how long before apps are updated?

antisomnic · Oct 3, 2012

I'm wondering if anyone knows how long it will take for app store apps to be updated for the iphone 5's screen. It's irritating using the apps with a black bar above and below the app. I didn't think it would take all that much work to make the app take up the whole screen.

Skull One · Oct 3, 2012

As a developer, I can only give my insight in to the process. My considerations would be:

Will adjusting the app break other functionality?

What are my current deadlines?

Is the App making me enough money to justify the coding and testing time to update the app?

If I answered; No, none critical, yes then I could see the app being updated in the next 1 to 90 days. But if any of those were opposite, then the odds of updating are very slim to probably none.

Remember, not every app updated to Retina display quality and that has been out for years now. So don't expect every app to adjust for a third resolution.

antisomnic · Oct 3, 2012

That makes sense. I don't want to diminish what developers do. I just don't know much about it. If apple were to put out an update that made it so the apps stretched to fit the screen do you think they'd look ok or distorted?

Skull One · Oct 3, 2012

There is no way, even mathematically, to do a stretch of a standard app and not create some kind of pixel artificating. The reason is to due to there not being isn't enough extra rows of pixels to work with.

Yakuzagang5 · Oct 5, 2012

antisomnic said:
I'm wondering if anyone knows how long it will take for app store apps to be updated for the iphone 5's screen. It's irritating using the apps with a black bar above and below the app. I didn't think it would take all that much work to make the app take up the whole screen.

It all depends on the type of app. For apps that are pretty much just lists, such as facebook, pinterest, pulse, etc, they have already been updated because all they need(ed) to do is make it longer/wider. For apps such as NOVA, or others that are graphically-intensive, it might be a long time until you see them updated. This is mainly because the coding would need to be changed, as well as the artwork and other things. Apps like eBay, Groupon and others are probably trying to do something other than stretching it, like whoever said in the announcement, trying to give more functionality.

A few games, like NOVA, I personally don't expect to ever be updated. They will just wait until the next iteration of the game to do it. Developers don't make any money off of people who already bought the game and switched to an iPhone 5 lol