OCTOBER 2019 MACWORLD 129you see a message that says “[app
name] can’t be installed on [device]
because [OS X/macOS] version 10.[X] or
later is required.”
This situation occurs when
you’re running an older
version of macOS than
the minimum required
for the latest version
of the program’s
updated code. App
developers who
routinely revise their
apps earn our thanks
for adding features,
keeping them up to date
with the latest system changes,
and fixing bugs.
But developers also have to make
choices. While Apple allows coding styles
that can preserve backwards compatibility
across several releases of macOS, it adds
to a developer’s burden and sometimes
holds an app back when it has to work
across a wide range.
If you haven’t updated an app in a
while and receive this error, it’s generally
not possible to download any interim
update via the Mac App Store that
remains compatible with your version of
macOS. However, for software
companies that have both direct sales
and Mac App Store editions of their
apps, you can contact the company and
see if they can help.
The ultimate solution is to upgrade to a
newer version of macOS, if not the latest
release. That’s not always ideal
depending on why you’ve held
back, but it’s definitely the
case that you’ll have
more and more apps
that can’t be
upgraded over time.
That’s a process
guaranteed to
increase later this
year with the release of
macOS Catalina (version
10.15), which ditches the last
vestiges of backwards
compatibility for older apps. Some
developers will also use the opportunity to
shave off that support within their apps,
and make their update and testing tasks
more streamlined, too.DELETE UNNEEDED TIME
MACHINE BACKUPS ON
APPLE’S TIME CAPSULE
Apple’s Time Capsule combined a Wi-Fi
base station and a hard drive for net-
worked data access and Time Machine