Agreed. Hrmph.

If you like that it pulls events from calendars, there's an app called "Till" that does this. It has few more sorting options too, but it's not very pretty.

Also, if you sync with a computer, you don't need anything special to back up your favourite apps. Just find the ipa where iTunes keeps them and make a copy for a folder kept elsewhere. I started doing that even before iOS 6 because devs kept screwing their own apps up. I never really update anymore (app store badge says 111!) because its happened one too many times and anything I have stored data in, like game progress, won't carry over if I have to roll it back.

I was going to suggest the app called, Last Time, but it runs on iOS 6 and up. I hope you find something. I like the suggestions that you don't update your apps and that you back up your app files at least to your email although I know that doesn't make it any easier.

This is like Microsoft getting rid of Windows XP. I can't stand the new OS and don't want to upgrade but Microsoft is no longer providing support soon after this year. Huge difference between that and this situation is that XP has been around for a very long time and gave users advanced warning.

Perhaps file a complaint with apple to let them know how you feel about the changes and remind them that there exist folks like you who still have and want to keep their OS (and how developers are not helping the/your situation)?

Another option you may not want to try (that I didn't want to do either) is to upgrade your devices. Me as a first time user of apple now just a few years ago, unwittingly purchased devices with minimum storage capacity only to find that just one year later I would desperately need more space! I couldn't easily download any updates. In order to take photos, I had to delete photos. It was so bad that I had to literally delete most of my apps and photos just to do an update! I dealt with this "agony" for more than a year more and now almost three years later (last November/December), I had to suck it up and purchase the Air and 5S. I still hate having wasting all of that money (sigh) yet I'm so happy with the newer devices. By just the resolution alone everything is easier to read and see on these newer devices compared to my iPad2 and 4S. I know this doesn't help your situation but I just wanted to share my frustration with you (ugh, I still hate it) and let you know what it feels like on the other side with the upgraded devices. Btw, I learned from my 4S, how it suffered from the OS updates and how they sucked too much battery and power, that I still have my iPad2 running on 6.1.3 (I'm still refusing to download 7). Anyway, I'm sending crossed fingers (good luck) your way in hopes that everything works out for you soon...