Apple noticed low adoption / is strong arming iOS 26+

[8483011]

If in January of next year, an iPhone 16 on iOS 18 can no longer use iMessages, I will post a public apology video of me eating a pair of shoes. It's not happening like that.

 

[Howard2k]

Who's device has been bricked though? That's what a lot of people don't understand about this thread. Everyone is complaining about something that isn't even an issue, and very likely won't be a year from now. I think it's way more likely that this update is being misunderstood by the masses. Why would they update iMessages to work for something running iOS 12, but shoot the kneecaps off a newer iPhone a couple of years after it releases?

Bricking sounds way cooler though. Sorry.

 

[PatrixUSA]

Who's device has been bricked though?

not devices, services on devices...

If in January of next year, an iPhone 16 on iOS 18 can no longer use iMessages, I will post a public apology video of me eating a pair of shoes. It's not happening like that.

keeping my fingers crossed for that 🤞 🤣

 

[FeliApple]

lol, where are you going to go?
As encryption continues being pushed by both Apple and Google, it’s going to be become increasingly harder to run older software reliably.
This isn’t an apple thing, it’s an industry thing.

Anywhere I can. I’m not installing manufacturer malware if I can avoid it.

Nope, this was literally just announced six weeks ago.

Telegram Prompts Users to Update to Version 1224 Whats Behind the Message and What Users Should Do

In recent days, a growing number of iOS users have reported seeing an Telegram in-app message urging—or effectively requiring—them to update to Telegram version 12.2.4, warning that older versions “may stop working soon.” This is the screenshot of the update message: The notice has sparked...

www.cnelecar.com

This new version of telegram requires iOS 13.0 or later, meaning that eventually it won’t even run on the iPhone 5S or 6 that iMessage and FaceTime can still run on after this latest update.
Eventually, Google Messages encryption with android will have the same requirements, needing a specific version of android or newer.

Telegram has never prevented usage of older versions, it works on iOS 5. That may change, but so far so good. It is ridiculous and pathetic if it stops.

Devs are pathetic. Require all you like for the newest versions as long as you support the older versions permanently (permanently here meaning… I don’t know, 15 years).

 

[8483011]

not devices, services on devices...

keeping my fingers crossed for that 🤞 🤣

What services have been bricked on peoples devices? None. So why is everyone so pressed?!

 

[PatrixUSA]

What services have been bricked on peoples devices? None. So why is everyone so pressed?!

...this feels circular, and your mistaken recontextualization purposeful? ...hope not, but see below for what is pressing for some...

apple is strong-arming people into updating by bricking certain services on devices less than 2½ years old if not updated to the latest iOS... (if the theory as I understand it proves to be accurate)

 

[8483011]

...this feels circular, and your mistaken recontextualization purposeful? ...hope not, but see below for what is pressing for some...

I'm reading your message, and I ask again. What service is currently bricked on a device that isn't updated to iOS 26? None are.

 

[rappelz]

To OP: Apple just updated macOS 11 Big Sur today, which means many people are still using it almost 6 years later. I just wiped Tahoe and replaced it with Big Sur, and it's like night and day! Everything runs like a breeze now, it's so much lighter, and there is no liquid glass or whatever that ugly UI is called, and there is no annoying AI. Please give it a try!

 

[throAU]

in the iOS 12.5.8, iOS 15.8.6, and iOS 18.7.4 release notes, Apple says:



—

The implications of this update are insane and scummy tbh. essentially anyone on a device that can support iOS 26 will be forced to update to a later version by January 2027 or apple services will stop working. And you can’t update to these newest versions with latest certificate *unless* you have a device that only goes up to 12/15/18 geez.

So if you’re staying behind purposefully on say iOS 18, even the last one you could grab 18.7.3, you only have a year before you can either OTA to some extended support EOL iOS 26 security update or presumably iOS 27 by then since we are talking about Jan 2027 deadline

certificates have maximum expiry lifetimes for security reasons.

this doesn’t mean apple are necessarily terminating support for those platforms when a 1 year certificate lifetime runs out.

