iPhone 5 could lose access to future Apple software updates

The company’s 32-bit devices are no longer a priority

Aatif Sulleyman
Thursday 30 March 2017 10:48 BST
Comments
The iPhone 5, iPhone 5C and fourth-generation iPad came out in 2012 and 2013
The iPhone 5, iPhone 5C and fourth-generation iPad came out in 2012 and 2013

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Apple could be about to drop support for older models of the iPhone.

The company’s developer downloads webpage lists all of the devices that are in line for the upcoming iOS 10.3.2 update, which is currently in beta.

Missing from the list are the iPhone 5, iPhone 5C and fourth-generation iPad.

According to Apple Insider, this means Apple may cut support for the devices this year, which could make customers who continue using them vulnerable to security glitches and bugs.

The iPhone 5, iPhone 5C and fourth-generation iPad came out in 2012 and 2013, and have all since been discontinued. However, the iPhone 5 in particular is still a popular handset.

All three devices use an A6 system-on-chip, the last of Apple’s hardware to be built on a 32-bit architecture.

Apple made the jump to 64-bit with the launch of the A7 system-on-chip, and the latest version of iOS now warns users attempting to open 32-bit software that “This app will not work with future versions of iOS.”

Apple hasn’t officially announced the demise of the iPhone 5, iPhone 5C and fourth-generation iPad, and all of them received the recent iOS 10.3 update.

The iOS 10.3.2 update in still being tested, so it’s perfectly possible that Apple will add support for the older devices closer to its actual release date.

However, it’s clear that the company’s 32-bit devices are no longer a priority.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in