How a developer can test applications on earlier versions of iOS

Question

I have an application that I developed for iOS. It has been tested against iOS 5, and now I would like to catch some users from 4.3. However, I struggled to find a way to download v4.3 to my devices for testing. I would suggest that Apple would provide them with developers for this purpose, but I cannot find mention of old releases in the dev portal. What is the recommended way to approach this?

By the way, this application uses several hardware features of the iPhone and iPod Touch, so the simulator is not an option.

Answer 1

In your case, I would use an old iphone / ipod, which is not as expensive (maybe $ 50) as 3G, and restore it using itunes and seeds for iOS 4.3. If you can do this, find the seeds, it’s not difficult.

On this page, you will find a direct link to the Apple website for ipsw's download.

http://techie-buzz.com/mobile-news/ios-4-3-ipsw-direct-download-links.html

Hope this helps! This is not difficult! I did this several times, and it took me about 15 minutes.

Answer 2

You cannot legally abandon your devices; you may need another device or use jailbreak. Do not try to read the TOS apple, your mind may explode from misunderstanding. With iTunes and a little trick, you can lower the rating, but well, it's up to you.