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

[throwaway572937]

I have zero sympathy for people complaining about 6 year old phone not getting an update. The 5th, 6th, and 7th gen ipad are all newer.

Yeah. This is a non-story.
Apple traditionally has had miles better longevity than any other device in any segment (laptops, tablets, phones) etc and even when they're useless, they're at least still something you can trade in. I could get $125 for my 9 year old scratched up MacBook in 2018 at most stores doing trade ins, even though it only supported up to Sierra or High Sierra I think. Versus, I used to have a Nexus tablet. Got slow within 2 years and you literally could not fetch a dime for it from trade ins.

I have no sympathy whatsoever for someone complaining their SIX year old phone no longer is supported. Jesus Christ. I get wanting to keep your phone more than 2 years. But SIX years is a REASONABLE amount of time to expect someone to upgrade after IF they want more features lol.

People keep acting like Apple's every move is some sort of societal injustice and trauma. Good lord.

 

[JohnApples]

While I do agree it’s disappointing and think the 7 could have had another year of support just with reduced features, I’m shocked how upsetting this is to so many people.

6 years of software support is incredible for a phone and unheard of anywhere else in the industry. Even Samsung is maxing out at only 4 guaranteed major software updates.

Apple has consistently, objectively, been the best for supporting their phones with software updates but they get the most flak for it? The industry average is roughly 3 years- Apple is double that with the iPhone 7, yet people are losing their **** over it.

You’re not forced to upgrade. Your iPhone 7 won’t suddenly stop working. You’re still able to get it serviced and repaired if needed. And if Apple continues doing security updates, then I firmly believe there’s no room to complain.

I don’t like sounding like I’m “defending” a corporation, but out of ALL the things you could bash Apple for (and there’s a lot), it is very strange this is the hill people are choosing to die on.

 

[jarman92]

I understand scrapping the 6s but the 7 is still a very capable phone.

They aren't self-destructing! They just aren't capable of running the newest software. This is a ridiculous complaint for a 6-year-old device.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

I have to agree with this, makes zero sense.

 

[Danfango]

I’d like to see actual market share of iPhone 7 and earlier users compared to more recent devices before placing judgement on them here. It may place restrictions on later devices having to support the older ones which may not make commercial sense.

Worth noting that the older iOS release will have critical security patches either way as per previous releases.

Also worth noting that apparently the iPhone 7 doesn’t have neural engine.

 

[ant the ninja]

People wouldn't be happy either way...If they allowed the 7 to use iOS16 with some limitations, people would lose their minds over the limitations. There's no in-between.

The phone came out 6 years ago, while I agree it is still capable, its still an old phone. Does android ever support software updates for any phone 6 years old?

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

Four year old phone, if you bought it at the end of its lifespan.

Why would anyone buy a 2 year old phone, new?

 

[jarman92]

They can limit features on iPadOS 16 to M1 iPads but can't do the same with iOS 16?

iPhone 6s (Plus) and iPhone SE (1st generation) are as capable as iPad (5th generation). All are equipped with the A9 chip and have 2GB RAM. Yet, only the iPad will received iPadOS 16 updates.

Planned obsolesce right there.

The comments on this thread are among the most painfully stupid and ridiculous I have ever seen. Somehow 6 years of software updates—and surely an additional 2-3 years of security updates—for an electronic device is "planned obsolescence?" Just a ludicrous claim.

And it's blatantly obvious that iPadOS supports older devices because iPads aren't getting any of the Lock Screen features.

 

[Sankew]

Honestly iOS 15 on the iPhone 7 was actually laggy and constantly heated up for some minor tasks, I had an iPhone 8 around and that ran iOS 15 smoothly compared to it, but any device that had A12 or later ran smoothly without any hiccups, I feel like it's totally fine if it got only 6 years of support which still is a lot

 

[Starfia]

With iOS 15, Apple supported devices as old as the second-generation iPhone SE, including the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

(Correction to this: The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are as old as the first-generation iPhone SE, which also runs iOS 15.)

 

[cknibbs]

I’m sure I am in the minority here, but I don’t see the big deal. Devices don’t get updates forever. The iPhone 7 is getting old. I’d be more upset about the Apple Watch Series 3 that is somehow still for sale on the Apple site TODAY and is not getting updates.

 

[Oscar_440]

It's a 6 year old phone, why should apple waste time or resources on that? What Android phone over 5 years gets updates?
On the other hand Apple should get a iPhone se plus out there.....
My perfect iPhone would be an iPhone 8 Plus screen with no bezels and touch ID on the side. Call it the iPhone Air!

