Apple has a good record of software support for their devices. iPhones get by far more and more regular OS updates than any other smartphone on the market. Therefore, it sometimes comes as a surprise when Apple decides to end support.
At the WWDC developer conference in June, Apple announced iOS 17, the next version of its operating system for iPhones. The update brings a lot of new features with it, including extensive innovations for the basic functions iMessage, FaceTime and telephone, as well as AirDrop. A completely new diary app is also to come to the iPhone.
But not all iPhones that Apple is currently providing with updates should also receive iOS 17. TECHBOOK has the list of models that will no longer be supported in the future.
These iPhones will not get the update to iOS 17
Apple is currently actively working on iOS 17 and is already releasing the update as a beta version. TECHBOOK has also been testing the new operating system since the beginning of June. However, the beta is only available for iPhone XS/XS Max and XR and newer. The basic requirement for the new version is at least an A12 bionic chip from Apple. This means that the following iPhone models with older chips will no longer receive the update:
Last year, Apple surprisingly discontinued support for the iPhone 7/7 Plus at the same time as the iPhone 6S/6S Plus. Now, in addition to the iPhone 8/8 Plus, the iPhone X is also unexpectedly affected. This seems quite stringent, since both models use the same A11 bionic chip. However, the iPhone X came out about two months later in November 2017 and was sort of an anniversary iPhone at the time. Ten years after the launch of the original iPhone, it realigned the smartphone lineup with its all-new design, near borderless screen and controversial notch. Many people don’t understand that after only five years and ten months it should no longer receive any iOS updates. Especially since the inconspicuous iPhone 6S was updated for almost two years longer at seven years and seven months.
After all, that doesn’t mean the aforementioned iPhones don’t get software support at all. Although they no longer receive version updates, Apple still provides security patches for several years.
iPads not receiving the iPadOS 17 update
A number of iPad models will also no longer receive the update to iPadOS 17. The iPad Mini 4 and iPad Air 2, which dropped from the list of supported devices last year, are now joined by the following devices:
- iPad Pro 12.9 (1st gen)
- iPad Pro 9.7
- iPad (5th generation)
It is noteworthy that Apple is removing an iPad Pro from the update list for the first time. The 2015 iPad Pro 12.9 (1st gen) has received iOS/iPadOS updates for a remarkable eight years.