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This update is not for iPhone 8.
You have iOS 13.1 for that.
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I can’t see a good reason to do that
Can’t use App Store in iTunes 12.6 for iOS 13, requires 12.7 or higher. Apple Configurator requires Mojave. I’m on El Capitan. Have to stay on iOS 12.
 
Interesting. Apple has never done something like this before. They did it for WatchOS as well.
 
Enough with the whataboutism. It’s the right thing to do. End of debate.
It was a question, not an attack. How long do androids get security updates on average? I do know it’s different from feature updates.
 
Anyone try this on an iPad mini 2? They keyboard on mine has been terribly slow since moving to iOS 12, with letters appearing up to a second after I type them. I'm reluctant to update, for fear that it will be even worse.
 
Welp. I was hoping it was a patch to fix Reminders app (So it can sync with devices on iOS/iPadOS 13)
I still use my old 5S as my gym/running “iPod“. Oh well.
 
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"Apple is making iOS 12.4.2 available for the ...... iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus ..... all of which are not compatible with iOS 13."

Isn't this in error? My 6s is running 13.1.

-Jeff

Same here. I had to check the comments to make sure I did not have a “special” edition.
 
Apple has to hit as many iOS devices as possible to patch the various flaws that allow remote jailbreaking or hacking to occur by simply sending someone a specially crafted iMessage. They are updating older devices to prevent further embarrassment and to protect their users.
 
I get your point, but it really is apples and oranges for an old phone vs a still very powerful computer.

No, it is not.

I had an iPhone 6 which was running amazingly well on iOS 10, started lagging on iOS 11 and become unbearably slow and problematic on iOS 12.

As an iOS Developer, I was able to figure out numerous memory leaks happening in Safari and elsewhere in iOS. I was following up with Apple engineers for more than 4 months, twice, giving them a lot of logs of when the problems happen. They repeatedly said they couldn't find any problems even with to-the-minute timestamps for the logs.

Now that was some epic BS and denial and I just had to give up. Apple would rather raise up their hands and deny their planned obsolescence or simply poor engineering.

The iPhone 6 is a perfectly capable device able to support iOS 12 or even iOS 13 without having to perform so poorly even on the home screen if Apple would just not add those bugs they introduce in progressive versions of iOS.

There seems to be no feature or necessary requirement which can justify the performance degrading in iOS 11 and iOS 12. Or the exclusion of support by iOS 13.

Newer iPhones having more RAM cover up the numerous memory leaks. If an iPhone 6s is running smoothly while an iPhone 6 is lagging, freezing and terminating apps aggressively, the thing that makes the difference is the 1GB RAM in the iPhone 6 vs the 2GB RAM in the iPhone 6s.

These slowing performance issues are simply added in later iOSes. And Apple is not fixing them. Or even accepting them.

If Apple doesn't support even a visibly powerful Mac with the latest macOS, how much intent would they have to support an iPhone by just keeping their software engineering standards good enough?

I had to eventually buy an iPhone 6s not because I needed the better iPhone, but because Apple eventually made it impossible to have a good experience on the iPhone 6 with a current iOS.

As an iOS Developer I would like to support as old a device as I can, and keeping an older iPhone allows me to test the real-world performance of apps on them very well. If an app is optimized to smoothly run on as old a device as it can be, it would run better on newer ones too. But not necessarily the other way around.
 
I started the install of this update and then went to my home screen. I saw the icon for the Wallet app briefly flash. Since Apple Card was recently released on iOS 12, I’ll bet we see more of these updates for quite some time. (I’m installing on iPhone 6 Plus.)
 



Though iOS 13 has been available for a week now, Apple today released an iOS 12.4.2 update designed for those who are still running versions of iOS 12 on devices that aren't able to be updated to iOS 13.

Apple is making iOS 12.4.2 available for the original iPad Air, the iPad mini 2, the iPad mini 3, the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and sixth-generation iPod touch, all of which are not compatible with iOS 13.

ios12banner-800x416.jpg

The iOS 12.4.2 update can be downloaded on eligible devices over the air by opening up the Settings app, selecting the General section, and tapping on Software Update.

It's not clear what's included in iOS 12.4.2, but it is likely a security update that adds important security fixes for older devices that weren't able to get those updates through the newer software. Apple's release notes say the update "includes improvements, provides important security updates, and is recommended for all users."

A security support document provided alongside the update indicates that it fixes a vulnerability that could allow a remote attacker to case unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.

Article Link: Apple Releases iOS 12.4.2 Update for Older iPhones and iPads

Not the first time Apple has done this.

They also released 6.1.5 and 6.1.6 for devices incompatible with iOS 7, and 9.3.6 and 10.3.4 in 2019 for the A5/A6-chipset devices. And now 12.4.2, it's just a security hotfix. iOS 12 isn't fully outdated yet, to remind you.
 
I still have the 5S and 6 and good to see updates is still available for both phones even if I can't update to iOS 13.
 
