iPhone 17 Does Apple install malware to slow your old phone down?

[FeliApple]

It might happen again, have you decided to update to the latest version of iOS 18 or will you risk the expiring certificates that may push you on to 27?

Honestly I’m not sure about how to proceed here. I might update to the latest iOS 18 version on the two devices whose original iOS version is 18 (my 11th-gen iPad and 16 Plus are running iOS 18.3 and 18.3.1). Everything else will not be updated as they force 26 (or 18 but it doesn’t matter. My iPad Air 5 on iPadOS 15 does offer 18, but it would be killing it regardless).

The thing is that I have to update via OTA (IPSWs aren’t signed), and the last time I updated via OTA - back in the iOS 7 days - it was an absolute disaster. The device had several app crashes after the update that even a full restore did not solve (yeah, I have no idea what happened there). I’m not too happy about that. And if the OTA update fails (like a boot loop or something) I’d HAVE to go to 26 because the IPSW isn’t signed.

This talk of certs has happened in the past and iMessage works everywhere for me (including on iOS 5 when they said that it was iOS 6.1.6 or nothing). So how do I know who to trust, what to do? I’m not upgrading again soon. iOS 26 is garbage. Even behind functionality and battery life, it is ugly for me, I don’t like it. I’d be very unhappy if I had to install it just because this failed. So I don’t know what to do.

 

[FeliApple]

As features get added, the code base expands greatly and gets more complicated. It's the result of the yearly release cycles for major updates. The public constant need for updates has degraded software quality for years. As a general society, we need to slow down and allow these companies to perfect what they have. It is rumored iOS 27 will be a "Snow Leopard" type release which, at the time, focused largely on performance. I remember when it came out and the beta was faster than the stable version. If this is the case, I think a lot of these issues will be addressed. That being said, I have not had many major issues with iOS 26 that hasn't been addressed.

The possibility of companies (especially Apple) perfecting what they have is basically zero. I don’t think they care at all. iOS 12 touted a similar performance improvement, and the result was funny. A9 devices on iOS 9 were disabled and forced to update some years after launch. I had two devices:

A 9.7-inch iPad Pro forced from iOS 9 to iOS 12, the one update that Apple had touted as a “performance focus”. I went straight from the original version to the so-called “performance update”. It was decent, but iOS 9 was better. Keyboard lag was there (although very minor), and overall performance was faster on iOS 9. It was good, I’ll grant you that, but iOS 9 was better. Most importantly, iOS 12 took 30% of my battery life permanently (from a consistent 14 hours of light SOT to a consistent 10.5).

An iPhone 6s forced later, to iOS 13. Maybe here the iOS 12 quality shows: it is garbage. 50-60% battery life drops, far laggier, far slower, the keyboard is a disaster. So iOS 12 was worse compared to iOS 9 but FAR better than iOS 13 on a device that debuted on the same version, iOS 9.

Here’s the good thing though: the best-performing iOS device I’ve ever had? An iPhone Xʀ running iOS 12, which was not only optimised, but written for that iPhone. I’ve long stated that my favourite iOS combo would be the iPhone Xʀ that I have on iOS 12 and the 3rd-gen iPad Pro on iOS 12 (I sadly do not have this one, but my Xʀ still runs iOS 12).

Maybe those who buy the next devices can have a similar device quality. Maybe those who are running and dislike 26 can have a better device (which probably won’t be as good as 18 or 17 or 16 or 15 (etc) as an original version).

 

[Wahlstrm]

People seem to always ignore the bigger picture when coming up with these conspiracies. The world has evolved.
Your phone is not living in a vacuum.

Not an iPhone but on my 2007 MBP I had about 3,5 out of 4GB RAM “free” when I booted into 10.6.8, the entire OS only took about 500mb of RAM.. Safari used maybe 50-100mb since the internet was still mostly text and low res photos.
Video was 240-480p.

Today, MacOS26 probably need 5GB just to boot and you need 1-2GB of RAM just to run a single tab of 4K YouTube/Netflix..

Instagram used to load maybe 5-10 new low res photos when you opened the app. No reels, no videos, no ads, no infinite scroll and no “recommended posts” etc.

Had instagram stayed the same it would probably still be super fast even on 10y old phones and the same principle goes for most apps you run.

