It is not the nicest experience, with a black screen for about 15-20 seconds when starting Roon Remote on this oldie (Running iPad OS 12.5.7).
But once started, it runs okay, and is usable as a secondary remote. But it is now left behind at Roon Remote build 1490 and no updates are available.
Are there plans to demote the usage of older control software, from Roons perspective? Anybody seen anouncements/anything?
There are no guaranteed performance promises for outdated software versions. Only current software versions are supported. If running current server with outdated client works for you at the moment, great but youāre already running on borrowed time.
I donāt know what the situation is for IOS devices but Roon have announced last year that they will no longer support Android 8 and earlier Android devices so I have had to retire my Google Pixel C.
It may well be that similar statements have been made pertaining to IOS devices.
My Pixel C continued to work for a whille with the old, out of step version but there was no guarantee as to how long that would continue.
Also, since the version of Roon Remote that ran on Android 8 has been replaced on the Play Store, I would be completely out of luck if I had to reinstall for any reason (I donāt have a copy of the APK for side loading).
Edit: The help centre article is still claiming support for IOS 11 and later:
According to the spec page, iOS/iPadOS 11+ is required and this hasnāt changed (in a long time, I think) so iPad OS 12.5.7 should still work and updates should continue to be available.
11 is quite an old version as well, so there doesnāt seem much need to change. When there is, it will be because they require a facility or a bug fix that is only available in newer versions, and I donāt know how foreseeable it is.
But Apple may phase out older devices and so you can no longer get new software from their store for such devices?
PS: Roon Labs also still claims to support Android 8 in their own support document. Documentation was never their strong point.
True, but the switch to Android 9 can be found in the release notes and I canāt find any such thing for iOS.
Not that I know of. A quick googling shows that there are still App Store updates for iPhone 6
Well aware of that, and obviously this isnāt my main controller. Still, handy as a āguest remoteā!
And my main purpose with the device itself is not Roon control, itās a rare app that is used to control a particular streamer/harddisk player from 2008!! Still works very well!
And it seems that the Roon Remote B.1490 is the last one. And my ācoreā does not appear to be bothered with this āoutdatedā controller.
And? Does Apple still fully support the device in question (as they are the ones providing the store, the only means of obtaining and updating the software)? If yes, then it looks like a device issue to me if its stuck on an outdated version. Then some housekeeping might free-up whatās blocking the update. A factory reset if nothing else helps.
According to the release notes, 1510 is current for iOS so 1490 is outdated.
As I edited later, even iPhone 6 still gets App Store updates (and there is zero reason for Apple to cut them off).
And I looked again and there is no mention of changes in Roonās iOS release notes for 1490 or the subsequent build regarding a new minimal OS. In addition, nobody else complained. Looks like a local device issue to me but maybe @Mikael_Ollars should ask Roon support.
i have an ancient ipad mini (like maybe one of the first), and it still works as a roon control, but itās brutally flaky and slow. (Maybe like your experience.)
So it gathers dust in a drawer.
Recently got a new ipad (absolute base model) and itās such a treat to use. (Not only for roon but to stream Netflix/Hulu, etcā¦) In the cost-benefit analysis, the disappearance of frustration was worth it.
Not saying ājust buy a new oneā is the right answer, but for me it definitely was.
I am well aware of the limitations, but what iād like is some form of life cycle support schedual from Roons part. They obviously seem to support NUC5ās, which is about as old as this iPad Mini!
But as long as they donāt state support cycles, itās a patience game: How long can i endure a painstaking user experience with my old and cherished iPad (or whatever)?
There is nothing to expect. There is no roadmap. We never really got a deprecation warning ahead of time (in a meaningful way). They will tell when it happens. As it is not your main control, keep it as long as it works for you (bearable pain to use) or until it happens, then get a replacement. In this way you get the highest lifespan out of the device (from a Roon perspective).
PS: This is also not just about Roon Labs, but also about Apple / Microsoft / Google as they advance their OS, APIs, stores and requirements for software and additionally the development framework and tools used to make Roon. So Roon Labs hand might be forced here (to some extent) and those third-parties themself may also not provide a support roadmap.
An extension called roon web stack provides a great browser interface that may help.
I pulled out an old iPad mini 2 I havenāt used in a long time to see if it will run the latest Roon build. Itās running iOS 12.5.7. On the first try updating, the Roon app updated to 1413. After closing/reopening the App Store app, I was able to update the Roon app again, this time it updated to the current build, 1510.
While it is a bit slow to launch the Roon app, once open, it works fine. 
Thanks for the info! I just reloaded the Update section and realised that the current (b1516) was available and installed just fine on the antique iPad.
Iād still love a public Roon statement on how they feel about hardware demands and lifecycles.