Custom Mobile App Minimum Requirements Change 

SchoolMessenger’s Custom Mobile App is changing its minimum OS compatibility for iOS and Android devices. When Google and Apple upgrade their OS versions on Android and iOS, they discontinue support for older versions, requiring entire Android and iOS ecosystems to adapt. The upgrades impact SchoolMessenger’s Custom Mobile App as well.

For years we have been able to support older devices running on iOS 9.3.5 and Android 4.4. Unfortunately, 3rd party APIs that support the new iOS 13 version and soon to be released Android 11 version in Fall 2020 will no longer be compatible with traditional devices running on older operating systems.

What is a minimum version?

Minimum version refers to the lowest version of a supported operating system of a mobile device such as your smartphone or tablet. Every mobile app will set limits on the earliest version of iOS or Android that can successfully run the app. For example, if your phone is on iOS 10 and an app requires a minimum version of iOS 11, you will not be able to install the app from the App Store until your device is running on iOS 11 or higher.

What is the current minimum version supported by SchoolMessenger’s CustomApp?

Currently we support iOS 9.3.5 (originally released in 2016) and Android 4.4.4 (originally released in 2013), but we are going to increase our supported minimum versions for iOS and Android devices in the summer of 2020.

What are the new minimum supported versions for iOS and Android on CustomApp and when will the change happen?

SchoolMessenger’s CustomApp is upgrading our supported minimum versions for iOS and Android as follows:

MINIMUM SUPPORTED VERSIONS PRE-JUNE 2020   POST-JUNE 2020
 iOS Devices  iOS 9.3.5 iOS 11.0 
 Android Devices Android 4.4.4  Android 6.0 

Why is the minimum version supported by SchoolMessenger’s CustomApp going to be increased?

Every year, Apple and Google release new versions of their iOS and Android operating systems and end support for older versions. CustomApp currently keeps up with supporting the latest and newest versions while maintaining support for older versions. However, with the latest iOS 13 and Android 10 updates, we will be forced to drop support for some of those older versions.

CustomApp uses 3rd party plugins to deliver some of our features such as managing your channel subscriptions and your push notifications as well as posting from the app to your social media accounts. With the latest iOS and Android updates, these 3rd party plugins are dropping support for older versions of iOS and Android, which will bring undesired behavior to CustomApp. We are prioritizing a smooth experience of CustomApp in a rapidly changing iOS and Android environment. To ensure that the expected behavior and your day-to-day app use is not impacted by these external changes, we made the decision to increase our minimum supported version for iOS devices to iOS 11.0 and Android devices to Android 6.0 respectively.

How many users are on versions older than iOS 11 and Android 6?

Luckily, less than 2% of our users are running on iOS 11 and Android 6 or lower.

What does this mean if I want to install my school’s app for the first time after June 2020?

If you are on an iOS device, check that your mobile device is running on iOS 11.0 or higher. Similarly, if you are on an Android device, check that you are running on Android 6.0 or higher. You will be able to install and use your school’s app if you are running on these versions or higher.

If you are running on a version lower than iOS 11 or Android 6, you will not be able to install your school’s app until you have upgraded to at least iOS 11 or Android 6 on your device.

What does this mean if I already have my school app installed and want to update it after June 2020?

You will be able to continue to use your school app on your phone without any impact from this change. If your device is running on iOS 11 or Android 6 or a higher version, you will be able to install new updates for your school app without any issues.

If you are running on a version lower than iOS 11 or Android 6, you will be able to use your school app in its current version, but some features may not work as expected. You will also not be able to install any new updates until you have upgraded to at least iOS 11 or Android 6 on your device. To prevent any potential of not being able to use certain app features, such as receiving notifications, unexpected app crashes, and getting the latest security updates and bug fixes, we encourage you to upgrade to the latest iOS and Android versions before June 2020.

Posted by trevor.mackay On 6/8/2020 at 10:49 AM