Apple Stops Signing iOS 16.3.1 to Prevent Downgrading

[Shirasaki]

They will never deactivate an updated device, even if it isn’t current, but they could try to deactivate anything that’s not updated. An iPhone Xʀ that’s not on iOS 16? Deactivated. An iPhone 6s that’s not on iOS 15.7.3? Deactivated. I don’t think they will, it’s too far-fetched, but they can.

It would bring them too many headaches, though.

Well I mean if they have the courage to get rid of headphone jack, and eventually charging port, I don’t see anything stopping them from deactivating devices without user consent en masse For any arbitrary reason they choose. Headache? Apple can coerce organisations and lobby the government to justify the change and bam, no headache. If past is anything to go by, Apple can do all of those anti-consumer behaviour again, but more invasive and more demanding.

 

[chewbaka]

Why is this always a story? And is it “to prevent downgrading”, really, or just that it’s a waste if resources to have both out there taking bandwidth? Every story that can seems to be twisted into Apple forcing something or another on consumers, even something as benign as a security patch.

 

[chewbaka]

Well I mean if they have the courage to get rid of headphone jack, and eventually charging port, I don’t see anything stopping them from deactivating devices without user consent en masse For any arbitrary reason they choose. Headache? Apple can coerce organisations and lobby the government to justify the change and bam, no headache. If past is anything to go by, Apple can do all of those anti-consumer behaviour again, but more invasive and more demanding.

This is ridiculous. They’ve given no indication they would ever do this, and your attempt to tie such an idea to the headphone jack is so tenuous I had to stretch my brain just to read it.

 

[FeliApple]

Why is this always a story? And is it “to prevent downgrading”, really, or just that it’s a waste if resources to have both out there taking bandwidth? Every story that can seems to be twisted into Apple forcing something or another on consumers, even something as benign as a security patch.

What bandwidth? It is to prevent downgrading, unfortunately.

iOS updates are the exact opposite of benign. They are arguably malicious. Irreversibly worsening performance and battery life, and there’s no way to go back.

They need one step to make them truly malicious: a forced install. As long as they allow me to remain on older versions, I can manage. Yes, I’ll exclude the A9 activation bug on iOS 9 as a one-off, unintentional bug.

Like I said: I don’t think they will do this, it is ridiculous from every point of view, and it will bring Apple more headaches than it’s worth. I will say it again: luckily, Apple does not force updates.

 

[FeliApple]

Well I mean if they have the courage to get rid of headphone jack, and eventually charging port, I don’t see anything stopping them from deactivating devices without user consent en masse For any arbitrary reason they choose. Headache? Apple can coerce organisations and lobby the government to justify the change and bam, no headache. If past is anything to go by, Apple can do all of those anti-consumer behaviour again, but more invasive and more demanding.

I don’t think they will do this. Just as they’ve never given any indication that they intend to allow downgrading (as a result, I think this will never happen), they’ve never given any indication that they’re interested in forcing updates, either.

This happened once, due to a bug that nobody can explain, a bug that only affects one specific chipset on one specific iOS version (the A9 and its variants on iOS 9). Yes, that is forced obsolescence, but the fact that A9 devices on iOS 10 are fine, and the fact that it has never happened on any other chipset-version combination makes me believe it was indeed an unintended bug. It was a massive headache for me. My two favourite devices ever were A9 devices on iOS 9. Apple screwed me over, but it was a bug that never happened again anywhere.

Forcing updates is just too much, and they removed the headphone jack because a valid alternative is present (wireless). You can disagree with that, just like we can disagree with Apple about 3D Touch, but I don’t think there was anything malicious there. Just a design choice. I think those are different things.

 

[Realityck]

iOS updates are the exact opposite of benign. They are arguably malicious. Irreversibly worsening performance and battery life, and there’s no way to go back.

Probably generalizing rather than reviewing. It true as you progress thru every larger builds you can readily encounter something that effects performance be in energy usage, or favorite OS setting is no longer working as well. But usually overtime it’s fixed until something else is being discovered that no longer works in the same manner, as said stuff happens. Now it’s not fair to be calling it malicious, because bugs are usually not intended result of any update they just happen. One could also say that hardware becomes more important as battery capacity is improved, or faster ARM SoC has got way better performance. Simply said the whole evolution of technology is not evil. It’s just what you bought long ago eventually sputters against its usefulness.

