App Store Updated Numbers Beyond My OS Version

TidBITS Talk
1

I’m still on Catalina 10.15.7.

My Numbers.app shows as v11.1 (7031.0.102)

I imported a CSV, and get a unique rounded-rectangle alert

! Numbers update is available

I swipe right to dismiss this and keep working. Less than 30 seconds later, a notification slides down from my current sheet:

A Numbers Update is Available.
To collaborate on this spreadsheet, get the latest version of Numbers from the App Store or use Numbers on iCloud

Offering three buttons

  1. Go to iCloud.com
  2. Not now
  3. Go to App Store

I click “Not now,” and 12 seconds later the same notification appears.

At this point, Numbers is almost-frozen. When I select “sort ascending” for a small table, it briefly reorganizes and then reverts to the order when notification showed. I can’t do data entry.

Searched wide for answers. I deleted my Numbers.app. I attempted to download an earlier version.

  1. Tried to download an earlier version through my account
    App Store > my name > scroll down long list of purchases, > click download on Numbers

The app installed this way shows the same version number and behavior — v11.1 (7031.0.102)

  1. Visited https://support.apple.com/en_US/downloads/productivitysoftware

Downloaded the iWork9.3 package. I tried to install, but it refused because “An eligible Keynote application was not found in the location Applications/iWork ’09.”

Well, of course all my iWork apps were at 11.1.

Any further suggestions?

2

Why not just update the app?

Just because a newer version exists for Monterey doesn’t mean it isn’t backwards compatible with Catalina.

Is there some concrete reason you are not moving to Big Sur?

Personally I am not moving to Monterey so close to its release date. Still apparently lots of bugs to be quashed.

3

The app freeze happens with 11.1, an iWork update I (now regret) installing from the App Store back in April 2020.

re MacOS: I was hoping to skip Big Sur and go right to Monterey. Like you, I’m reluctant to install early releases.

For my immediate need I’ll have to learn iCloud Numbers.

Guess I’ll grab Big Sur here

4

Turns out iCloud Numbers is amazingly easy to use!

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