As fans eagerly await the arrival of iOS 11, rumors are circling online that the next-gen OS from Apple will likely drop support for 32-bit apps.

iOS 11 is likely to be unveiled at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) this summer, and according to reports, an error message pops up while trying to open some 32-bit apps in the current iOS 10.3 beta update.

The message states that the particular 32-bit app will not work in the future versions of iOS and the developer of the app will need to update it to make the application compatible with the device. This suggests that all future apps running on iDevices compatible with iOS 11 will need to be 64-bit.

RIP 32-bit emulation mode in iOS 11? pic.twitter.com/byMFuJPuVN

— Peter Steinberger (@steipete) January 31, 2017

Support For 64-Bit Apps

Apple supports 64-bit apps on iOS since the launch of iPhone 5s in September 2013. In February 2015, Apple made it clear to app developers to provide 64-bit support for new iOS apps and to update existing 32-bit apps to 64-bit by June.

A similar message came up while opening 32-bit legacy apps in iOS 9, warning users that the app may slow down the performance of the phone.

The messages have changed subtly with each updated iOS version. For example in iOS 10.2.1, on opening 32-bit apps users were greeted with the alert "'Waterslide' May Slow Down Your iPad. The developer of this app needs to update it to improve its compatibility."

No Support For 32-Bit iDevices?

A complete switch over to only 64-bit apps in all iDevices will cut off support for 32-bit devices such as the iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, and the iPad 4.

As a result, the users of these devices would be left stranded with no app or iOS updates. These devices would eventually become outdated as the developer and Apple move forward.

In September 2016, Apple announced that it plans to remove "problematic and abandoned apps" from the App Store. It shared that it would focus on app quality over quantity in cataloging. Following the announcement, Apple is said to have eliminated nearly 50,000 apps from the App Store.

Apple may contact developers separately via e-mail and inform them of the new changes. The company usually waits till the next big iOS release to implement changes like this. Therefore, judging by this pattern, developers will have to update their apps to 64-bit before iOS 11 releases.

Photo: Alvaro Ibanez | Flickr