 

[FeliApple]

Probably generalizing rather than reviewing. It true as you progress thru every larger builds you can readily encounter something that effects performance be in energy usage, or favorite OS setting is no longer working as well. But usually overtime it’s fixed until something else is being discovered that no longer works in the same manner, as said stuff happens. Now it’s not fair to be calling it malicious, because bugs are usually not intended result of any update they just happen. One could also say that hardware becomes more important as battery capacity is improved, or faster ARM SoC has got way better performance. Simply said the whole evolution of technology is not evil. It’s just what you bought long ago eventually sputters against its usefulness.

All of this is true. Undeniably. Some things I’d like to contend:

-While, occasionally, specific abhorrent battery drain bugs are fixed, battery life never matches the original iOS version’s battery life.

-Hardware progress (and software accompanying it), is the whole explanation about why this happens. You are right: faster devices can do more, older devices receive the same software updates, so they struggle, in terms of both battery life and performance (earlier devices struggled with performance, current devices struggle more with battery life).

-But why should the things I bought be worse than they were? I said this a few times: iOS updates are mere sales. You buy app compatibility and features with performance and battery life. How much performance and battery life are you willing to sell for those things? Right now, users have to risk it. We, as users, never know the exact impact until we try it. We cannot do that now. You have two options: risk it, and cope with any unintended consequences, or don’t risk it, and maybe have less longevity as a result.

I will give an example: I have an iPhone Xʀ running iOS 12. Maybe iOS 16 demolished battery life. But iOS 15 is fine. Or iOS 14 is fine. Or iOS 13 is fine. The more I update with no consequences, the better. Right now, I can’t do anything: as I don’t know the exact impact, and I cannot go back, I cannot risk it. I have to stay on iOS 12. Now, if Apple allowed me to downgrade, I could safely try and choose.

I said once that I tried an iPhone 8 which was forcibly updated into iOS 14. And it was... fine. Battery life is fine, performance is fine. Maybe my Xʀ would be fine too. But I cannot risk it. It’s latest version or nothing, and the worst part is that I can’t even go back if it’s not acceptable.

Another example: the A9 bug on iOS 9 which forced my 9.7-inch iPad Pro on iOS 12. It severely affected battery life, and while performance is fine, on iPads it’s different: I don’t need the support or app compatibility. It’s not worth the battery life drain. So I would go back to iOS 10 if I could.

As you see, some in-the-middle updates are good, some are not. If Apple doesn’t let me choose, I have to play it safe: I have to stay behind.
Almost always though, if you push the device as far as it can go, results won’t be good. But if I could perfectly install intermediate versions like, say, iOS 15, I could increase longevity by a lot.

 

[I7guy]

All of this is true. Undeniably. Some things I’d like to contend:

-While, occasionally, specific abhorrent battery drain bugs are fixed, battery life never matches the original iOS version’s battery life.

Unless the battery is replaced and then there is a good possibility if you have an iPhone x or later battery life will be similar.

-Hardware progress (and software accompanying it), is the whole explanation about why this happens. You are right: faster devices can do more, older devices receive the same software updates, so they struggle, in terms of both battery life and performance (earlier devices struggled with performance, current devices struggle more with battery life).

The software environment changes and phone electronics are doing much more. The original iOS version isnt tuned for todays web and has trouble handling new technologies.

-But why should the things I bought be worse than they were? I said this a few times: iOS updates are mere sales. You buy app compatibility and features with performance and battery life. How much performance and battery life are you willing to sell for those things?

For the iPhone X and later it’s my opinion battery life is similar.

Right now, users have to risk it. We, as users, never know the exact impact until we try it. We cannot do that now. You have two options: risk it, and cope with any unintended consequences, or don’t risk it, and maybe have less longevity as a result.

If you have a 6s you risk it. There is virtually no risk for a iPhone X or later.

I will give an example: I have an iPhone Xʀ running iOS 12. Maybe iOS 16 demolished battery life.

As noted my Xs max gets good battery life in iOS 16. Of course I out a net battery in late last year.

But iOS 15 is fine. Or iOS 14 is fine. Or iOS 13 is fine. The more I update with no consequences, the better. Right now, I can’t do anything: as I don’t know the exact impact, and I cannot go back, I cannot risk it. I have to stay on iOS 12. Now, if Apple allowed me to downgrade, I could safely try and choose.

You know apple won’t allow downgrades. (At least in the current environment)

I said once that I tried an iPhone 8 which was forcibly updated into iOS 14. And it was... fine. Battery life is fine, performance is fine. Maybe my Xʀ would be fine too. But I cannot risk it. It’s latest version or nothing, and the worst part is that I can’t even go back if it’s not acceptable.

What we dem as “risks” are clearly different. There are antidotes for people who suffer horrible battery life that reduces the risk of upgrading to zero.