 

[qacjared]

although your comment wasn't addressed to me, i would say... apple is strong-arming people into updating by bricking certain services on devices less than 2½ years old if not updated to the latest iOS... (if the theory as I understand it proves to be accurate)

at some point turns out to be (again, if the theory as I understand it proves to be accurate) less than 2½ years after it was released...

100% — and to add to what you are saying for a lot of people the two-year grace period you mentioned is far more generous than the reality they experience.

For some users, the window is much shorter. Liquid Glass was announced on June 9. iOS 18.7.3 — which included security updates — was pulled on December 19. If someone bought a phone on June 8, before Liquid Glass was even a thing, watch the keynote the next day and decide it is not for them, they effectively got only six months before losing access to security updates.

What if they don’t follow tech news and only watch Apple’s annual iPhone event — skipping WWDC in June because they see it as developer-focused? They first hear about Liquid Glass at the September event, don’t like what they see, and turn off auto-updates. From that point, they have roughly 100 days before Apple stops supporting their version.

Or take a less tech-savvy user. Maybe they don’t learn about it until a friend or family member gets the update overnight in November — when Apple began pushing it more aggressively through automatic updates — and complains about how much they hate it. That’s when they decide to disable auto-updates so they can delay and be more deliberate. In that case, they get about a month before being left without security updates.

 

[uacd]

My iPhone 15PM performance is more than acceptable. And I disagree iOS 26 is not slow in a 17pm. I’ve seen it in action in person.

Maybe I am overreacting and over-exaggerating, but it feels like it should have been much faster. For example camera performance, switching between lenses sometimes takes long time, opening a photo right after is also slow and you even see how iPhone continues processing in the background after it opens photo. Safari performance for example is very slow, it feels more or less same to using any older iPhone. I understand everything comes from the Internet performance, but animations feel slow and it generally feels "clogged"

 

[FeliApple]

100% — and to add to what you are saying for a lot of people the two-year grace period you mentioned is far more generous than the reality they experience.

For some users, the window is much shorter. Liquid Glass was announced on June 9. iOS 18.7.3 — which included security updates — was pulled on December 19. If someone bought a phone on June 8, before Liquid Glass was even a thing, watch the keynote the next day and decide it is not for them, they effectively got only six months before losing access to security updates.

What if they don’t follow tech news and only watch Apple’s annual iPhone event — skipping WWDC in June because they see it as developer-focused? They first hear about Liquid Glass at the September event, don’t like what they see, and turn off auto-updates. From that point, they have roughly 100 days before Apple stops supporting their version.

Or take a less tech-savvy user. Maybe they don’t learn about it until a friend or family member gets the update overnight in November — when Apple began pushing it more aggressively through automatic updates — and complains about how much they hate it. That’s when they decide to disable auto-updates so they can delay and be more deliberate. In that case, they get about a month before being left without security updates.

But this isn’t the same though. Security updates are irrelevant. Functionality isn’t.

Apple is excused so far because they don’t break functionality. iMessage works on iOS 5, etc.

Devs are the ones that are pathetic, constantly removing support.

If apps like Telegram and other can support very old iOS versions, the rest can do that, too.

It’s a bit of an unavoidable loop. People update. To anything and everything. People have recommended updating to final 32-bit versions which kill devices, so they’ll update anything. Devs don’t want to support older versions because it’s easier, and people validate that strategy because nobody stays behind.

Let’s see what happens with iOS 26. There are no official adoption numbers yet.

That won’t stop pathetic, appalling devs from dropping support, but maybe, just maybe, adoption falls. If it does, then perhaps the devs’ userbase would drop too much if the dropped support.

The problem is that I don’t see a sizeable number of people holding off for years like I do. If people go back to previous adoption numbers by iOS 27, devs will lose that incentive.

There’s no solution to this, other than “if you want an original iOS version device, buy new”.

This is entirely the pathetic devs’ fault. If they maintained support like they should, updating wouldn’t be necessary.

 

[I7guy]

100% — and to add to what you are saying for a lot of people the two-year grace period you mentioned is far more generous than the reality they experience.

