Apple Pulls Ability to Restore iPhone 5c, iPad Mini, and More [Updated]

[gank41]

Allow and enable people to keep using it WiFi only.

I'm not sure that would be legally possible for them to do. Just because you'd like it to be ok, doesn't mean someone else might complain that the Phone isn't working.

 

[gank41]

you have an m4 air... so why would you own anything else aside from as a museum piece? I sell and upgrade all my old stuff on a regular basis in the most profitable way I can. I mean the $499 Mac mini we had access to up until recently buries most Macs of the past.

I've got a bunch of old equipment, too. What's wrong with holding on to old phones and stuff??

 

[turbineseaplane]

I'm not sure that would be legally possible for them to do. Just because you'd like it to be ok, doesn't mean someone else might complain that the Phone isn't working.

You just said the context is that the device no longer has cellular support.

In any case ... an "optional" update solves the issue.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

Another reminder that you never really own an iPhone (or any iOS based device).

Well, even Mac hardware is getting to be this way with trusted computing and the TPM-turned-T2-turned-integrated-into-Apple-Silicon chip. If I think about it too long, Windows and Linux start beckoning me again.

 

[visualseed]

I think it should always be possible to restore a device to the last supported version of its OS. Back in the day, you could just keep your system disk and handle the OS reinstall yourself, but since that’s not an option with iOS devices, I feel Apple has more responsibility to keep hosting and signing those versions. I know these are older devices, but they’re still functional computers with screens that can perform tasks for people. I’ve got an iPad Air 2 lying around the house that seems practically indestructible and a bedside iPad Mini 3 that I use as an eBook reader. Both cellular but haven't been used on a plan in ages. I assume both will be on the chopping block soon.

 

[skodises]

Well, even Mac hardware is getting to be this way with trusted computing and the TPM-turned-T2-turned-integrated-into-Apple-Silicon chip. If I think about it too long, Windows and Linux start beckoning me again.

Apple's current charm-offensive is giving many long-time users a lot of new reasons to reconsider other solutions, isn’t it?

 

[gank41]

You just said the context is that the device no longer has cellular support.

In any case ... an "optional" update solves the issue.

Maybe for you, but legally not for Apple. They'd be issuing a Software Update for a Phone. People will still complain that their Phone doesn't work.

 

[visualseed]

of course but I can't see the logic in running any of these devices in 2026. they'd run slow as molasses even with replaced parts and they'd also be a security hazard I'd think. the iPhone 7 was the first iPhone I ever used that never felt sluggish to me by the time I upgraded and I've had them since the launch.

For these devices, the features that still function and have server-side support work much like they did when new, aside from some app and OS bloat or throttling introduced in the last supported updates for the devices. Being in 2026 doesn’t inherently slow them down, except that websites now tend to have massive amounts of JavaScript tracking scripts and larger default image sizes. The camera still takes photos, iBooks still renders ePubs and PDFs, and the notes app still works. Many older apps continue to run as if time forgot them, especially a lot of pre-IAP games. Just don’t expect 3G or Edge to work, and GSM calling may be impossible on phones with now-unsupported frequencies.

 

[sotosoul]

These devices became useless due to software updates long ago this is just the final nail from Apple. Aka go buy another one

I am still using my iPad 4 that I bought in late 2012 — yeap, nearly 14 years ago — for ebooks, movies, music, iMessaging, emailing... it is far, far, FAR from being a useless device.

 

[MilaM]

Well, even Mac hardware is getting to be this way with trusted computing and the TPM-turned-T2-turned-integrated-into-Apple-Silicon chip. If I think about it too long, Windows and Linux start beckoning me again.

Macs at least can (theoretically) boot another OS like Linux. But you're right. Restoring Apple Silicon Macs with a fresh copy of macOS might also not be possible down the road.

 

[svish]

Interesting to know about this. Not sure how many of these affected devices are still actively being used today.

 

[I7guy]

Folks this is why we need competition, this is why we need regulation and this is why we need to "control" devices we pay our money for.

It’s your device. Apple didn’t take it away from you. It won’t stop functioning. Are you suggesting there is no competition in the cell phone market? Exercise your agency.

If we give them an inch they will take a mile.

Who is they?

What's stopping them from 4-5 years down the line saying you can't restore your iPhone 17,

How many times has this happened in the past? Do you think there may be some special situation, instead of creating some strawman about a future restore, maybe discuss why this occurred.

when you were planning on giving it to a parent or your child?

Does the device suddenly stop working?

What's stopping them from preventing you from selling your device that's fully paid off?

Strawman.

I'm not anti-business, but we as consumers need to stand up to these sorts of practices.

Stand up to what practices?

We don't work our butts off to be treated like garbage and lose access to our own products.

Who said you are losing access?

 

[dogrivergrad68]

Folks this is why we need competition, this is why we need regulation and this is why we need to "control" devices we pay our money for. If we give them an inch they will take a mile. What's stopping them from 4-5 years down the line saying you can't restore your iPhone 17, when you were planning on giving it to a parent or your child? What's stopping them from preventing you from selling your device that's fully paid off? I'm not anti-business, but we as consumers need to stand up to these sorts of practices. We don't work our butts off to be treated like garbage and lose access to our own products.

