Apple allows developers to offer multiple app versions

Apple has announced that developers can now offer older versions of their apps to customers with older devices.

Earlier this week, one eagle-eyed Reddit user noticed that Apple was offering customers the opportunity to download an older version of apps if the latest version was incompatible with the user's operating system.

Apple has now announced on its developer site that developers can choose to make older versions of apps available to those customers who can't upgrade to iOS 7.

"Previous versions of your apps are now available for re-download by users who have already purchased them, allowing customers to use your apps with older devices which may no longer be supported by the current version of your app," Apple said. "If you do not wish to make these versions available, you can manage the availability of your apps' previous versions in the Rights and Pricing section of the Manage Your Apps module in iTunes Connect."

This means that the function is opt out, so if developers have updated an app because it was buggy, for example, they now have the option of making the buggy version unavailable or fixing the bugs and releasing the app separately for users running an older version of iOS.

If you haven't yet updated to iOS 7, you can read about how to prep your iPhone for the installation here and about what the updated operating system has to offer on its official web page.