For some users, the window is much shorter. Liquid Glass was announced on June 9. iOS 18.7.3 — which included security updates — was pulled on December 19. If someone bought a phone on June 8, before Liquid Glass was even a thing, watch the keynote the next day and decide it is not for them, they effectively got only six months before losing access to security updates.

What if they don’t follow tech news and only watch Apple’s annual iPhone event — skipping WWDC in June because they see it as developer-focused? They first hear about Liquid Glass at the September event, don’t like what they see, and turn off auto-updates. From that point, they have roughly 100 days before Apple stops supporting their version.

Or take a less tech-savvy user. Maybe they don’t learn about it until a friend or family member gets the update overnight in November — when Apple began pushing it more aggressively through automatic updates — and complains about how much they hate it. That’s when they decide to disable auto-updates so they can delay and be more deliberate. In that case, they get about a month before being left without security updates.

That’s quite the straw man . Apple doesn’t design its products and services for the lowest common denominator.

Someone who doesn’t like iOS 26 can either get rid of the phone or turn down LG.

Of course there are those who won’t update their iOS version - @FeliApple don’t seem to use their phone for anything critical and thus don’t care about security updates and they care more about battery life which is the easiest thing to mitigate.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Maybe I am overreacting and over-exaggerating, but it feels like it should have been much faster. For example camera performance, switching between lenses sometimes takes long time, opening a photo right after is also slow and you even see how iPhone continues processing in the background after it opens photo. Safari performance for example is very slow, it feels more or less same to using any older iPhone. I understand everything comes from the Internet performance, but animations feel slow and it generally feels "clogged"

For me it was all about performance on my iPhone 13. It wasn't the best as I watched blank icons start to fill in as I scrolled pages from side to side. That only made me think what my iPhone would be like with future iOS versions with a 4GB phone. Besides that, I actually liked the look of iOS 26.

 

[FeliApple]

That’s quite the straw man . Apple doesn’t design its products and services for the lowest common denominator.

Someone who doesn’t like iOS 26 can either get rid of the phone or turn down LG.

Of course there are those who won’t update their iOS version - @FeliApple don’t seem to use their phone for anything critical and thus don’t care about security updates and they care more about battery life which is the easiest thing to mitigate.

I care about compatibility. Give me the ability to do what I need to do and I won’t care about anything else. If I have to circumvent non-critical tasks, it’s fine.

The problem arises when nothing works.

The key aspect is whether you absolutely need to buy more time. Updating doesn’t give you compatibility. Updating buys temporary compatibility whilst permanently destroying everything else.

I have an iPhone 6s running iOS 10. Battery life and performance are both like-new, but it can’t do much. I use it for music. I was using it with good compatibility until 2022. Had I updated it there (to the then-current iOS 15), I would’ve bought these 3.5 years of compatibility. I would’ve paid for it with a 60% (or more! Health is at 60%) battery life reduction and a significant (though not as high) performance drop.

Today, due to how my purchases went, I wouldn’t need it anymore. It would probably not be useful even for music, as battery life would be too poor for that (remember, I don’t replace battery and it is at 60% health. iOS 15 would kill it) and I have other devices (the Xʀ on iOS 12 or the one I use, an iPhone 8 running iOS 14).

Apple shouldn’t force iOS 26, because that’s the issue: you’re buying temporary compatibility with permanent usage quality. Sure, the 6s has no compatibility. But I don’t need it.

It’s like I’ve told you with the Xʀ. It’s on iOS 12. Do I use it? No. Would I use it if it were on iOS 18? Also no.

I’m typing this on my Air 5 on iPadOS 15. Disney Plus stopped working today (I noticed today, it probably lost support earlier). Would I update to iPadOS 26 for it? No. I can use the tv, my 11th-gen iPad, my phone, a computer.

I use this iPad mainly for the Apple Pencil. I use it with a Notability version from 2022, or with Pages. Netflix won’t lose support. It’s fine. People overstate the issues that staying behind brings. Unless your iOS fleet is many years old, you’ll be fine.