Look at how long the competition supports their devices.

The story has been updated that the devices can be restored.

 

[Rychiar]

I've got a bunch of old equipment, too. What's wrong with holding on to old phones and stuff??

nothing wrong with it. it's just pointless. hell I just got a MacBook Air for the first time and realize I have no need for my iPad Pro anymore so prob gonna sell that.

 

[visualseed]

The security hazard is smoke and mirrors; almost any OS could be patched to address security flaws.

But how do you define "slow"? I mean, I write on a Mac SE. Granted, it runs System 6.0.8 (without Multifinder) and has a BlueSCSI with an 8GB SSD in it, an accelerator card, and a full(!) 4MB of RAM. Further, I use Write Now as my word processor (it was written in 68k assembly code, so its RAM footprint is small, and RTF works just fine to get documents back from it).

My SE is faster than it was stock, but it's not "fast" compared to my M4 MBA… but do I need it to be? Nope. Do you really need your phone to be "fast"? It's a phone. Calls, email, and texting don't need to be "fast."

Maybe we've let these corporations convince us we require things that we really don't.

Microsoft Word 5.1a on my re-chipped, re-capped SE/30 is my favorite distraction-free writing setup. It may lack the speed of modern hardware, but it more than makes up for it with character.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy52]

you have an m4 air... so why would you own anything else aside from as a museum piece? I sell and upgrade all my old stuff on a regular basis in the most profitable way I can. I mean the $499 Mac mini we had access to up until recently buries most Macs of the past.

The M4 MBA is my production machine. It's… meh... nothing special, and there is no joy to be had from it. I'll use it till it grinds to a halt, and, by that point, I'll likely switch to Linux.

The classic all-in-one Macs were a marvel and fun to use. The SE serves as a distraction-free writing environment, and it does a wonderful job as such. The M4 is a necessary evil.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy52]

Microsoft Word 5.1a on my re-chipped, re-capped SE/30 is my favorite distraction-free writing setup. It may lack the speed of modern hardware, but it more than makes up for it with character.

I debated an SE/30 but settled on the SE because 4MB of RAM meant I couldn't run System 7 comfortably (and I could remove the distractions). I still installed Tetris, though. 😉

 

[I7guy]

The collective forum gets a lot of its exercise by jumping to conclusions. lol.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy52]

it's just pointless...

To you. It's pointless to you. Your approach is pointless to me. To each their own.

 

[visualseed]

I debated an SE/30 but settled on the SE because 4MB of RAM meant I couldn't run System 7 comfortably (and I could remove the distractions). I still installed Tetris, though. 😉

Spectrum HoloByte Tetris is the only version I consider truly authentic. Everything else feels like a poor imitation or blatant rip-off. I chose the SE/30 because I see it as the pinnacle Mac of its era, and classic Macs unfortunately never improved after that. Same for the iMac Pro.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy52]

Spectrum HoloByte Tetris is the only version I consider truly authentic. Everything else feels like a poor imitation or blatant rip-off. I chose the SE/30 because I see it as the pinnacle Mac of its era, and classic Macs unfortunately never improved after that. Same for the iMac Pro.

Completely agree. If I had room for an SE/30, I'd set one up, but the SE does precisely what I need. I do like the Color Classic (would love to have one of those with the Mystic upgrade), but the SE/30 would be my ideal compact black and white Mac.

And, of course, Spectrum HoloByte. Is there any other?

 

[thecautioners]

Ah, my old blue 5C, my first impulsive Apple purchase. I wasn’t a mega fangirl yet despite being a dedicated iPhone user since the day after the first one was released. I happened to hear about it on release day while I was wasting time at work (oops) and thought “….huh” and decided to head to Best Buy when I left the office. All they had left was blue, so that’s what I walked away with.

 

[visualseed]

Completely agree. If I had room for an SE/30, I'd set one up, but the SE does precisely what I need. I do like the Color Classic (would love to have one of those with the Mystic upgrade), but the SE/30 would be my ideal compact black and white Mac.

And, of course, Spectrum HoloByte. Is there any other?

For me, the SE/30 build was a chance to create the machine I could never afford (and no one else could either) when it was new. Back in the day, I had an anemic 1MB RAM/40MB HD model, which I eventually upgraded to 4MB of RAM a few months and many paychecks later. Now, I’ve got an accelerated, 32-bit clean, beast with greyscale support, 128MB of RAM, 32GB of storage split into seven 4GB logical drives, plus another 4GB of various smaller partitions loaded with older systems I can boot up whenever I’m feeling nostalgic. For me, it’s both a hobby and a way to connect with my personal living computer history, allowing me to use applications and files I created decades ago while still accomplishing things I find useful today.

 

[whitby]

The fact that they will not let you download an image to your laptop or desktop and use that to restore one of these deices is almost criminal. What motive do they have for this apart from downright greed. This is deliberate bricking of a device you own. Imagine if the car companies did the same thing and after some indeterminate amount of time the car would be bricked. This is utter nonsense. I have older phones that still function today.

 

[therealpaulg]

That 5c was a nice looking phone. I know phone designs have changed a lot but dang phones used to look so much nicer on the older models compared to these lifeless looking blocks we have now.

So did cars.