Apple Faces User Backlash After Dropping Support for iPhone 7 From iOS 16

[turbineseaplane]

If they are using an iPhone 7 they clearly are not worried about the latest and greatest features of anything

Or maybe they bought it brand new from Apple in 2019 because that's what they could afford or preferred the aesthetics or usability of the home button and the shape/style.

Making such sweeping assumptions about users and their purchasing choices is unwarranted and often very incorrect.

 

[SenorWhyMe]

this is why I feel like updates that affect apps should be separate from iOS updates, for example iMessages edit undo should be for all iPhones as a app update not only iOS 16

 

[turbineseaplane]

this is why I feel like updates that affect apps should be separate from iOS updates, for example iMessages edit undo should be for all iPhones as a app update not only iOS 16

+100 on that

Critical apps like Messages should have key features rolled out everywhere, regardless of which OS

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Or maybe they bought it brand new from Apple in 2019 because that's what they could afford or preferred the aesthetics or usability of the home button and the shape/style.

Making such sweeping assumptions about users and their purchasing choices is unwarranted and often very incorrect.

Cool. The phone still works today and it’ll still work in October.

 

[antonrg]

The iPhone 8 also has 2GB of RAM though so that article didn't make much sense.

So it seems it is neither a performance or RAM limitation.

The 8 is already struggling with iOS15, so it won’t be a smooth ride for those using it with iOS 16.

 

[AlexMac89]

You’ve just said it right there, « if you buy a 10 year old car ». People are not told straight up that the watch or the phone they are selling is old. Take an example now, iPhone 11 is still on their site. Does it say on their website it was released in 2019? If it does, I accept I am wrong in this.

As for the person asking me, I’d never recommend an old device and I would always mention it. I would suggest to get something newer because I know how Apple works with this. That’s why people around me tend to ask me.

As a consumer, you have a responsibility to be reasonably informed on products you choose to part with your money on. When those products reach several hundred to thousands of dollars, you lose all sympathy from me when you did ZERO research. A basic google search would tell you the year an iPhone 11 was released if you were looking to purchase in 2019.

Beyond that, I think apples numbering and naming scheme is about as transparent as you can get. Apple has been on a yearly upgrade cycle for over a decade. When iPhone 11 is being sold along iPhone 12 and 13, the age of the product is pretty easy to determine. And the second you see the spec sheet listed as A15 A14 A13 powering them …

Put two and two together. Trying to paint most people as “so stupid and clueless they can’t read a spec card when dropping a ton of cash on a new phone” and not being able to ascertain the differences between said models is absurd.

It’s all entitlement to idea that personal responsibility in the modern day is gone and the responsibility should be on anyone, anything else. In this case, apple.

 

[paas]

I have a question for people who do not understand the problem with the lack of support for the iPhone 7.

You enter the store. There are iPhones on the shelf, models X, 11, 12, 13. Each next one is obviously more expensive than the previous one. Money is important to you. You want to buy a phone for years and have peace of mind. And now the question is, which model will you choose considering the length of support and service? I am asking for thoughtful answers 🙂

 

[mnsportsgeek]

we all know very well that Apple products are not cheap and most of us expect them to last a long time.

They do last a long time. The 7 got 6 years of updates. How much longer would you like Apple to support it?

 

[turbineseaplane]

The 8 is already struggling with iOS15, so it won’t be a smooth ride for those using it with iOS 16.

I'm surprised to hear that

iOS 15 has been really great on my fleet of iPhone SE1's

 

[kc9hzn]

You’ve just said it right there, « if you buy a 10 year old car ». People are not told straight up that the watch or the phone they are selling is old. Take an example now, iPhone 11 is still on their site. Does it say on their website it was released in 2019? If it does, I accept I am wrong in this.

As for the person asking me, I’d never recommend an old device and I would always mention it. I would suggest to get something newer because I know how Apple works with this. That’s why people around me tend to ask me.

Apple does indicate on the site when a product is the current model, using the New badge. But no, they don’t clearly indicate the original release date.

But, to be fair, it’s a lot easier to find the original release date of an iPhone model in a simple Google search than it would be some random Xiaomi or Oppo phone. And when you consider that Apple’s “old phones” are former flagship models (and the iPhone SE typically stays close to the top of the line CPU) and that Xiaomi and Oppo release new low end and mid-range phones, as well as new flagship phones, it’s generally easier to get an approximate idea of when any given iPhone came out and where it stacks to other iPhones than it would be from other manufacturers.