Another example: the A9 bug on iOS 9 which forced my 9.7-inch iPad Pro on iOS 12. It severely affected battery life, and while performance is fine, on iPads it’s different: I don’t need the support or app compatibility. It’s not worth the battery life drain. So I would go back to iOS 10 if I could.

As you see, some in-the-middle updates are good, some are not. If Apple doesn’t let me choose, I have to play it safe: I have to stay behind.

For me time is money. If I had to spend more than a minute thinking about an update; I would buy the latest model. But that’s me.

Almost always though, if you push the device as far as it can go, results won’t be good. But if I could perfectly install intermediate versions like, say, iOS 15, I could increase longevity by a lot.

One trades functionality for worrying about battery life. I’d rather have the functionality.

 

[SidricTheViking]

The link is:

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We would love to hear your comments about any of our hardware and software products. Send us your thoughts.

www.apple.com

 

[FeliApple]

Unless the battery is replaced and then there is a good possibility if you have an iPhone x or later battery life will be similar.

We’ve been over this, it isn’t, unfortunately.

The software environment changes and phone electronics are doing much more. The original iOS version isnt tuned for todays web and has trouble handling new technologies.

This is absolutely true, and it’s the largest issue that staying behind has. This and app compatibility.

For the iPhone X and later it’s my opinion battery life is similar.

I wish it were!

If you have a 6s you risk it. There is virtually no risk for a iPhone X or later.

Again, I wish this were the case.

As noted my Xs max gets good battery life in iOS 16. Of course I out a net battery in late last year.

You know apple won’t allow downgrades. (At least in the current environment)

What we dem as “risks” are clearly different. There are antidotes for people who suffer horrible battery life that reduces the risk of upgrading to zero.

I’m interested in these antidotes. I’m open to ideas about how to mitigate this.

For me time is money. If I had to spend more than a minute thinking about an update; I would buy the latest model. But that’s me.

One trades functionality for worrying about battery life. I’d rather have the functionality.

And I’d rather have the battery life. Like I said earlier: a simple choice, with no incorrect decisions.

 

[FeliApple]

Apple and their attorneys no doubt have much better/more experience, information, and insight, based on history with respect to the risks Apple shoulders, along with measures to minimize that risk, than you. And have thus decided to move forward in the manner they have chosen given their complete knowledge and understanding of risk.

OTOH, perhaps you're an attorney that specializes in this field and can point out flaws in their thinking and decision, based upon your experience, and set them on the correct path.

Assuming that's not the case... since you have such a strong opinion on the subject, and are upset with Apple's stance, you do have an opportunity to vote with your currency and find happiness with a different mobile phone supplier.

I missed this comment earlier, sorry. I doubt it’s due to risk. Apple already takes the risk by allowing unsupported devices to run at all. The minuscule proportion of downgraders don’t affect the numbers (yes, I am speculating, but people already don’t stay behind anyway. Why would they go back if they could? Apple’s charts show this is true. Actual evidence. Anecdotal evidence only adds to it: how many people are asking for this here in MacRumors and on other forums? How many are we? Not many, right? Whenever I recommend people not to update people just find my recommendation ridiculous. I’m not complaining, I know that my opinion is unpopular: it’s what I’m trying to show).

It does help developers: they get streamlined processes because they can just not support older versions, and nobody cares because everyone updates anyway, and nobody can go back. But once again, assuming that enabling downgrading doesn’t result in many downgraders, they won’t care either way, because the overall situation won’t change.

Two possible options:

Not malicious: Maybe Apple just wants to make sure in every possible way that fragmentation doesn’t occur on iOS, just like on Android. There’s a reason why WhatsApp supports Android’s 2012 version, and on iOS, it requires iOS 12 (the 2018 version). iOS devices on active use are far more likely to be updated as far as they can go. The newest device that doesn’t support iOS 12 is... the iPhone 5c. Not many of those in active use as main phones, right?

Maybe they want their little pathetic theoretical security to be accessible to as many devices as possible, like you said. Nevermind that millions of devices are unsupported and nevermind the fact that they allow devices to stay behind. It’s not a very strong argument, but okay, maybe it’s the case.

Malicious: Apple knows that iOS updates negatively impact devices, that drives upgrades, so why would I allow users to revert to versions that work better? It drives hardware purchases!

I want to clarify this because I always say it: I don’t know whether Apple intentionally worsens the experience through iOS updates. I don’t think that whether it’s intentional matters at all. On purpose or accidentally, the experience is degraded anyway. I don’t care whether they want to do it or not, the important thing is that it is degraded.

