iA Writer Classic + iPadOS 14

iA Writer Classic was launched in 2010 and under active development until 2016. At time of its retirement from development (and sale) the app was tested for full compatibility with iOS 10 and iOS hardware current to 2016. Users who’ve not since migrated to our new app may be affected by recent iOS updates.

Why? Since 2016 there have been many changes to iOS and the frameworks under which the app was originally developed. As with all apps outside of active development, these changes can introduce issues that impair the functionality of the app. The risk of this increases with ‌‌every single iOS update.

Some users have encountered issues launching iA Writer Classic on devices running iPadOS 14+. You may have run into the notification below.

Some users may be able to restore functionality by following the steps listed below. Failure to follow the steps before attempting to restore the app will result in data loss!

Steps to restore functionality

Before Uninstalling

1. Launch App Store → Account → Purchased
2. Verify iA Writer Classic is listed in purchase history
3. Proceed to backup/extract documents following instructions below

Backing Up Files

If you were not using iCloud with iA Writer Classic:

1. Connect your device to a computer running iTunes*.
2. Click on the device and then ‘File Sharing’ to access the apps on your device.
3. Choose iA Writer and then select which files to transfer to your computer.

*Note, if you are using macOS Catalina or newer, then your device will show up in the Finder and you can simply drag and drop the files from the device to another location on your computer.

Users using iCloud:

1. Log in at icloud.com. (Use a desktop browser)
2. Navigate to iCloud Drive → iA Writer Classic.
3. Verify files are present.

Reinstalling

Once you have backed up your documents, you can then delete the app from your device and reinstall it from the App Store ‘Purchased‘ section. You’ll need to be logged in with the same Apple ID and in the same country/region as at time of the original purchase.

Going Forward

iA Writer Classic is no longer supported nor updated. At some point (if not already for some) it will become incompatible with new OS versions and/or newer Apple hardware.

We strongly recommend users enable iCloud for iA Writer Classic or backup locally stored documents frequently and certainly before attempting any iOS updates!

Our latest app, iA Writer is currently available for sale and fully supported.