(Oh don’t get me started on Samsung, with their Galaxy A[whatever] series and how the A22 is newer than the A72 or that the Galaxy S series suddenly switched to using the two digit year instead of the continuing number back in 2020, or how confusing it is to keep track of Galaxy A, Galaxy S, and Galaxy Z if you don’t follow Samsung news. And that’s Samsung, a company whose releases are at least generally pretty well documented. Good luck with a lesser known Android device knowing about 1) how old it is and 2) how it stacks up to other devices.)

 

[AlexMac89]

+100 on that

Critical apps like Messages should have key features rolled out everywhere, regardless of which OS

This is one area that we agree. And I hope that breaking out smaller updates and patches to not need full OS installs/updates expands to critical apps. Especially with iOS 16 not being able to inform you if certain actions have failed due to the OS on the other side (such as retracting messages, editing messages).

 

[mnsportsgeek]

I have a question for people who do not understand the problem with the lack of support for the iPhone 7.

You enter the store. There are iPhones on the shelf, models X, 11, 12, 13. Each next one is obviously more expensive than the previous one. Money is important to you. You want to buy a phone for years and have peace of mind. And now the question is, which model will you choose considering the length of support and service? I am asking for thoughtful answers 🙂

Me? 13. Grandma? 11. It’s still got 3+ major updates in it, and *gasp* will still work after that too!

 

[turbineseaplane]

We should probably stop giving Apple much credit for having options at lower price points if the tradeoff is going to be "yeah but it won't last as long because they'll cut off latest iOS support" a lot sooner.

"Oh..and we won't really commit to or tell you how long the support will even be... you'll find out later on once you've already paid us."

That cutoff ends up impacting third party app support as well as device support (which Watch you could buy, new Airpods that come out, etc)

 

[CrazyForCashews]

Ancient yet they sell a brand new one that looks the same and works the same. A lot of people couldn’t tell the difference really.

Pretty dumb and ignorant thing to say considering that the 2022 iPhone SE has an APU that's significantly generations ahead of the iPhone 7 and has also double the RAM among many other notable upgrades. Looks are deceiving, you have a lot to learn.

 

[antonrg]

That example while outside the thread focus, is accurate. I just don't know if people care to have the same level of Apple watch software upgradability as a iPhone? Meaning you're likely to replace it more frequently then a iPhone as a guess on my part. This thread certainly implies that a lot of people hang onto their iPhones for years.

I still use my Apple Watch Series 0, the original one. It does what I need it to do and it’s fine for me. Probably will get the new one with the flat edges design when it comes out. I have upgraded iPhones 4 times since I got the watch though. I don’t really care about the software on the watch, indeed, but I do care about the iPhone OS upgradeability. I think this is why there is such a backlash today.

 

[kc9hzn]

This is one area that we agree. And I hope that breaking out smaller updates and patches to not need full OS installs/updates expands to critical apps. Especially with iOS 16 not being able to inform you if certain actions have failed due to the OS on the other side (such as retracting messages, editing messages).

I still feel like Messages is a poor example to use. It’s one thing if it were strictly an end user facing application like Mail, but Messages is also a set of developer APIs (iMessage games and apps, for instance) that would be a lot harder to backport to older OSes. Maybe it would be possible to backport just the editing features, but, without having the source code, it would honestly be pretty hard to say.

 

[Realityck]

We should probably stop giving Apple much credit for having options at lower price points if the tradeoff is going to be "yeah but it won't last as long because they'll cut off latest iOS support" a lot sooner.

Isn't it reasonable to think that a few years beyond latest OS upgrade is unavailable that a iPhone will still be usable?

That cutoff ends up impacting third party app support as well as device support (which Watch you could buy, new Airpods that come out, etc)

Does it matter really. Yes maybe some apps will no longer work at some future point, but that isn't the main reason you kept the phone.

 

[femike]

iphone 6S should not of been dropped too. Its a perfectly capable phone, and deserves to be supported. These companies calling themselves green is total BS, and actions like this prove it 100%. The green, I care about climate change, environment by companies is absolute rubbish.

