Versions and compatibility.
WHAT THE PATTERN IS
Major releases annually, announced mid-year and released in the autumn, with updates throughout.
WHAT ADOPTION LOOKS LIKE
Rapid. A substantial majority of devices move to the current version within months.
WHY
Updates are free, supported for many device generations, and prompted persistently.
WHAT THAT MEANS FOR DEVELOPERS
You can target recent versions far sooner than on other platforms.
WHAT TO DECIDE
How many previous versions to support.
WHAT SUPPORTING MORE COSTS
Conditional code, and unavailable frameworks.
WHAT TO BASE IT ON
Your own analytics, once available.
WHAT HAPPENS AT EACH MAJOR RELEASE
New frameworks and capabilities Changes that may break existing applications New requirements for submission
WHAT TO DO ANNUALLY
Test against the beta releases, before the public release.
WHY
Problems found then can be fixed before users encounter them.
WHAT TO EXPECT
A submission deadline requiring builds made with the current tooling.
WHAT TO PLAN
Time each year for this cycle. It is not optional.