As to what I do: as I like iOS, I have iOS devices. I never update anything, they work well forever, and everyone is happy. I like my approach. I obviously consider Apple’s approach both flawed and actively harmful, so I mitigate it in the only way I can.

Like I said: the day Apple forces updates is the day I stop using iOS.

 

[cosmichobo]

When I was younger with no money I didn't care about jailbreaks and hacks. Now that my family and I will suffer immensely if I get malware or Russian ransomware, I rather stick to the latest versions if possible. Imagine your keychain and email in the hands of "the bad people". So, if it's time to upgrade your iPhone or iPad, then so be it

Hooray, you're not poor now, you can afford the latest and greatest. Congratulations.

Meanwhile the rest of us are poor, so how about you consider others.

 

[eveluvsrainbows]

This is all true, factually correct, and undeniable. I think that if the device is severely degraded by iOS updates, then it is no longer useful for the user. If that’s the case... well, no theoretical security threat matters anymore.

You try to prevent theoretical threats, in exchange for the very real battery life and performance implications. That is probably the worst trade-off I can think of. Not worth it, in my opinion.

This is the worst consequence of updating. It’s the only thing that actually bothers those of us who don’t update. We know that there’s nothing we can do to mitigate this. We do what we can with what we have, but I will be honest: it’s a constant struggle to circumvent these limitations whilst keeping as much functionality going for as long as possible.

The last time I can remember an iPhone being severely impacted to the point of not being usable anymore, was the iPhone 4 when it got the update to iOS 7 and the iPhone 6 / 6 Plus when it got iOS 11, but then it got iOS 12 and that improved the performance of the 6 series again. iOS 7 destroyed the performance of the iPhone 4, and not even iOS 7.1 could save it. However, since then iPhones have gotten a lot more powerful, to where iOS updates don't impact the device nearly as much as they used to. And on the iPhone 13/14 lineup for instance, the A15/A16 is so powerful now that it could probably go through like 6+ years of iOS updates. Additionally, iOS 17 is supposed to be an update focused on major performance and stability improvements a-la iOS 12 while also featuring some long requested features, so if the performance improvements are notable enough, it could probably put more life back into older devices like the iPhone X.

I never said or implied the company didn't have the legal ability to do what it's doing. Its policy is still incredibly stupid from my perspective, regardless of whatever business sense it may make, and I'm going to continue my time-tested tradition of complaining on Macrumors until it's rectified. And iOS certainly has more...functionality than it did back then, for better or worse.

Except it isn't stupid, it is responsible from a security, engineering, and support perspective. In terms of the security aspect, like I mentioned above, iOS is used on over 2 billion devices. That is a major target for black hat hackers to want to try and exploit which could negatively impact iPhone users. Supporting many iOS versions would add unnecessary stress and load on Apple engineers & support advisors such as Geniuses. And it would take a lot of time away from Apple's engineers' work on newer iOS versions. iOS 17 for example is supposed to be a release focused on major stability and performance improvements alongside some long-requested features, which would probably benefit a lot of users. Allocating engineering resources towards maintaining security for old versions of iOS on devices supported by the latest major version of iOS would be awaste of R&D money. Not to mention if users stayed on old versions forever, what would be the point in Apple continuing to maintain iOS at all?

Regarding your last sentence, I'm genuinely confused by what you mean by that. Compared to today's iOS releases, iOS 6 was severely limited in capabilities. No app developer could do today what they could back then on new iOS versions, and regular users don't have the capabilities and features they did back then either. Shortcuts? Nope. Siri? Billion times worse compared to Siri today. Apple Maps? That too was so much worse back in the iOS 6 days compared to now. Not to mention the thousands of additional features Apple has added to iOS since 2012 and now. So I genuinely do not understand that last part of your message.

Before I would doubt Apple would willing to risk massive PR damage to pull the trigger by essentially rendering all older devices useless, but nowadays I am not sure. If removing headphone jack means nothing to Apple’s bottom line, deactivating your device the minute you can no longer receive latest software update would not hurt Apple in any meaningful way, especially since there will be millions die hard Apple fans attacking people with alternative opinions.

The headphone jack is far less of a big deal compared to straight up locking people out of their devices if they don't do a software update. Yeah, the headphone jack removal was inconvenient for awhile, but its not like you didn't have the option of using the 3.5mm adapter, or connecting your phone to a DAC like a Dragonfly or a regular desktop DAC with Apple's USB-Lightning combo adapter.

What bandwidth? It is to prevent downgrading, unfortunately.

iOS updates are the exact opposite of benign. They are arguably malicious. Irreversibly worsening performance and battery life, and there’s no way to go back.