The yearly major updates suck though. They should be less frequent. They’d be far more polished and devices’ lifespan would be better. But like I said, I don’t blame Apple for compatibility. Devs choose what to support.

 

[capamac]

Apple's just doing the enshi**ification thing is all. They're transitioning to being anti-customer. Check out Cory Doctorow's videos about it on youtube.

 

[I7guy]

I care about compatibility. Give me the ability to do what I need to do and I won’t care about anything else. If I have to circumvent non-critical tasks, it’s fine.

The problem arises when nothing works.

It’s one thing to care about old apps that are no longer supported, it’s another thing to make battery life your primary objective.

The key aspect is whether you absolutely need to buy more time. Updating doesn’t give you compatibility. Updating buys temporary compatibility whilst permanently destroying everything else.

If one doesn’t care about using your phone for critical tasks and running old apps sure. Updating makes sure current apps and security vulnerabilities are taken care of.

I have an iPhone 6s running iOS 10. Battery life and performance are both like-new, but it can’t do much. I use it for music. I was using it with good compatibility until 2022. Had I updated it there (to the then-current iOS 15), I would’ve bought these 3.5 years of compatibility. I would’ve paid for it with a 60% (or more! Health is at 60%) battery life reduction and a significant (though not as high) performance drop.

That’s the issue. The 6s while a great phone at the time for today’s environment will not run well. My iPad 7th gen doesn’t run certain websites very well.

Today, due to how my purchases went, I wouldn’t need it anymore. It would probably not be useful even for music, as battery life would be too poor for that (remember, I don’t replace battery and it is at 60% health. iOS 15 would kill it) and I have other devices (the Xʀ on iOS 12 or the one I use, an iPhone 8 running iOS 14).

Apple shouldn’t force iOS 26, because that’s the issue: you’re buying temporary compatibility with permanent usage quality. Sure, the 6s has no compatibility. But I don’t need it.

You’re not buying temporary compatibility, you’re buying the future.

It’s like I’ve told you with the Xʀ. It’s on iOS 12. Do I use it? No. Would I use it if it were on iOS 18? Also no.

I’m typing this on my Air 5 on iPadOS 15. Disney Plus stopped working today (I noticed today, it probably lost support earlier). Would I update to iPadOS 26 for it? No. I can use the tv, my 11th-gen iPad, my phone, a computer.

For me I update until the end. My iPad 7th gen is in iOS 18. Probably will be mostly useable for the next few years.

I use this iPad mainly for the Apple Pencil. I use it with a Notability version from 2022, or with Pages. Netflix won’t lose support. It’s fine. People overstate the issues that staying behind brings. Unless your iOS fleet is many years old, you’ll be fine.

I don’t think people overstate issues, I think the device dies a slow death year over year.

The yearly major updates suck though. They should be less frequent. They’d be far more polished and devices’ lifespan would be better. But like I said, I don’t blame Apple for compatibility. Devs choose what to support.

I do not think Apple will change yearly releases. But what do I know? And yeah I can’t blame devs for. It supporting multiple releases at at the same time.

 

[jerry78]

I get why this feels alarming, but I don’t think it’s quite as forced as it sounds.Apple has been moving toward certificate and service deprecation tied to security baselines for a while now.
In practice, this usually affects iCloud-dependent services first, not basic device functionality.
It’s still frustrating, but it’s more about security policy than deliberately bricking older setups.

 

[RobbieBott]

I'm sorry but when I read that I do not see planned obsolescence, It says that it updated the cert for those devices/services to CONTINUE to operate AFTER Jan 2027... I take that as they are extending the life of those devices and those services for those devices till after January 2027, what it does not state is how much longer after Jan 2027 they will continue to function. Because without that update in Jan 2027 the cert would expire and those devices/services would not function, so they are continuing support....

in the iOS 12.5.8, iOS 15.8.6, and iOS 18.7.4 release notes, Apple says:



—

The implications of this update are insane and scummy tbh. essentially anyone on a device that can support iOS 26 will be forced to update to a later version by January 2027 or apple services will stop working. And you can’t update to these newest versions with latest certificate *unless* you have a device that only goes up to 12/15/18 geez.

