Have One of These 16 Apple Devices? Software Support Ends This Fall

[majsterkoo]

Why do so many people mind that they no longer support, for example, older Apple Watches? They wouldn't add new features (which aren't many this time) to older hardware anyway. The last update watchOS 5.3.10 was 24 Mar 2026 and the Apple Watch Series 1 also uses it! My Apple Watch SE2 will also be unsupported, but for the next year or two (or more) they will still do what they did before and security updates will also come. After that, they will be just as old.

Why does anyone mind that they don't get the latest version, which doesn't do much extra anyway, and instead buy a classic watch that doesn't do anything except tell the time? 😀

For example, I have a tablet with Android 12 and it still does what it did when I bought it. And that's even without security updates, which Apple maintains for older versions for a bit longer.

 

[BGPL]

Dropping a four year old Watch Ultra seems unreasonable. You would think you'd get at least five years of support from a $800 device.

 

[racerhomie]

Some of these dont sound reasonable to me. Keeping the 2020 iPad Pro (A12Z) but dropping the nearly identical 2018 iPad Pro (A12X)…
I dont like it.

I provided some feedback to Apple to continue to give it support. 26.5 still has a lot of bugs on it like unresponsive display
iPad Feedback

 

[ResolutionNZ]

Apple was still patching devices running iOS 16 for critical vulnerabilities a year ago. Some of these were released 10 years ago. The idea that only a year of support is provided isn’t the whole truth.

 

[now i see it]

No matter what you buy- the doomsday clock starts ticking the day you buy the item.

 

[sigmasirrus]

No guarantee Apple will continue supporting the software for those devices for very long.

I wish apple would just commit to a security roadmap to their software like everyone else. I understand there’s a point where you can’t get the latest features. But if you knew you’d still get 3 more years of security updates for your AW Ultra, for instance, maybe you wouldn’t go buy a new one after only four years…… oh!

 

[BGrifter]

It would be nice if when discontinuing software support Apple took a few steps to help avoid devices becoming unusable waste.

Maybe a timer so when the device is unused for five years it can be wiped and reset. I doubt any thieves are stealing a phone to resell five years after it’s end of updates. Then those old phones could be repurposed into all sorts of fun stuff.

 

[erikkfi]

Apple hasn't meaningfully increased the hardware capabilities or battery life of the Apple Watch since the Series 5. Now that my 7 was abruptly cut from the list (along with the series 8 -- extra surprising!) I'm done with this product. Don't let the blahblahblah on the way out, I know, who cares. But after eleven years of -- checks notes -- the screen getting rounder and bigger and getting always-on and literally nothing else changing, it's time to move on.

 

[platinumaqua]

It's a terrible decision to leave devices stuck on an especially unpolished version, especially when the next version supposedly fixes some of the shortcomings.

(Imagine leaving devices stuck on iOS 11, which was similarly buggy unstable when iOS 12 fixes lots of 11's problems)

 

[platinumaqua]

I think the base M1 Macs will get one more update. M1 Pro and Max maybe two? M1 iPads at least two more updates.

M1 Pro/Max probably not getting more updates than M1, since some features already started to require M4 in MacOS regardless of RAM or Pro/Max upgrade

 

[flimpy]

The list of devices not getting Mac OS 27 is missing iMac Pro.

 

[Acep]

From article:

"The one bright spot is that iOS 27 features identical device support to iOS 26, with no iPhone models removed from the compatibility list"...

This is not correct, as iPhone SE (2 gen) supports iOS 26, and will not be supported in iOS 27.

 

[SnarkyBear]

I bought my wife her Apple Watch SE for Christmas 2024. Brand new. In less than two years after its purchase, it will no longer support the Watch OS. The level of disappointment I have for Apple right now is deep.

 

[Jetscreamer]

Pleasantly surprised the iPhone 11 lineup is still getting it. So I will hang on to my iPhone 11 Pro longer as a backup phone.

 

[aevan]

The hardware lasts for a long time. But lacking long-term OS support does make them difficult to use past the 8-10 year range.

I have to admit that I have been contemplating switching to Linux quite often recently. Support for old hardware is excellent and the user experience has also improved a lot.

I have a MacBook older than 10 years, it still works. The fact it doesn't get the latest and greatest doesn't make it useless and, how did you put it? "Crapple".

OSes gain new features. These features require newer hardware. If they don't, they are not really using the capabilities of that new hardware.