They need one step to make them truly malicious: a forced install. As long as they allow me to remain on older versions, I can manage. Yes, I’ll exclude the A9 activation bug on iOS 9 as a one-off, unintentional bug.

Like I said: I don’t think they will do this, it is ridiculous from every point of view, and it will bring Apple more headaches than it’s worth. I will say it again: luckily, Apple does not force updates.

they are not malicious though? software inherently won’t perform as well on older hardware as it ages. we’ve been over this. and apple wouldn’t force an update on you but the fact that you’re still using an iPhone XR on iOS 12 is just simply irresponsible imo. that version is subject to potentially hundreds of security vulnerabilities, it’s missing the latest features, and it’s missing a lot of app support. Battery life on the XR on iOS 16 is similar to iOS 12. It’s not exact, but it’s similar. Apple wouldn’t butcher the battery life of a device, it’s why they recalibrate the battery after so many iOS versions, to try and squeeze more performance / battery life out of it. My phone (the 13 pro max) shipped with iOS 15. I updated it to iOS 16 and saw pretty much no difference in battery life other than the fact that my battery has naturally degraded to only store 88% of its battery capacity due to said degradation. However, accusing ios of intentional battery degradation is just severely incorrect. I think you’re incorrectly placing battery life issues on iOS when battery life decreases are almost always because of battery degradation, with some impact due to iOS, but not enough to severely matter.

 

[I7guy]

I missed this comment earlier, sorry. I doubt it’s due to risk. Apple already takes the risk by allowing unsupported devices to run at all. The minuscule proportion of downgraders don’t affect the numbers (yes, I am speculating, but people already don’t stay behind anyway. Why would they go back if they could? Apple’s charts show this is true. Actual evidence. Anecdotal evidence only adds to it: how many people are asking for this here in MacRumors and on other forums? How many are we? Not many, right? Whenever I recommend people not to update people just find my recommendation ridiculous. I’m not complaining, I know that my opinion is unpopular: it’s what I’m trying to show).

It does help developers: they get streamlined processes because they can just not support older versions, and nobody cares because everyone updates anyway, and nobody can go back. But once again, assuming that enabling downgrading doesn’t result in many downgraders, they won’t care either way, because the overall situation won’t change.

Two possible options:

Not malicious: Maybe Apple just wants to make sure in every possible way that fragmentation doesn’t occur on iOS, just like on Android. There’s a reason why WhatsApp supports Android’s 2012 version, and on iOS, it requires iOS 12 (the 2018 version). iOS devices on active use are far more likely to be updated as far as they can go. The newest device that doesn’t support iOS 12 is... the iPhone 5c. Not many of those in active use as main phones, right?

Maybe they want their little pathetic theoretical security to be accessible to as many devices as possible, like you said. Nevermind that millions of devices are unsupported and nevermind the fact that they allow devices to stay behind. It’s not a very strong argument, but okay, maybe it’s the case.

Malicious: Apple knows that iOS updates negatively impact devices, that drives upgrades, so why would I allow users to revert to versions that work better? It drives hardware purchases!

I want to clarify this because I always say it: I don’t know whether Apple intentionally worsens the experience through iOS updates. I don’t think that whether it’s intentional matters at all. On purpose or accidentally, the experience is degraded anyway. I don’t care whether they want to do it or not, the important thing is that it is degraded.

As to what I do: as I like iOS, I have iOS devices. I never update anything, they work well forever, and everyone is happy. I like my approach. I obviously consider Apple’s approach both flawed and actively harmful, so I mitigate it in the only way I can.

Like I said: the day Apple forces updates is the day I stop using iOS.

As has been discussed quite verbosely since the (and I’ll use my phone ) Xs max has been released the iOS experience has been consistent for me since 2018. (It helps I had a new battery installed)

That experience can’t be said for 32 bit devices and maybe some iPads as well. My own 7th gen has been consistent on iPadOS 16.

And of course we have two different views on this.

 

[TheGenerous]

Hooray, you're not poor now, you can afford the latest and greatest. Congratulations.

Meanwhile the rest of us are poor, so how about you consider others.

Please, tell me your desires

 

[FeliApple]

The last time I can remember an iPhone being severely impacted to the point of not being usable anymore, was the iPhone 4 when it got the update to iOS 7 and the iPhone 6 / 6 Plus when it got iOS 11, but then it got iOS 12 and that improved the performance of the 6 series again. iOS 7 destroyed the performance of the iPhone 4, and not even iOS 7.1 could save it. However, since then iPhones have gotten a lot more powerful, to where iOS updates don't impact the device nearly as much as they used to. And on the iPhone 13/14 lineup for instance, the A15/A16 is so powerful now that it could probably go through like 6+ years of iOS updates. Additionally, iOS 17 is supposed to be an update focused on major performance and stability improvements a-la iOS 12 while also featuring some long requested features, so if the performance improvements are notable enough, it could probably put more life back into older devices like the iPhone X.

