Apple Inc.

Eric S Brown

Daniel Ben Pollack

Gregory B Novick

Christopher S Linn

Tyler D Hawkins

Paul William Chinn

Eric Olaf Carlson

David C Donley

Julien A Poumailloux

Cameron Stuart Birse

Jonathan M Grynspan

Donald Matthew Firlik

Cindy M Barrett

Timothee Geoghegan

Eric Brandon Tamura

Edward E Thomas

Download of a third-party app includes download, to a local device, an installation package for an application, wherein the installation package comprises a resource request component. In response to installing the application, the resource request component is launched. The resource request component causes the local device to transmit a request to a remote device for additional resources for the application, and download the additional resources to the local device.

App-independent resource downloads

A technique for downgrading applications to placeholder applications in order to free up storage space in a user device. Based on a variety of heuristics, a number of installed applications are identified as candidates for a downgrade. The downgrading of the identified applications involves creating a placeholder application for each of the identified applications. The identified applications are temporarily deleted while keeping the user data associated with the identified applications intact and the placeholder applications are installed.

System and method for downgrading applications

Disclosed herein is a technique for downgrading applications to placeholder applications in order to free up storage space in a user device. Based on a variety of heuristics, a number of installed applications are identified as candidates for a downgrade. The downgrading of the identified applications involves creating a placeholder application for each of the identified applications. The identified applications are temporarily deleted while keeping the user data associated with the applications intact and the placeholder applications are installed.

A companion device can obtain a new version of a software program (e.g., in portions) from a server at the request of an accessory device, and provide the new version of the software to the accessory device. The software update of the accessory device can be initiated at the companion device. The companion device can communicate with the accessory device before and after the update to determine whether the update was successful. A notification about the update can then be provided to a user.

Revision locking

Installation of an operating system update on a data processing system can begin by receiving one or more packages containing an operating system (OS) update that includes a first portion of the OS update and a second portion of the OS update. The first portion, once installed, provides a bootable OS which allows other applications to execute on the OS even without the second portion being installed. After the first portion has been installed, the installation process (e.g., an installer) commits the data processing system to boot off the first portion. After committing to boot off the first portion, the data processing system cannot boot off the prior OS. After the committing, the data processing system attempts installation of the second portion, and this attempt occurs automatically in response to successful installation of the first portion.

Software updating methods and systems

The described embodiments set forth techniques for performing live updates to file system volumes (e.g., operating system (OS) file system volumes) of computing devices through the utilization of snapshots. In particular, the techniques enable a computing device to remain active while a majority of an update process is performed, which eliminates the considerable functional downtime that is normally imposed when implementing conventional update techniques. Moreover, the overall robustness of the update process is enhanced as the techniques described herein reduce the amount of time that is required for the computing device to remain in the above-described specialized update mode.

Performing live updates to file system volumes

When a new version of a first program is to be installed on a first device, metadata supplied to that device specifies which versions of a second program stored on a second device are compatible with the new version. The first device uses this metadata to determine a compatibility classification that indicates how compatible the current version of the second program and the new version of the first program are, and transitions to a state representative of this compatibility classification. A process executing on the first device receives messages from applications executing on the first device. The process reads mappings between these applications and the message types these applications send. The process forwards an application's message to the second device if the application sends a message type allowable in the first device's state. Otherwise, the process queues that message at least until the first device transitions to a different state.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided that can reduce problems associated with updates of various applications on various devices, including addition of new services for communicating with another device. A compatibility version (e.g., a minimum compatibility) for a first communication service on a first device can be checked against a compatibility version for communication service on a second device. A comparison of the compatibility versions can determine whether a message can be sent using the first communication service to the second device.

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Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Eric S Brown