 

[usmaak]

Sad about my AW8. But it seems like WatchOS 27 is a bunch of siri/AI stuff that I have no interest in. I’ll keep using it until it’s legitimately dead.

 

[CraigJDuffy]

Yeah, I would be pissed off if I still had my 2018 iPad Pro… although it would be 8 years old by now, right? It doesn’t feel that long ago. Time flies.

Anyway chopping off the 2018 model when they are still supporting the 2020 model which has a very similar SoC and 6 GPU cores instead of 4… I don’t understand it either, as there are iPads with just 3GB of RAM being supported.

Now I’m wondering if Apple will offer the same support to my M2 iPad Pro as to the M2 MacBooks… actually the M2 iPad Pro has more GPU cores than the base M2 MBA. But if they get 8 years (which is quite optimistic) it could last until 2030. We’ll see…

Well this is it right, it’s an old device so I’m not too fussed I just wonder why a performance and bug fix update isn’t supported. Fair enough I won’t get any Apple Intelligence things but this iPad is better than an iPhone 11…

 

[danpass]

Mac Mini M1 still on the list, nice. The silicon Mini will live forever lol.

Interesting that AW Ultra1 already getting dropped.

-

 

[Naraxus]

That's why I already switched to Linux since 2 years and I have plans to get a Pixel phone with GrapheneOS this month. Plus a Casio watch instead of an Crapple one.

God damn Crapple.

You go right ahead. Enjoy all the malware that comes with Android as a bonus

 

[CarAnalogy]

I have one Apple TV HD, which is just used on a crappy TV, and one first-generation 4K. Two others are second-generation 4K, so those will be good for another year.

Ten years of support though is more than good enough, plus they have started to show their age with a stuttery UI in 26 anyway.

Picking this of many comments to say: this is why dropping so much hardware for 27 is so galling.

There are hardly any new features. Just much needed bug fixes to what Apple did to us with 26.

 

[subjonas]

Series 0 - 3 years of major updates
Series 1 - 4 years of major updates
Series 2 - 4 years of major updates
Series 3 - 5 years of major updates
Series 4 - 6 years of major updates
Series 5 - 5 years of major updates
Series 6 - 6 years of major updates
Series 7 - 5 years of major updates
Series 8 - 4 years of major updates
Ultra 1 - 4 years of major updates

There's nothing unprecedented with this update. I'm confused as to why people are upset only now. I don't recall this much up in arms.

Also for those who don't know, not getting the newest major update doesn't mean not supported at all. Series 1 got a patch update as recently as this year.

 

[Radeon85]

Picking this of many comments to say: this is why dropping so much hardware for 27 is so galling.

There are hardly any new features. Just much needed bug fixes to what Apple did to us with 26.

While I have no issues with them eventually dropping support for older devices, I think dropping support now for so many is a poor decision for this particular update, as 27 is supposed to be the update that they focused heavily on with performance optimisations and bug fixes, which is what these older devices are crying out for.

They really could have given most of these devices just one more year before dropping them in 28. That even goes for my ancient Apple TV HD, considering that it runs 26 already, a nicely optimised 27 could have been a nice send-off for it and even other things like the Ultra 1 watch, among others.

 

[minik]

Since iPad and Mac will still be receiving security update, I won't worry about these products. Sure Apple tended to patch more things on the most current OS than older ones.

 

[eric89074]

Probably not, since some features already started to require M4 in MacOS regardless of RAM or Pro/Max upgrade

If OS 27 is the last the M1 gets I'm glad the last one it will have received is a bug fix/performance release. I still say the M1 gets at least one more update.

The list of devices not getting Mac OS 27 is missing iMac Pro.

Sequoia is the last OS the iMac Pro will run. It won't natively run Tahoe.

From article:

"The one bright spot is that iOS 27 features identical device support to iOS 26, with no iPhone models removed from the compatibility list"...

This is not correct, as iPhone SE (2 gen) supports iOS 26, and will not be supported in iOS 27.

The 2nd gen iPhone SE has an A13 like the iPhone 11 and will run iOS 27.

 

[TVreporter]

Wife’s Series 8 watch
Apple TV
Intel iMac
2 iPads

It’s the security risk using the Mac and iPads that concerns me going forward and how long they still provide updates.

Thanks Tim and John! Mother Nature will chastise you for the e-waste!