I have mentioned this already, but I think the issue just shifted: it used to be performance that was impacted, now it’s battery life. Performance is far better than it used to be. Battery life is abhorrent. Let’s take the two unsupported iPhones on their final versions: both the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 7 have abhorrent battery life on iOS 15. Plus models aren’t amazing either, and they were obliterated when compared to iOS 9 and 10, respectively.

Hopefully it gets better as time goes forward. The iPhone Xʀ onwards have amazing batteries. We can only hope that when these devices reach their limit, battery life is good enough so as to be great even with degraded batteries (this is the case with original versions of iOS: battery health is irrelevant if the device isn’t updated).

I will emphasise: performance isn’t the issue nowadays. Battery life is. Whether it can be mitigated by battery packs or otherwise is irrelevant: I don’t need a battery pack for my 6s on iOS 10 with the original battery with 63% health, I shouldn’t need it on iOS 15.
Whether this will change with newer devices, like I said, remains to be seen.

The iPhone Xʀ’s battery life is definitely worse on iOS 16 than it was on iOS 12.

Except it isn't stupid, it is responsible from a security, engineering, and support perspective. In terms of the security aspect, like I mentioned above, iOS is used on over 2 billion devices. That is a major target for black hat hackers to want to try and exploit which could negatively impact iPhone users. Supporting many iOS versions would add unnecessary stress and load on Apple engineers & support advisors such as Geniuses. And it would take a lot of time away from Apple's engineers' work on newer iOS versions. iOS 17 for example is supposed to be a release focused on major stability and performance improvements alongside some long-requested features, which would probably benefit a lot of users. Allocating engineering resources towards maintaining security for old versions of iOS on devices supported by the latest major version of iOS would be awaste of R&D money. Not to mention if users stayed on old versions forever, what would be the point in Apple continuing to maintain iOS at all?

We are not asking for Apple to support any older version. We will happily run older versions with no support. We ask one thing of Apple: flip that pointless switch, eliminate iOS version signing, and allow the user to install whatever we want, whenever we want.
Apple doesn’t have to do anything other than flip a switch.

they are not malicious though? software inherently won’t perform as well on older hardware as it ages. we’ve been over this. and apple wouldn’t force an update on you but the fact that you’re still using an iPhone XR on iOS 12 is just simply irresponsible imo. that version is subject to potentially hundreds of security vulnerabilities, it’s missing the latest features, and it’s missing a lot of app support. Battery life on the XR on iOS 16 is similar to iOS 12. It’s not exact, but it’s similar. Apple wouldn’t butcher the battery life of a device, it’s why they recalibrate the battery after so many iOS versions, to try and squeeze more performance / battery life out of it. My phone (the 13 pro max) shipped with iOS 15. I updated it to iOS 16 and saw pretty much no difference in battery life other than the fact that my battery has naturally degraded to only store 88% of its battery capacity due to said degradation. However, accusing ios of intentional battery degradation is just severely incorrect. I think you’re incorrectly placing battery life issues on iOS when battery life decreases are almost always because of battery degradation, with some impact due to iOS, but not enough to severely matter.

They are though: it’s software that degrades performance and/or battery life, and it’s a software installation which I cannot reverse.
Apple will - and does - butcher battery life. You can see that on the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 7. Apple butchered performance on 32-bit devices, rendering them unusable for anyone with a slight amount of standards. Historically, examples are there for both cases.

Battery health is irrelevant if the device is on its original version of iOS. My iPhone 6s on iOS 10 with its original 7-year-old battery with 63% health is flawless, like-new. Therefore, battery health isn’t the cause of battery life degradation, iOS updates are.

So this: “I think you’re incorrectly placing battery life issues on iOS when battery life decreases are almost always because of battery degradation, with some impact due to iOS, but not enough to severely matter.”
is incorrect.

Replacing the battery only helps if the device is severely updated and severely degraded, and regardless, the results obtained after replacing (again, if updated far enough), do not match the battery life that an iPhone has on its original iOS version.

Replace the battery on an iPhone 6s on iOS 15, and it wouldn’t be anywhere near the screen-on time it could get on iOS 9 or 10. It will be better than a severely degraded battery on iOS 15, yes, but it will not be as good as it was on iOS 9.


