What Happens When Apple Releases a New iOS Version

When Apple releases a major update of its mobile operationg system iOS, as it did yesterday with iOS 9, millions of users rush to update their iDevices. However, once they made the switch to the new OS, users shouldn’t be surprised to see apps crashing more often than they are used to.

According to data supplied by app intelligence firm Crittercism, app crash rates follow a distinct pattern. When a new iOS version is released, crash rates tend to spike as it takes developers some time to fix errors and fully understand the new OS. After the initial spike, crash rates quickly return to a normal level and continue to gradually decline as developers get more and more acquainted with the operating system.

Meanwhile devices that are no longer supported by the new iOS, tend to get abandoned by app developers. As our chart nicely illustrates, the crash rate on the iPhone 4, which is not supported by iOS 8, continued to rise when the post-release spike in app crashes had already vanished for devices supported by the new OS.