 

[CrazyForCashews]

Or maybe they bought it brand new from Apple in 2019 because that's what they could afford or preferred the aesthetics or usability of the home button and the shape/style.

Making such sweeping assumptions about users and their purchasing choices is unwarranted and often very incorrect.

Hahah, you point your finger at people making assumptions about their purchasing choices yet you start your rant with an assumption, the irony is strong.

 

[turbineseaplane]

iphone 6S should not of been dropped too. Its a perfectly capable phone, and deserves to be supported. These companies calling themselves green is total BS, and actions like this prove it 100%. The green, I care about climate change, environment by companies is absolute rubbish.

Absolutely

I'd love to see them load iOS 16 on my SE1 and prove to me it's worse and unusable.
iOS15 works wonderfully on this class of hardware

(6s and SE1 basically the same)

Even if it were, for some reason, a little slower or had to miss a feature or two...
So what?

Let people keep using their devices on the latest iOS if they'd like to accept any tradeoffs.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

I still use my Apple Watch Series 0, the original one. It does what I need it to do and it’s fine for me. Probably will get the new one with the flat edges design when it comes out. I have upgraded iPhones 4 times since I got the watch though. I don’t really care about the software on the watch, indeed, but I do care about the iPhone OS upgradeability. I think this is why there is such a backlash today.

Wow you mean you’ve continued to use something after it stopped receiving updates? And 5 years after its last major update?! Inconceivable!

 

[AlexMac89]

We should probably stop giving Apple much credit for having options at lower price points if the tradeoff is going to be "yeah but it won't last as long because they'll cut off latest iOS support" a lot sooner.

That cutoff ends up impacting third party app support as well as device support (which Watch you could buy, new Airpods that come out, etc)

You can get current tech (A15) starting from apples lowest ($429) iPhone price point, all the way up to their flagship phones. That processor in the SE will keep it current for those on a budget for a long, long time. If you want that processor AND modern features, you will pay for it. If you want the features, but don’t “need” the current processor, there are older models to choose from as the in-between price points. Again, you choose what is best for you.

You pay for the support in the SE by sacrificing a modern device outside the processor. And you are given it at apples lowest price.

You can gain modern design and features, at a discount, if you choose a past model and sacrifice some amount of support.

Or you sacrifice nothing but money and get it all.

Go figure. A company providing a wide range of options for you to choose from. As a consumer, inform yourself on your options and make a choice.

 

[Dark_Omen]

I’m praying Apple reverses its decision and plans to support the iPhone 7 / 7 Plus. I don’t think it’s that outdated yet.

However, the bottom line is Apple wants you to upgrade.

Well, you hold your breath on that one. It'll never happen. Obviously the iPhone 7's software cannot handle iOS 16, so it was left out. Go buy a phone that's newer than seven years old and stop complaining about how it doesn't get the latest and greatest operating system.

 

[antonrg]

As a consumer, you have a responsibility to be reasonably informed on products you choose to part with your money on. When those products reach several hundred to thousands of dollars, you lose all sympathy from me when you did ZERO research. A basic google search would tell you the year an iPhone 11 was released if you were looking to purchase in 2019.

Beyond that, I think apples numbering and naming scheme is about as transparent as you can get. Apple has been on a yearly upgrade cycle for over a decade. When iPhone 11 is being sold along iPhone 12 and 13, the age of the product is pretty easy to determine. And the second you see the spec sheet listed as A15 A14 A13 powering them …

Put two and two together. Trying to paint most people as “so stupid and clueless they can’t read a spec card when dropping a ton of cash on a new phone” and not being able to ascertain the differences between said models is absurd.

It’s all entitlement to idea that personal responsibility in the modern day is gone and the responsibility should be on anyone, anything else. In this case, apple.

I think Apple should be transparent about the release date. The spec sheet should mention the release date. Plain and simple.

No one is painting people as stupid or clueless. For a company that claims to be transparent and easy, this is the least they can do. They don’t need to market it, just write release year on the spec sheet they have with each iPhone at the store. Simple.

No idea why you are getting all worked up about it.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Obviously the iPhone 7's software cannot handle iOS 16, so it was left out.

There is nothing "obvious" to indicate that -- at all -- in fact