As far as your iPhone goes, it’s probably too new to see any significant degradation. The first major update is probably half-decent.

 

[cosmichobo]

Please, tell me your desires

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is my hope.

 

[Shirasaki]

still using an iPhone XR on iOS 12 is just simply irresponsible imo. that version is subject to potentially hundreds of security vulnerabilities, it’s missing the latest features, and it’s missing a lot of app support.

This is subjective sadly. Even from security vulnerability standpoint, some users like you see here will value performance and battery life over a more secured device. Exchange usability with some app support and somewhat increased security risk, both of which may not apply to an individual.

Except it isn't stupid, it is responsible from a security, engineering, and support perspective. In terms of the security aspect, like I mentioned above, iOS is used on over 2 billion devices. That is a major target for black hat hackers to want to try and exploit which could negatively impact iPhone users. Supporting many iOS versions would add unnecessary stress and load on Apple engineers & support advisors such as Geniuses. And it would take a lot of time away from Apple's engineers' work on newer iOS versions. iOS 17 for example is supposed to be a release focused on major stability and performance improvements alongside some long-requested features, which would probably benefit a lot of users. Allocating engineering resources towards maintaining security for old versions of iOS on devices supported by the latest major version of iOS would be awaste of R&D money. Not to mention if users stayed on old versions forever, what would be the point in Apple continuing to maintain iOS at all?

This is an intentional design choice and a culture dictated by Steve Jobs. That is all. Had Steve Wozniak still held a voice in company today somehow, Apple might consider loosening their stance on prohibiting software downgrades. I can provide more or less the same explanation as you presented here to another random uninitiated, but that doesn’t mean Apple can continue to justify preventing downgrade, given its market value and people usually treating Apple as the world’s richest company. However, it is what it is now, and I don’t see Apple softening their position anytime soon if at all. As long as they don’t go extreme like that Hypothetical scenario I described earlier, users can still be somewhat content and manage, however clunky it might be.
As for the point of major target, I mean, scam apps are all over the place in App Store. Many other types of attacks still works on iOS without software exploitation. People is always the weakest link among this chain and you can’t fix that. Preventing downgrade can help but its effect would akin to arguing daylight saving time saving electricity.

 

[I7guy]

The last time I can remember an iPhone being severely impacted to the point of not being usable anymore, was the iPhone 4 when it got the update to iOS 7 and the iPhone 6 / 6 Plus when it got iOS 11, but then it got iOS 12 and that improved the performance of the 6 series again. iOS 7 destroyed the performance of the iPhone 4, and not even iOS 7.1 could save it. However, since then iPhones have gotten a lot more powerful, to where iOS updates don't impact the device nearly as much as they used to. And on the iPhone 13/14 lineup for instance, the A15/A16 is so powerful now that it could probably go through like 6+ years of iOS updates. Additionally, iOS 17 is supposed to be an update focused on major performance and stability improvements a-la iOS 12 while also featuring some long requested features, so if the performance improvements are notable enough, it could probably put more life back into older devices like the iPhone X.

Except it isn't stupid, it is responsible from a security, engineering, and support perspective. In terms of the security aspect, like I mentioned above, iOS is used on over 2 billion devices. That is a major target for black hat hackers to want to try and exploit which could negatively impact iPhone users. Supporting many iOS versions would add unnecessary stress and load on Apple engineers & support advisors such as Geniuses. And it would take a lot of time away from Apple's engineers' work on newer iOS versions. iOS 17 for example is supposed to be a release focused on major stability and performance improvements alongside some long-requested features, which would probably benefit a lot of users. Allocating engineering resources towards maintaining security for old versions of iOS on devices supported by the latest major version of iOS would be awaste of R&D money. Not to mention if users stayed on old versions forever, what would be the point in Apple continuing to maintain iOS at all?

Regarding your last sentence, I'm genuinely confused by what you mean by that. Compared to today's iOS releases, iOS 6 was severely limited in capabilities. No app developer could do today what they could back then on new iOS versions, and regular users don't have the capabilities and features they did back then either. Shortcuts? Nope. Siri? Billion times worse compared to Siri today. Apple Maps? That too was so much worse back in the iOS 6 days compared to now. Not to mention the thousands of additional features Apple has added to iOS since 2012 and now. So I genuinely do not understand that last part of your message.

