Apple breaks the Mac App Store for macOS Sierra users

Apple’s macOS Sierra came out in 2016

A back end change to the Mac App Store appears to have shut out users of macOS Sierra and older versions, blocking not just purchases, but also downloads of software already bought.

While users of the current macOS Sequoia have recently benefited from Mac App Store changes, it’s being reported that users on 2016’s macOS Sierra are no longer able to use the store at all.

As first spotted by blogger Michael Tsai, macOS 10.12.6 Sierra users are now just getting an error message when the attempt to sign in. It’s not certain whether it is affecting all or only some macOS Sierra users, but reports are spreading on Apple support forums and social media.

The issue appears to have followed Apple’s mid-January announcement to developers that it would be changing how certificates for App Store receipts are signed. This is how the App Store encodes a proof of purchase for apps.

Apple has cautioned developers that it is possible that “your app will fail to validate the receipt,” which could mean that “your customers may lose access to their content. The developer note explains how individual apps could be updated to avoid this.

There doesn’t appear to be a similar notice concerning the whole of the App Store. It’s conceivable, then, that this is an error which will be addressed by Apple in an update.

However, macOS Sierra is now close to a decade old. It was also a particularly significant release as it was the first to be branded macOS instead of OS X.

It was in the following release, macOS High Sierra, that Apple made the switch to only 64-bit apps. This meant that older 32-bit software could no longer be used from this 2018 update or later.

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