So if you’re staying behind purposefully on say iOS 18, even the last one you could grab 18.7.3, you only have a year before you can either OTA to some extended support EOL iOS 26 security update or presumably iOS 27 by then since we are talking about Jan 2027 deadline

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Well, I took the chance and installed iOS 26.2.1 on my iPhone 13 and the icon issues have been fixed. Performance seems to be pretty good and animations are set to default as well as LG. So anyone who has an iPhone 13 and isn't sure if it will mess up their phone, my phone seems to be doing just fine now. Whatever Apple did between now and the initial launch seems to have massively improved performance.

Now as far as battery is concerned, that waits to be seen but so far so good and as I mentioned before, I do like the new LG look.

 

[8483011]

I'm sorry but when I read that I do not see planned obsolescence, It says that it updated the cert for those devices/services to CONTINUE to operate AFTER Jan 2027... I take that as they are extending the life of those devices and those services for those devices till after January 2027, what it does not state is how much longer after Jan 2027 they will continue to function. Because without that update in Jan 2027 the cert would expire and those devices/services would not function, so they are continuing support....

But we need to be mad because if they hadn't done anything, then it would have broke 😡 /s We gotta show Tim that we won't be strong armed anymore 😤

 

[thadoggfather]

I'm sorry but when I read that I do not see planned obsolescence, It says that it updated the cert for those devices/services to CONTINUE to operate AFTER Jan 2027... I take that as they are extending the life of those devices and those services for those devices till after January 2027, what it does not state is how much longer after Jan 2027 they will continue to function. Because without that update in Jan 2027 the cert would expire and those devices/services would not function, so they are continuing support....

I get why this feels alarming, but I don’t think it’s quite as forced as it sounds.Apple has been moving toward certificate and service deprecation tied to security baselines for a while now.
In practice, this usually affects iCloud-dependent services first, not basic device functionality.
It’s still frustrating, but it’s more about security policy than deliberately bricking older setups.

It has been explained, repeatedly, that 18.7.4 containing these new certs is not being signed for iOS 26 capable devices.

This is the issue: 18.7.4 is exclusively offered for devices that cannot be upgraded to iOS 26.

If everyone on an iOS 26 capable device could update from 18.x to 18.7.4, there would be no issue at all.

 

[8483011]

It has been explained, repeatedly, that 18.7.4 containing these new certs is not being signed for iOS 26 capable devices.

This is the issue: 18.7.4 is exclusively offered for devices that cannot be upgraded to iOS 26.

If everyone on an iOS 26 capable device could update from 18.x to 18.7.4, there would be no issue at all.

But the issue that everyone has with this, is you're assuming this will create issues for these devices, and that Apple won't do ANYTHING about it, which doesn't seem likely considering what we have historically seen from Apple. Does that mean there won't be any issues, or that Apple will handle it correctly? No, but why not wait for the problem to exist before jumping on the internet to complain about it?

 

[thadoggfather]

But the issue that everyone has with this, is you're assuming this will create issues for these devices, and that Apple won't do ANYTHING about it, which doesn't seem likely considering what we have historically seen from Apple. Does that mean there won't be any issues, or that Apple will handle it correctly? No, but why not wait for the problem to exist before jumping on the internet to complain about it?

Because you are doubting my claim based on release notes and inability to upgrade to 18.7.4 on modern devices - which is fine.

Whereas many others are failing to even understand my claim lol

 

[8483011]

Because you are doubting my claim based on release notes and inability to upgrade to 18.7.4 on modern devices - which is fine.

Whereas many others are failing to even understand my claim lol

I'm not doubting you at all, it's just not a real issue at this point. IMO I think it's way more likely that the section in the release notes were just poorly worded, and applied specifically to the older devices. In any case, nobody has lost access to any services at this point, and I find it unlikely that they will. Apple has plenty of mechanisms they could use to update the certificates on your phone outside of a 18.x.x release for devices in this scenario that are iOS 26 capable, but still on iOS 18. I think most people in here understand what your claim/greivance is, they just don't agree with you.