These were both released after the typical three year support cycle for iOS. Is Apple still unofficially supporting iOS 15?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
15.8.4 and 15.8.5
- Thread starter segfaultdotorg
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Yes security updates
computercity.com
What’s New in iOS 15.8.5: A Complete Guide - ComputerCity
Apple officially released iOS 15.8.5 and iPadOS 15.8.5 on September 15, 2025, alongside iOS 18 for newer devices. While iOS 15 is no longer Apple’s flagship
computercity.com
sdfox7
macrumors demi-god
Yes security updates
What’s New in iOS 15.8.5: A Complete Guide - ComputerCity
Apple officially released iOS 15.8.5 and iPadOS 15.8.5 on September 15, 2025, alongside iOS 18 for newer devices. While iOS 15 is no longer Apple’s flagship
This is because a lot of older devices are still in use, but Apple didn't make the newer OS available on them.
People are keeping their old devices longer, and discontinuing new OS on old devices no longer "pushes" people to new devices like it used to.
This creates an awkward situation. Due to the large market share, Apple ends up being "forced" to fix security vulnerabilities on the old versions.
Currently, Apple is releasing updates for 5 major versions of iOS/iPadOS: 15, 16, 17, 18, and 26. Even iOS 12 was supported for nearly 5 years!
Homme
macrumors 65816
They have to for all 5 versions because of app updates too. Also The two big ones released for iPad this year, A native Insta App and WhatsApp, even on iPads like the Air 2 and the Mini 4 and hence security updates will take longer. I could see 15 and 16 devices getting the same security whilst iPadOS 17 and OS 18 getting longer security and app support