Roomie for iOS 5

Somewhere between September and November roughly, we are likely to release Roomie 2.0. As previously announced, iOS 5 support will be removed from that as part of the regular annual move supporting two major iOS releases simultaneously. As iOS 7 is a major migration, it is very important we take that step.

Last year when iOS 4 was removed, we issued a note to save the IPA file. While that method works fine, users who didn't know or didn't know how were left without a way to run Roomie on the original 3G and iPod Touch 3.

This year, the device affected by the removal of iOS 5 is the iPad 1. We have a tentative idea on how to make the situation a bit better this year:

Release a new app, "Roomie for iOS 5". The way we might do that may be as an all-inclusive version of 1.9.3. As there would be no upgrades, we might discount it to around $24.95 US and it would include all of the in-app purchases that are separate in the normal Roomie product ($60 US). All or most functionality would be disabled on iOS 6 and 7 and the app might not even run on iOS 7. iCloud and L5 support would also need to be removed for technical reasons. Those who keep their current 1.9.3 IPA file would of course be able to continue to use that as needed. Those who don't would at least have an option available on the App Store for iOS 5.

Basically, what we're wondering is whether there is enough interest in ongoing iOS 5 support to create an app for it. We can't use the existing app to handle iOS 5 as that is what users have invested in and it must be upgraded to iOS 7, so it would have to be a new app. If there is not enough interest or the plan doesn't seem appealing, we will be proceeding as planned removing iOS 5. Make sure to save your IPA file regardless right now if you will be needing iOS 5 support.

Thank you.

Roomie Remote for iOS 5 is now live in the App Store:

itunes.apple.com/app/id689705158?mt=8

Note that right this moment there is no reason to use that as Roomie Remote 1.9.X will still be the active version for some time and that remains compatible with iOS 5. However, once Roomie 2.0 goes live, the option above will be available for those that need to continue using iOS 5.

Thank you.

I'm using Roomie on an iPad 1 in one of my rooms. So just keep using the last Roomie 1 version or will I need to purchase the iOS5 app. Also, could you point me to instructions for backing up the IPA file?

If you keep your IPA file for Roomie 1.9.3, you may install that to your iOS 5 device indefinitely. Once Roomie 2.0 is released, you just need to be careful not to get into a situation where you no longer have the older version. The App Store will not vend anything other than the most recent version of an app. The IPA file is stored in your iTunes Media directory.

Roomie Remote for iOS 5 is now available on the App Store so that when Roomie 2.0 is released, if anybody gets into a situation where they need an iOS 5 compatible version of Roomie, that will remain available.

Thank you.

Did/will any of this information change with the App Store's ability to now install an older version of an app?

The feature Apple is offering may not affect this much. They have hopefully (unconfirmed) solved the scenario where someone bought 1.9.3 on an iPad 1, we release 2.0, they Restore their device or otherwise delete Roomie, and then they want to install Roomie on the device. In that fairly specific scenario, it sounds like Apple will now let them download 1.9.3 instead which is nice. It removes some of the "please save your IPA" scenarios.

It is less clear that it allows someone new just setting up Roomie who wants to use an iPad 1 to purchase the product and get the old version vended to them. We suspect it's based on the purchase date, but at this point nobody knows. We think it's unlikely Apple will allow that. We really wont know for sure until 2.0 is out and all the scenarios can be tested.

Thank you.

will roomie for ios 5 sync state with other roomie 2.0 devices using roomie agent? Does it have power state tracking like roomie 2.0?

Yes, it does sync state with Roomie 2.X.

Power Tracking was introduced in Version 1.8 so it is certainly part of Roomie Remote for iOS 5.

The important thing to remember with mixing those versions is exactly what we state at the bottom of the app description: if you mix versions, always use the lowest version to make changes. In other words, it's okay to launch an Activity on Roomie 2.0, but adding devices or making genuine configuration changes is not safe if you plan to use the old version simultaneously.

Thank you.