 

[AppleTO]

Not an iPhone but on my 2007 MBP I had about 3,5 out of 4GB RAM “free” when I booted into 10.6.8, the entire OS only took about 500mb of RAM.. Safari used maybe 50-100mb since the internet was still mostly text and low res photos.
Video was 240-480p.

Today, MacOS26 probably need 5GB just to boot and you need 1-2GB of RAM just to run a single tab of 4K YouTube/Netflix..

That's a crazy difference in RAM usage. I understand that as time goes on new features are developed and those take resources. But, it's still ultimately the same desktop. What in the world is happening in the background that would require that much of a difference in RAM usage...? What is stopping us going back to a much slimmer OS that takes significantly less resources? We were all very happy with the state of 10.6.8 back when it was current.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I can't even believe this is being talked about.

I'm quite frequently critical of Apple, but even for me this is too much.

They are not installing malware on iPhones to slow them down.
C'mon...

 

[FeliApple]

People seem to always ignore the bigger picture when coming up with these conspiracies. The world has evolved.
Your phone is not living in a vacuum.

Not an iPhone but on my 2007 MBP I had about 3,5 out of 4GB RAM “free” when I booted into 10.6.8, the entire OS only took about 500mb of RAM.. Safari used maybe 50-100mb since the internet was still mostly text and low res photos.
Video was 240-480p.

Today, MacOS26 probably need 5GB just to boot and you need 1-2GB of RAM just to run a single tab of 4K YouTube/Netflix..

Instagram used to load maybe 5-10 new low res photos when you opened the app. No reels, no videos, no ads, no infinite scroll and no “recommended posts” etc.

Had instagram stayed the same it would probably still be super fast even on 10y old phones and the same principle goes for most apps you run.

A 2007 iPhone can’t run iOS 26, neither can a 2007 Mac. It’s an apples to oranges comparison.

I can guarantee that if the app works on an older iOS version, it runs flawlessly. The issue with apps is removed compatibility, not usage quality when it’s compatible.

You mentioned Netflix? Netflix keeps working with older versions on older iOS versions (at least on iOS). I tried it recently on iOS 10. Works perfectly (on an iPhone 6s, so not an updated garbage like a 5c on iOS 10, which I also have). I use Netflix on iOS 12 also, it works flawlessly.

Netflix does not remove support. Other garbage developers do.

I’ve been using older devices on original iOS versions since iOS 4. Not once has an app malfunctioned if it is allowed to run just because the iOS version is too old. Those few apps whose latest versions’ support goes way back run flawlessly. Those who don’t and the latest compatible version still runs also run flawlessly.

Like I said, the issue isn’t the OS or the app. It’s garbage, pathetic developers pointlessly killing older versions.

 

[Artemiz]

A 2007 iPhone can’t run iOS 26, neither can a 2007 Mac. It’s an apples to oranges comparison.

I can guarantee that if the app works on an older iOS version, it runs flawlessly. The issue with apps is removed compatibility, not usage quality when it’s compatible.

You mentioned Netflix? Netflix keeps working with older versions on older iOS versions (at least on iOS). I tried it recently on iOS 10. Works perfectly (on an iPhone 6s, so not an updated garbage like a 5c on iOS 10, which I also have). I use Netflix on iOS 12 also, it works flawlessly.

Netflix does not remove support. Other garbage developers do.

I’ve been using older devices on original iOS versions since iOS 4. Not once has an app malfunctioned if it is allowed to run just because the iOS version is too old. Those few apps whose latest versions’ support goes way back run flawlessly. Those who don’t and the latest compatible version still runs also run flawlessly.

Like I said, the issue isn’t the OS or the app. It’s garbage, pathetic developers pointlessly killing older versions.

I think you should stop disparaging devs until you actually developed one. You’re benefitting from all the work and yet continue to label 99% of them garbage. It’s outright insulting to all the amazing devs out there working their a*ses off to bring apps that made modern smartphone possible.

Streaming apps are have just one function. Stream video. It’s neither resource intensive nor has a lot of dependencies which is why you can continue to support on much older platforms without breaking any functionality.