Absolutely, Apple should put all its efforts on creating new and astonishing emijos instead of keep millions of active devices updated…

 

[EddieKeyton1]

You can literally buy an unlocked iPhone 8 unlocked right now for $149.00. I think it’s time to upgrade.

The same people would be complaining about issues if it did get the update.

 

[ArkSingularity]

6 years is pretty good (excellent, really) for a phone. I'm more irritated about the 4-5 year support cycle on the Mac, which leaves a lot of people with fairly new computers that can't run the most recent OS.

 

[Sankew]

They can limit features on iPadOS 16 to M1 iPads but can't do the same with iOS 16?

iPhone 6s (Plus) and iPhone SE (1st generation) are as capable as iPad (5th generation). All are equipped with the A9 chip and have 2GB RAM. Yet, only the iPad will received iPadOS 16 updates.

Planned obsolesce right there.

I feel that apple supports iPadOS 16 on the A9 iPad solely cause a lot of schools bought them and still use them, they did the same with the polycarbonate MacBook which had a longer lifespan compared to Macs from that generation since it was being used by a lot of schools

 

[laptech]

This article is proof at just how loyal and strong the Cult of Apple is because as pointed out in the article, the A10 chip is in many other Apple devices which are being supported by iOS 16 but not the A10 equipped iphone 7. As others have pointed out, it's 'planned obsolescence', Apple want's it customers to upgrade to newer phones and they are comming up with all sorts of excuses to try and justify when the iphone 7 has been excluded and the Cult of Apple is lapping it up by defending Apple's actions.

Apple want people to upgrade to newer phones, it's that simple as it gives Apple more money. If Apple dropped support for the A10 chip across the board then yes I can understand their reasoning but to say iOS 16 will be supported on some A10 devices but not the A10 iphone 7 is despicable behaviour in my opinion.

 

[NSURLSession]

I have zero sympathy for people complaining about 6 year old phone not getting an update. The 5th, 6th, and 7th gen ipad are all newer.

As an iOS developer I'm also disappointed that the iPhone 7 won't get the update. This means that I need to support iOS 15 much longer and that I can't use new API's (easily). It's also in the interest of other iPhone users that old devices get updates so that apps can/will use new API's sooner.

 

[Return Zero]

Count me in with the group that doesn't see the big deal here. This is not a forced upgrade. iPhone 7 models will continue to work just fine, even receiving security updates for a while longer I'm sure. Even if you bought as new in 2019, you should have known it was a 3 year old model at that point that would not receive updates as long as a brand new model. That's why you got it at a cheaper price.

 

[obviouslogic]

It is interesting how everyone attributes this to malice, and seems to have inside knowledge that "they could have supported all these things on the iPhone 7". Same with the M1/Stage manager. Amazing how many people have inside knowledge that "they could have supported the A12Z".

This is a typical side effect of ignorance when accompanied with entitlement, especially when it comes to technology, since becoming obsolete is a foregone conclusion.

It is never as simple as, "just don't offer those features", when some of those features make use of foundational changes in the new OS that older hardware simply cannot support. It is funny to me that "planned obsolesce" can either mean they drop support for older hardware or older hardware runs a lot slower after upgrading. Bottom line, is that if Apple thinks the user experience isn't up to snuff, then it isn't worth wasting resources (money, time, engineering) to continue to support it.

Also, your device no longer supporting OS upgrades does not make it "obsolete". It will still work for years to come. (And Apple regularly includes older OS versions when it comes to security updates). In fact, I still use my 2009 iMac, which lost support in 2018.

 

[christian.terra]

For a phone as old as the 7, I think people should be happy that its even still working and operates quite smooth. Apple isn't bricking the iphone 7, you'll just be stuck on ios15 which has every feature you need. if people with a 7 need ios 16 so badly, then they have to decide if the cost of a new phone is worth it.

 

[erikkfi]

This decision was made because the furnaces cry out for eWaste and someone has to feed them.

Also while I'm sure plenty of people are upset, let's not pretend a few twitter posts amount to anything meaningful. Apple certainly doesn't.

 

[Martin Spencer]

I really wanted to dust off my iPhone 3G and install iOS 16, this sucks..... 😀

 

[oneMadRssn]

What Android phone over 5 years gets updates?

It shouldn't be a race to the bottom. Just because Android sucks doesn't give Apple permission to be as bad. The fact that Apple offered long-term OS support was a huge selling point previously. Especially on Macs, which easily last far more than 5 years today.

 

[nerdAFK]

It's uncanny that all those once-MOST-POWERFUL-EVER iPhones simply can not handle some lock screen customization.

 

[BJMRamage]

We have an old iPod and my daughter has my old iPhone 6 as an iPod too. They have NOT been able to get System Updates for a while...it will get the occasional security updates BUT they still work. it is OK. we move forward.