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Alright, have a question here -

A while ago I built an app in Swift using pods that, for one reason or another, disappeared one day. Meaning the project was there, but it reverted to a MUCH older version and was inrepairable. It's a great app and I released on the app store, so others are using it and that's great but I am unable to update it. The binary is gone.

My question is - with the updating of the app store and Swift (i.e. Swift 3 now instead of 2) will my app be able to run still on the app store in years to come? Right now with Swift 3/ios 10 it still runs well. It's good.

But can an app written in an older version of Swift live indefinitely on the app store? Or will it die one day? Hoping its not the former..

rmaddy
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blue
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    The Swift version is unrelated. As long as your app doesn't use frameworks that will be deprecated in future versions of iOS, your app will continue to work. – Eric Aya Sep 15 '16 at 11:38
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    Possible duplicate of http://stackoverflow.com/questions/39493033/would-swift-2-3-be-compatible-with-ios-10 – Eric Aya Sep 15 '16 at 11:42

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even app which are written in objective - c also works fine which is more older then swift, then why your swift app will not work? it will definitely work without any failure!! doesn't matter whether it is swift 2 or swift 3!!!

Ketan Parmar
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  • Ok what about pods? That's a framework right.. I only used Parse (via Heroku so it doesn't die, know about that) and some other little github projects – blue Sep 15 '16 at 11:46
  • that `github projects or pods` get bind with your project when you make your final build!!! so your code remains same! If you update your application after long time then in some cases, it's mater but if you not make any change then your app will run! – Ketan Parmar Sep 15 '16 at 11:51
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Whether an app built with Swift will still be available in the App Store in a few years doesn't depend on the fact it's written in Swift. For a released app, Swift is compiled to binary code and Swift libraries are bundled with app. There are no Swift specific dependencies left.

However, Apple might have other reason to pull your app:

  • Your app hasn't been updated in a long while.
  • Your app hasn't been updated for the latest devices (e.g. new screen formats).
  • Your app was built against an old iOS version that lasted iOS versions are no longer compatible with. (Each iOS version contains compatiblity code to run old apps, e.g. iOS can still emulate the pre-iOS 7 UI.)
  • Your app crashes on newer devices or iOS versions.
  • Your app violates App Store rules but it wasn't discovered on the initial submission.

Having said that, if your app doesn't crash or violate rules, it'll likely take a few years until there is a realistic chance for it to be pulled.

Codo
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  • Ok, thank you. do you know how frequently they would comb the store for apps that haven't been updated in a while? Even if they work well? – blue Sep 16 '16 at 02:35
  • They are just doing it for the first time. I don't know if it is a one-time thing or whether they will now do it frequently. – Codo Sep 16 '16 at 06:09