A joint study by Inria and the University of Lyon 1 reveals that older Android versions maintain a significantly higher rate of third-party application compatibility on the Play Store than aging iOS versions on the App Store, prompting a reevaluation of how software obsolescence forces device renewals.
For years, discussions surrounding software longevity have focused on the fragmentation of the Android operating system compared to the steady rollout of Apple’s iOS updates. However, a study published by Inria and the University of Lyon 1 shifts that perspective by examining software compatibility directly through an established observatory, revealing unexpected advantages for older Google-powered devices.
App Compatibility Rates on Android 7 Versus iOS 12
The research demonstrates a striking gap in how legacy operating systems handle modern applications. Devices running Android 7, which was released in 2016, remain compatible with 62 % of the applications surveyed on the Google Play Store. In stark contrast, a device under iOS 12, released in 2018, can install only 1 % of the most downloaded applications available on the App Store.
This massive disparity stems from the distinct behavior of each ecosystem’s developers. Android 7 functions as the preferred minimum version for developers seeking broad compatibility. Meanwhile, development teams on iOS largely disregard operating system versions older than iOS 15, which launched in 2021.
Ecosystem Dynamics Driving the Gap
The gap in developer support between the two platforms is directly tied to user adoption habits. Because Apple devices are more universally updated to the latest available operating system version compared to the fragmented Android market, developers targeting iOS do not need to optimize for older software iterations to reach a wide audience.
Consequently, while Apple provides a more consistent update cadence across its supported hardware than many Android manufacturers, consumers holding onto obsolete Android hardware actually retain better access to third-party applications than those using outdated iOS devices. Once specific applications drop support for an older iOS version, the rest of the application catalog tends to follow rapidly, creating a steep drop-off in usability.
App Categories and the Real Drivers of Device Renewal
An analysis of app types across both ecosystems shows that digital games maintain compatibility for the longest periods, whereas travel applications prove to be the most restrictive, according to the study. This dynamic directly impacts consumer habits regarding hardware upgrades.
Manufacturing new mobile phones remains the most environmentally damaging phase of a device’s lifecycle, and software obsolescence serves as a primary catalyst for premature replacements. While operating an outdated operating system carries inherent security risks, the research indicates that users who retain their devices for extended periods are far more frequently forced into a hardware upgrade by incompatible applications than by a simple lack of security patches.
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