The headphone jack is far less of a big deal compared to straight up locking people out of their devices if they don't do a software update. Yeah, the headphone jack removal was inconvenient for awhile, but its not like you didn't have the option of using the 3.5mm adapter, or connecting your phone to a DAC like a Dragonfly or a regular desktop DAC with Apple's USB-Lightning combo adapter.

they are not malicious though? software inherently won’t perform as well on older hardware as it ages. we’ve been over this. and apple wouldn’t force an update on you but the fact that you’re still using an iPhone XR on iOS 12 is just simply irresponsible imo. that version is subject to potentially hundreds of security vulnerabilities, it’s missing the latest features, and it’s missing a lot of app support. Battery life on the XR on iOS 16 is similar to iOS 12. It’s not exact, but it’s similar. Apple wouldn’t butcher the battery life of a device, it’s why they recalibrate the battery after so many iOS versions, to try and squeeze more performance / battery life out of it. My phone (the 13 pro max) shipped with iOS 15. I updated it to iOS 16 and saw pretty much no difference in battery life other than the fact that my battery has naturally degraded to only store 88% of its battery capacity due to said degradation. However, accusing ios of intentional battery degradation is just severely incorrect. I think you’re incorrectly placing battery life issues on iOS when battery life decreases are almost always because of battery degradation, with some impact due to iOS, but not enough to severely matter.

I agree with your points. However, all of this discussion revolving around performance and battery life and which iphone/ipad models and which ios versions are mostly subjective. Anecdotally some iphone/ipad versions on certain ios versions may have faired less well when being upgraded through the various ios versions, but it's my contention that for the iphone x and above, battery life/performance are similiar on ios 16 than the original ios version. Of course everybody has their own opinion on this matter.

It's also up to the individual if they want to risk some vulnerability that has been mitigated in a future release. ios 16.3.1 has some security holes in it, why anyone would want to downgrade to it is beyond me.

 

[geartau]

Apple’s most purposefully harmful (arguably a segment of planned obsolescence) policy ever. I reckon that it will never change, but I will never get tired of saying this.

5+ years of software updates: planned obsolescence
also: Apple rumored to cut off device support for iOS 17: planned obsolescence.

just, what?

 

[geartau]

AirPods, magsafe charger and other accessories - automatic updates are real PITA and planned obsolescence.

as opposed to dropping updates altogether? planned obsolescence what?

 

[FeliApple]

5+ years of software updates: planned obsolescence
also: Apple rumored to cut off device support for iOS 17: planned obsolescence.

just, what?

I have never said that Apple cutting off devices is planned obsolescence.

 

[cosmichobo]

Please, tell me your desires

I appreciate that there are security risks, but there are also plenty of people who cannot afford to regularly update their phones. Apple used to be a very elite brand. iPod and iPhone and iPad finally seemed to break that status, with those devices taking the world by storm, not just the existing fanbase. But over the past 5 odd years at least, Apple seems obsessed with squeezing every single penny out of every device, and making it harder and harder for people to consider the second hand market.

You can't tell me that Apple HAS to make the profits they are making right now, that they cannot afford to loosen their grip a little and yet still remain a highly profitable company worth trillions...

 

[Shirasaki]

5+ years of software updates: planned obsolescence
also: Apple rumored to cut off device support for iOS 17: planned obsolescence.

just, what?

as opposed to dropping updates altogether? planned obsolescence what?

This is what’s happening when Apple and Apple diehard equates “long term software update” as “planned obsolescence doesnt exist”. iOS 9 on A5 will not be the last example of software ruining the Experience.

Ever heard of “if it ain’t break, don’t fix it”? This applies to software update too, and why so many critical industrial equipments running in various sectors don’t bother to upgrade their Windows 95 machine to even Windows XP, despite undoubtedly thousands if not millions of security flaws.

It is your personal choice if you want to stay with the latest. But why Apple forces folks who don’t want software update breaking otherwise working things to update, thus leading to breaking things? It may, or may not, but that’s not the point. Again, updates don’t always yield good results, and I hate Apple spinning updates being all good and dandy and no drawbacks, which is factually wrong.

 

[I7guy]

I appreciate that there are security risks, but there are also plenty of people who cannot afford to regularly update their phones. Apple used to be a very elite brand. iPod and iPhone and iPad finally seemed to break that status, with those devices taking the world by storm, not just the existing fanbase. But over the past 5 odd years at least, Apple seems obsessed with squeezing every single penny out of every device, and making it harder and harder for people to consider the second hand market.

You can't tell me that Apple HAS to make the profits they are making right now, that they cannot afford to loosen their grip a little and yet still remain a highly profitable company worth trillions...

I don’t see anyone here leading by example. For example to take a 30% pay cut and tell their employer to donate your proceeds to charity. Sure you could make a little less also.

Further I don’t see how “apple is obsessed with squeezing every penny out of the device”. Specific examples?