I don't recall Apple releasing security updates for a non-current older version of iOS, ever. There was a GPS bugfix update for iOS 9 and 10 released earlier this year, but there wasn't any mention of security fixes in the release notes.

Agreed on the second point. That could be what motivated Apple to change their policy regarding supporting older versions of iOS on capped devices.

I can't think of an iOS example, but they've definitely kept providing updates for their discontinued AirPorts.
 
As it the iPhone 6 supports Apple Pay It will be interesting to see if they go beyond the usual odd patch here and there and give it proper security support for a while. On a practical note it’d be good to make reminders work between iOS versions, my parents just updated their iPhones and upgraded their reminders but their old iPads now won’t work with them.
 
Everyday I find more reasons regretting updating from iOS 10 to iOS 12.
Now I have the can't access the widget and camera bug from the lock screen and notification screen. Have to use the assistive touch double click home button to reactivate this feature.
Never had this problem with iOS 10.

Still have the audio bug where two music apps can be playing music at the same time. Normally the other stops if another starts playing. Also Bluetooth buttons in car can no longer start and stop playback. Never had this problem in iOS 10.

Siri seems to be even worse with dictation now. Also inserting profanity in my texts when nothing was said. And why did Apple moved the profanity setting into screen time settings is beyond me. I leave that off to save battery and then those options are unavailable.

Also no way to turn off photos from building memories and I have to keep deleting them.

And of course I lost stereo playback with built in speakers when updating from iOS 10 to iOS 12.
 
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I don't recall Apple releasing security updates for a non-current older version of iOS, ever. There was a GPS bugfix update for iOS 9 and 10 released earlier this year, but there wasn't any mention of security fixes in the release notes.

Agreed on the second point. That could be what motivated Apple to change their policy regarding supporting older versions of iOS on capped devices.

iPhone OS 1.1.5 was released after iPhone OS 2.0 with security fixes for original iPod touch users who didn't want to pay for the 2.0 update.
 
Actually, I wonder about that as well. With so many devices not getting past the sweet named versions of Android, I wonder if Google still sneaks security updates past the phone manufacturers and carriers.

The core OS itself? No. Google only pushes core OS updates for their own branded phones (formerly Nexus, now Pixel). All other Android phones only get OS updates at the discretion of their manufacturer (and sometimes also the carrier, if the phone was sold through a bundle via the carrier). But Google is trying to build in stricter requirements that manufacturers make some level of commitment to provide security updates for new phones going forward. However, it's all still very much dependent on decisions made by each phone's manufacturer.

That being said, Google has been working to take more and more functionality out of the OS and redirect it into separately installed apps. A big example of this would be the default web browser (previously baked into the OS, then replaced with Google Chrome), and the embedded HTML rendering engine used by other apps on the phone (formerly baked into the OS, then distributed as an app called WebView, and finally integrated into the same package that delivers Google Chrome). Both of these pieces of functionality used to require a full OS install to update, but now they are updated automatically via the app store.

Currently, all phones running KitKat (circa 2013) or newer all have access to an up-to-date secure version of Chrome, and all phones running Lollipop (circa 2014) or newer all have access to an up-to-date secure version of WebView for use by other apps. (If I recall correctly, iOS still requires a full OS update to deliver security improvements to Safari or the embedded copy of WebKit.)

They're trying to make more frameworks in the OS modular and replaceable directly by Google via the Play Store without requiring an OS update. (https://source.android.com/devices/architecture/modular-system/) However, this doesn't do anything to improve the lives of anyone who's still stuck on older versions of Android, and the new system hasn't been in place long enough to allow anyone to judge just how successful it'll actually be.
 
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Ever since upgrading from iOS 10 to 12 I've noticed that the Settings app likes to automatically go to the Software Update section all by itself. Even though I have updates turned off in there. I've even had it automatically download iOS 13 again even though I have updates turned off. Had to delete the installer it downloaded. It better not try to install iOS 13 automatically. I'll loose app support in iTunes 12.6 and have that iOS 13 mess that everyone is regretting.
 
Ever since upgrading from iOS 10 to 12 I've noticed that the Settings app likes to automatically go to the Software Update section all by itself. Even though I have updates turned off in there. I've even had it automatically download iOS 13 again even though I have updates turned off. Had to delete the installer it downloaded. It better not try to install iOS 13 automatically. I'll loose app support in iTunes 12.6 and have that iOS 13 mess that everyone is regretting.
Everybody is not regretting the installation of iOS 13. For me iOS 13 is great.
 
I get your point, but it really is apples and oranges for an old phone vs a still very powerful computer.

Very powerful for 2010. By 2012 a single consumer i7-3930k was already faster. Today a low end $100-150 CPU walks all over it, and current generation high performance single CPUs easily deliver 3x or more performance.

For some perspective, the iPhone 4 was bleeding edge when that platform first launched.

Besides, Apple makes it very clear in their vintage and obsolete products policy that after 7 years products are officially no longer supported. In the world of computers that’s honestly more generous than most manufacturers. At one point I had a business laptop from 2012, and that never even received driver updates for Windows 10 compatibility in 2015.
 
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