Developers held back by limitations in app size will be happy to hear that Apple has just raised the cap from 2GB to 4GB.
It’s the first lifting of the limit since the App Store landed six years ago, and presents app creators with the opportunity to develop even more complex offerings for users of Apple’s mobile devices.
Game developers, in particular, are likely to find the change appealing. A cursory glance at the app charts shows a number of games already pushing toward the old 2GB storage limit on the Cupertino firm’s phones and tablets, with more than a few looking like they could do with some extra space to play with. Take Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – that title currently comes in at a hefty 1.98GB. And then there’s Infinity Blade III, which eats up 1.92GB of storage.
And as MacRumors points out, the 2GB limit has prevented some games from even making it to the App Store. The maker of Final Fantasy VII, for example, said in 2013 that the limitation on app size meant that iOS users were “probably going to have to wait a few years” for its release. With this week’s change, the game’s launch now seems a likely prospect.
Of course, owners of iPhones and iPads packing no more than 16GB of storage won’t be feeling too excited about the development – download a couple of games hitting the 4GB limit and those tanked up devices will be begging for mercy. Those with the 128GB iPhone 6, on the other hand, will be looking forward to the arrival of even more advanced software for their device.
Despite the raising of the app size limit, Apple is, for the time being at least, keeping the the maximum available download via cellular networks at 100MB, meaning the meatier offerings still will have to be downloaded via Wi-Fi.
[Source: Apple]
