Like many people, I use Dropbox to store some of my data in the cloud, sync it across different devices and share with others when needed. Some of the folks I work with send materials and design files for their websites via Dropbox as well. It is easy to use, works well, and I have been generally happy with it.
A while ago I started to run out of space in my Dropbox account and thus started to check how I could increase the amount of space in my account. Besides upgrading your free account to a paid one, Dropbox offers several ways you can acquire more space for free. These include linking your Dropbox account with your Twitter or Facebook, installing it on different computers or on a mobile device, referring it to friends or tweeting about it. One of the latest additions to this list, which gives you an extra 1GB of space, is to install Mailbox app and link it with your Dropbox. Mailbox is an app designed to improve email management. It was acquired by Dropbox in early 2013, so it makes sense they cross-promote it.
I have not been a heavy Dropbox user (I would typically use it to store something temporarily and then delete it), and therefore I never bothered to complete these tasks. But now that I was running out of space, I figured I might as well do it. All went well until I tried to install Dropbox and Mailbox on my iPhone. I couldn’t download the apps from the App Store—I was told that the apps only work with iOS 7 and that I should update my iOS to the latest version. I am still using an old trusted iPhone 3GS, so updating to iOS 7 is not an option for me. I am not sure I would update even if I could as I actually like the old iOS design better.
Bummer.
Turns out that the solution is pretty easy. First, use iTunes on your computer to download the app you need. iTunes does not seem to care about the different versions, so it will let you download it. Once you have done that, try to download it again on your iPhone or iPad. Make sure that you are using the same Apple ID and password that you used in iTunes. The App Store will still complain that your device is not compatible with the latest version of the app, but since the app is now in your purchase history, it will offer you to download an older version of it which works with your phone or tablet.
It is a strange design decision on Apple’s side. It seems that giving the user the option to choose and download the older version of the app compatible with his or her iOS right on the device where he or she is trying to install it would be much more user-friendly. But there you have it.
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