Some communication chip has no further SDK updates so they cut it. I think in this instance it's because of the older Bluetooth 4.2 in the iPhone 7 versus the Bluetooth 5 in the iPhone 8. In other apple laptops that was what cause a model to be cut in the past.
That’s ironic.
And that’s only the big players in Android. There’s tons of Android devices where you simply have no guarantee and, if you root your phone and you’re lucky, some kind soul may port the current OS to your device. I’ve owned multiple Android devices (some less than 3 years old) that are still running the same version of Android they shipped with (well one is one where one of those kind souls I mentioned maintains a port of more recent Android versions for it, and I’ve rooted and installed a newer Android version on it). Some manufacturers even use the latest version of Android as part of the carrot they dangle in front of you to upgrade devices!
Six year old technology purchased three years ago is still six year old technology.
Apple is facing backlash from users after it announced that iOS 16, its next major release of iOS destined for release this fall, will not be supported by the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
iOS 16 will bring major changes and customization features to the Lock Screen, much-awaited changes in iMessage such as mark as unread and message edits, and so much more.
Users have long asked Apple to give them more personalization controls on iOS, and Apple is finally doing that with iOS 16. Unfortunately, all of iOS 16's new features, including the update itself, won't be coming to customers who own many older iPhones, with the most notable being the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
As a refresher, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were released in September 2016. The iPhone 7 Plus was the first iPhone to feature a dual-lens camera setup, and both models were the first to get rid of the physical Home button and replace it with a Haptic one. The iPhone 7 also marked the end of the headphone jack.
With iOS 15, Apple supported devices as old as the second-generation iPhone SE, including the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. While it was expected that iOS 16 would drop support for the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, and the now-discontinued iPod touch, surprisingly, Apple also dropped support for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
Following Monday's WWDC keynote, iPhone 7 users shared their disapproval online over the lack of support for the upcoming release of iOS. "Wow. Surprised they ditched the 7/7+," one user wrote on the MacRumors Forums. Other customers voiced complaints on Twitter.
The reasonable explanation is that the A10 Fusion chip in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is simply not powerful enough to run iOS 16 and all its new features. That explanation, though, is invalidated when the sixth and seventh-generation iPad, both powered by the same A10 Fusion chip, are supported by iPadOS 16.
Furthermore, the fifth-generation iPad, which features the less powerful A9 chip compared to the A10 Fusion chip in the iPhone 7, is also supported by iPadOS 16. While iOS and iPadOS are different, they also share many of the same features and the same underlying technology.
In theory, Apple could have supported the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus with iOS 16 but just disabled some of the CPU and ML-heavy features for newer models.
By doing so, iPhone 7 users would still benefit from performance and security enhancements offered by iOS 16, as well as small refinements like the ability to edit iMessages, which don't require an intense amount of CPU work.
Offering only newer devices certain features that aren't available to older models is not something new, and a practice Apple is long accustomed to. As a matter of fact, several of iOS 16's latest features will only work with iPhones powered by the A12 Bionic and later.
As MacRumors reported in May, it was plausible that due to the higher memory on the iPhone 7 Plus, it would retain support for iOS 16, while the iPhone 7 would miss out. It seems as though, to avoid any possible confusion, Apple has just entirely dropped support for both iPhone 7 models instead of supporting one and not the other.
We've reached out to Apple to comment on why the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus won't be receiving iOS 16 and we'll update this article if we hear back.
Article Link: Apple Faces User Backlash After Dropping Support for iPhone 7 From iOS 16
The 6S being kept a year longer is the outlier, They did the same thing with the 5S. In both cases the year they normally would have gotten axed from new iOS support they had a year where “Everything that runs the current iOS runs the new iOS”. Then the following year, both the 5S and 6 got axed. Now they did the same thing with the 6S and 7. Basically, this is the normal support length and the 5S/6S support lengths were the exception. Same outrage happened when the 6 got axed from iOS 13. I’m more concerned with how quickly they are phasing out the Macs now with the transition to AS. They phased out the PowerPC stuff too quickly back in the day on the switch to Intel too.
The absolute mental gymnastics at the concept that if something is sold "as new" is referring to the product being "newly released" versus "not previously used".
When someone at Apple decided that there are too many iphone 7's in use and want these people to spend money on newer iphones.
Sir or madam,
Those buyers will not even know their phone won’t support iOS 16. As long as their phone continues working they’ll be happy.
Users have been saying, I even said it, that if there are parts of the OS that aren't supported, it's understandable. However, the parts that are should be released as the processor clearly supports them.
They don’t need to do any “what ifs”. They buy a phone with the features it comes with. Any new features in the future are a bonus that is not guaranteed for eternity. The concept of “time” and “age” is applicable to everything in life, even iPhone 7.
You can slice and dice as much as you want. However, the fact remains that the A10 can handle some of the new features.
Sorry, but all I can think of in response to your post is laughter.
Sorry, but all I can think of in response to your post is laughter.
No one is walking into an Apple store and buying a 2-3 year old iPhone (for a hefty discount from launch price) expecting it to have the same functionality and support as "the latest".
I don’t understand why some people would have « no sympathy » for those who are not happy with the software support drop. If you have a supported phone, go merry on your way, no need to bother yourself with how others with older devices feel. It’s pettiness to show « no sympathy » or even bother about others’ complaints. This drop doesn’t concern me or anyone in my household, but I do sympathise and understand those who have been affected by this.