 

[FeliApple]

I think you should stop disparaging devs until you actually developed one. You’re benefitting from all the work and yet continue to label 99% of them garbage. It’s outright insulting to all the amazing devs out there working their a*ses off to bring apps that made modern smartphone possible.

Streaming apps are have just one function. Stream video. It’s neither resource intensive nor has a lot of dependencies which is why you can continue to support on much older platforms without breaking any functionality.

And texting apps just text. Telegram supports iOS 5 and WhatsApp is pretty much required by hundreds of millions of people worldwide because everyone uses that garbage yet they still remove support every two or three years.

Disney+ is also a streaming app and my Air 5 on iPadOS 15 isn’t compatible anymore. Netflix works on iOS 10 like I said.

What are the developers of Disney+ and WhatsApp? Pathetic garbage. Telegram and Netflix work perfectly with the same task: streaming video and sending texts.

 

[Artemiz]

And texting apps just text. Telegram supports iOS 5 and WhatsApp is pretty much required by hundreds of millions of people worldwide because everyone uses that garbage yet they still remove support every two or three years.

Disney+ is also a streaming app and my Air 5 on iPadOS 15 isn’t compatible anymore. Netflix works on iOS 10 like I said.

What are the developers of Disney+ and WhatsApp? Pathetic garbage. Telegram and Netflix work perfectly with the same task: streaming video and sending texts.

Telegram begs to differ.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

A 2007 iPhone can’t run iOS 26, neither can a 2007 Mac.

No, but a 2007 iMac launched with Tiger 10.4 and was officially updated all the way to El Capitan 10.11 receiving its final official security update in 2018 (11 years after launch) and this principal is the same with that machine.
But I feel like this complete discussion has become so irrelevant within the last several years, when is the last time anyone seriously had an Apple product that was so unusably slow that it was actually a major problem.
I still use a 2015 Apple TV that was purchased in 2016, it is literally running 26.4 right now. Sure it isn’t the fastest thing in the world, but the thing runs just fine.
We still have a 2020 iPad Pro (which is basically the same as a 2018) and, again, it works fine on 26.
And there are still plenty of iPhone XR and 11 era devices working fine on 18 or 26.
The 10.5 inch iPad Pro from 2017 still worked fine up until OS 17.
We are long past the days of the iPhone 3G on iOS 4 or the 4S on iOS 9.
Ever since Apple‘s chips went 64 bit and especially ever since they unified their entire product stack around Apple Silicon with the A14 and M1, performance across-the-board on all of their devices old and new alike has been fantastic.
The M1 launched almost 6 years ago and people still use them absolutely no problems, there are still people who say they can’t notice a difference day today between an M1 and an M5.

 

[FeliApple]

Telegram begs to differ.

Sure, the latest version requires iOS 13, just like the latest WhatsApp version requires iOS 15.1.

Download the latest compatible version of telegram on iOS 5, 8, 10, or 12 and it works perfectly.

Download the latest version of WhatsApp on iOS 15.0 and it says that the iOS version you have is incompatible and you should update iOS on your iPhone. One is garbage. The other one isn’t.

 

[FeliApple]

Telegram begs to differ.

In fact, look:

This is me logged into my Telegram account on my iPhone Xʀ running iOS 12.3.1, telegram version 12.2.4



Here’s the same attempt on WhatsApp:

One is a good developer. The other one is pathetic garbage.

 

[Artemiz]

In fact, look:View attachment 2628916

This is me logged into my Telegram account on my iPhone Xʀ running iOS 12.3.1, telegram version 12.2.4



Here’s the same attempt on WhatsApp:

View attachment 2628917

One is a good developer. The other one is pathetic garbage.

Not everyone has to give in to your very specific requests and it doesn’t make them garbage. But if you want to continue disparaging the people behind all the great work, then go ahead with your conspiracy theories.

 

[ThailandToo]

I think the problem is that if one doesn’t update their iPhone to the new iOS, they shouldn’t experience any problems but Apple seems to be forcing updates against user wishes or making it difficult to not permit the update. Furthermore, the update may have code that doesn’t run as well on older hardware or specifically slows down the older hardware versus the new hardware - forced obsolescence of sorts. The additional problem would be Apple actually using a 17.7 update to slow down an older iPhone even if they don’t update to iOS 26.x.

