that an older version of your app be on offer in the App Store, or whether the watch will just stand pat.) If your watch app is dependent on your iOS app, the two must update in sync, so the watchOS app will be deleted from the paired watch when the minOS increases to 8. This latter scenario I am sure of.
Users of Series 1 and 2 watches paired with a phone that can update to the latest iOS and downloading your iOS app for the first time will not be offered the watchOS app because their OS version is not supported.
If you're offering a version of your iOS app to users of phones that cannot update to the latest iOS, that version of your app has a watchOS app that requires <= watchOS 6.2.1, and those phones have Series 1 and 2 watches paired with them, I think those watches will be offered the older version of the watchOS app.
Again, all of this offered to the best of my memory and without any testing to confirm.
Many thanks for replying so quickly. My watch app is independent (although I wish it wasn't but that is another story) so in theory users should be fine in most circumstances. That may explain why only two people have complained so far.
As you say, new users of the app running a recent iOS will not be able to install the app. This is not too bad because they can just get a refund and an apology. However it may also affect long term users of the app. For example if they update their iPhone but not their watch. They would then get the latest version of the iOS app, which will not be able to install its watch app on the old watch.
It seems that it is possible to download an older version but only for the situation where the user is running an old version of iOS. Is it also possible to do the same when the user is running an old version of watchOS? For example if they try to install the watch app from the App Store on the watch?
Thanks again for replying so quickly and thoroughly, especially at the weekend and just before the release of all the new hardware and software!
If the watch can update to the latest OS, it will when the phone updates (it's really difficult to keep a watch that can update to the latest OS on an older OS if it's paired with a phone that's already updated).
It seems that it is possible to download an older version but only for the situation where the user is running an old version of iOS.
That's to to the best of my recollection, but I'm not positive because I haven't personally confirmed.
Is it also possible to do the same when the user is running an old version of watchOS? For example if they try to install the watch app from the App Store on the watch?
That's a good question, and I do not have an answer. You'd need to test that scenario.