Apple Increases Limits: Devs Can Now Submit Apps Up to 4 GB

iOS users with 16 GB devices  (like the genius writing this article) now have more reason to weep. Developers can now submit apps and games that are up to 4 GB in size to the App Store.

Of course, while this is bad news for suckers with low-memory devices, it’s excellent news for developers. It’s also a perfectly logical move, as mobile games have come far, far beyond Doodle Jump. Developers need memory as games  become more complex.

EA believes mobile games are rapidly evolving to run neck-in-neck with console releases, and they’re surely not alone in this belief. With the new memory cap, mobile games take one step closer to being on par with those boxes you have hooked up to your TV.

The previous memory limit, established when the App Store launched in 2008, was 2 GB. There is one caveat to the new rules, however: Games larger than 100 MB can’t be downloaded over a cellular network. People still need to rely on Wi-Fi for larger files.

Which is fine, because if you forget to turn on your Wi-Fi while downloading a 4 GB file, your cellphone provider will hit you with a bill that requires a reverse mortgage to pay off.

Nadia Oxford

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In the early aughts, Nadia fell into writing with the grace of a brain-dead bison stumbling into a chasm. Over the years, she's written for Nerve, GamePro, 1UP.com, USGamer, Pocket Gamer, Just Labs Magazine, and many other sites and magazines of fine repute. She's currently About.com's Guide to the Nintendo 3DS at ds.about.com.