Many ways for Apple to do this. I think it does require proof, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Apple does this. I mean Apple has employees who have pitched to me getting the newest iPhone and upgrading my newest iPhone. Absurd but true. I don’t trust Apple, just as much as I don’t trust, Meta, Google or Amazon. They’re all evil and they all want your money and will do anything to get it.

I can be a fan of Apple and love many of their products but realize that greed for the shareholders is what makes the executives wealthy and shareholders wealthier and since Tim Crook took over that is the overwhelming direction AAPL has taken. Sad but true. Nothing should be ruled out but evidence should be required to prove it if we are to believe it. Greed is the factor that makes it believable, and Apple will push selling new hardware to people with perfectly good hardware, so why wouldn’t they do this??? Still agree the proof has to be there.

 

[FeliApple]

Not everyone has to give in to your very specific requests and it doesn’t make them garbage. But if you want to continue disparaging the people behind all the great work, then go ahead with your conspiracy theories.

Not a conspiracy, it literally doesn’t work (whereas the other app does, as you’ve seen), but okay.

 

[ThailandToo]

If Apple weren't such a huge corporation, they could sue you for defamation and slander and actually WIN. Cuz you have no evidence besides your opinions that defy science.

Liquid Glass alone drains battery about an hour faster on average on one thing I read on MR several months ago.

 

[Artemiz]

Not a conspiracy, it literally doesn’t work (whereas the other app does, as you’ve seen), but okay.

I was talking about your malware theories.

 

[Artemiz]

Liquid Glass alone drains battery about an hour faster on average on one thing I read on MR several months ago.

It's a design choice albeit a bad one. And if it was from several months ago then it wasn't a very polished version either.

 

[FeliApple]

I was talking about your malware theories.

I’m clearly not the only one. Sadly this will never mean that we’ll be enough to influence Apple policy (either to allow downgrading or to make them do better with these garbage updates), but it’s okay. I’ve accepted that I’ll solve the issue myself by not updating and the rest can stay behind or use garbage, their choice.

 

[Black_Mage]

No. The more realistic explanation is that as Apple adds more features, the more demanding the OS is. Hopefully, MacOS 27 and iOS 27 run better as they fix bugs and make it more efficient.

 

[Entilzha]

No. They do not.

 

[HouseLannister]

Liquid Glass alone drains battery about an hour faster on average on one thing I read on MR several months ago.

26.0 was awful for battery, just like 18.0, 17.0, 16.0… notice a trend here? That’s just what happens when you have a crunch culture making an OS in months instead of years.

 

[transpo1]

No. My partners 14 Plus with the A15 chip is running surprisingly fast on the latest iOS 26.4.2 with no slow down.

My 16 Pro Max is running top tier and no slower than my previous iPhone 17 during my daily usage.

I have an old iPhone 8 in the house and that too is running surprisingly well on its last version of iOS 16, battery life is terrible though lol.

15 Pro Max running great.

 

[FeliApple]

26.0 was awful for battery, just like 18.0, 17.0, 16.0… notice a trend here? That’s just what happens when you have a crunch culture making an OS in months instead of years.

But again, it’s a little like everything else. You’re right, 26.5 is probably better than 26.0, but it’s still far worse than 18.6.

All of my updates, due to luck (because they’ve been forced) have been to pretty late versions (my 9.7-inch iPad Pro was forced from iOS 9 into the final version of iOS 12!) did that make a difference relative to matching the original version? No!

People have frequently stated that “it gets better than the .0 update”. But to make it with round numbers: if I get 10 hours on iOS 18, it collapses to 5 with 26.0, and I improve to 7 with 26.7, I still lost 30% battery life. Better than 50%? Sure! Still abhorrent.

People complained about battery life with iOS 12.0, they said that even though it was far better performance-wise vs the dumpster fire that iOS 11 was, for updated devices it had destroyed battery life. It got better as time went by, they said. Well, I was forced from iOS 9.3.4 (the final version was 9.3.5) to iOS 12.4.1 (the final version of iOS 12 for devices that supported iOS 13; in fact, I updated three days before its release). Boom, 30% battery life loss forever.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Liquid Glass alone drains battery about an hour faster on average on one thing I read on MR several months ago.

Just because you read it here does not make it true.