Game crashes on launch on iPad 5th generation (A9 GPU) - Metal texture validation abort

Steps to reproduce:

1. Install Minecraft from the App Store on an iPad (5th generation)

2. Launch the game

Observed result:
The game closes about 4 seconds after launch, before the main menu appears. Reproducible 100% of the time. Reinstalling the app does not help.

Expected result:
The game launches normally. The App Store still offers and installs the game on this device and OS version.

Crash analysis:
EXC_CRASH / SIGABRT on the main thread, during the first rendered frame, called from CADisplayLink:

libsystem_c.dylib   __assert_rtn
Metal               MTLReportFailure
Metal               MTLValidateFeatureSupport
Metal               -[MTLTextureDescriptorInternal validateWithDevice:]
AGXMetalA9          -[AGXTexture initWithDevice:desc:isSuballocDisabled:]
minecraftpe         (renderer code)

The renderer requests a texture with a pixel format or feature that the A9 GPU does not support. Metal feature validation then aborts the process.

This appears to be a regression affecting A9-class devices (iPad 5th gen, iPhone 6s / 6s Plus, iPhone SE 1st gen).

Crash log attached.

A personal note: I am filing this on behalf of my 7-year-old son here in Brazil. This iPad is the only device he has, and Minecraft has been unplayable on it since the update. He asks me about it every single day, and I have run out of ways to explain it to him. If a fix for A9 devices is feasible, it would mean a great deal to one very persistent young player. Thank you for taking a look.