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What exactly happens to a phone once Apple stops supporting it with software updates?

As long as they continue to provide security updates, will all the existing apps continue working as usual for years to come?? Will it essentially be the same phone as always just with the fact that we're missing out on the latest OS version?

If so, I can totally live with that.
Eventually Apps will require IOS 16 but that won't be for years
 
Always perturbed when they drop two generations of phones at once. That puts my iPhone X on the chopping block for next year...
Yeah, it does stink, but I don’t think any phones on iOS 14 were axed when iOS 15 came out. It’s almost as if they’re catching up.
Still sucks though.
 
They may have decided not to axe the 6S last year due to the pandemic.

I now have to decide between getting a new battery for my 6S and persisting with it for a bit longer or getting a new phone.
 
2016 iPhone SE is the only/last 4 inch display, too, which means all future apps and updates will dispense with it as well. I don't buy the "every one has a greater-than-4-inch display so we won't have one either" argument. One day common sense will return.

And yeah, agree on the Watch. Of course, series 3 had a great run... I just can't get a new one because of my iPhone. Careful who you burn, Apple, and how. Swords cut both ways. No new phone means no new watch.
So it’s just phablets and larger now. I’ll obviously still keep using my trusty SE, and probably won’t really miss out on anything for at least a couple more years.

I did trade in an iP8 (network provided) to return to this SE something over a year ago, but even if I could have put up with that; it doesn’t look like it would have offered much more in the way of anti-planned-obsolescence. It just remains to be seen whether in the future it’s Apple that provides a viable replacement or if it ends up being time to move elsewhere.
 
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So it’s just phablets and larger now. I’ll obviously still keep using my trusty SE, and probably won’t really miss out on anything for at least a couple more years.

I did trade in an iP8 (network provided) to return to this SE something over a year ago, but even if I could have put up with that; it doesn’t look like it would have offered much more in the way of anti-planned-obsolescence. It just remains to be seen whether in the future it’s Apple that provides a viable replacement or if it ends up being time to move elsewhere.
Yep. I put my hands on an iPhone 13 mini this weekend and all I could do was lay it down and tap repeatedly on the top of the display until I could irritate someone nearby, to prove a point. Stupidity and laziness of design. I still can't believe this is what they stuck with and leaned into.

Plus, even the mini was hard to reach across the diagonal corners. A hallmark of design Apple and Steve trumpeted for years. I'm 5'10" with average hands, so I'm on neither end of any extreme.

I'm getting the battery replaced next weekend since it has finally dipped below 80%, first time since 2016! 6 years and all original parts. I hope someone at Apple takes notice, but I doubt it (prove me wrong, Apple).

Yeah yeah they don't care about us minuscule but vocal minorities, I know. We aren't the market for $1200 phablets.
 
amazing run for the 6s.

We ran a fleet of them at work when we cut over from sammies to iphones 6 years ago; daresay a few people still use them.
 
Eventually Apps will require IOS 16 but that won't be for years
I think this is more important than the drop of support for new iOS versions. The only problem is how evenly this occurs among the apps people own. Some developers are quicker than others to drop support for older iOS versions including backend support.
 
Yeah, I expected Apple to drop support for the 6s/6s+ and 1st gen SE with iOS 16. Dropping support for the 7/7+ surprised me though as did continuing to support the 1st gen iPad Pro.

At least I can still use my iPhone 12 for another year (or more).
Your iPhone 12 will definitely remain fully supported for more than a year!

Heck, it's very possible my iPhone 8+ (3 generations older than your phone) will remain supported for more than a year (getting iOS 17 and at a stretch, iOS 18).
 
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Apple's own apps now require iOS 15.x so it won't be long before iOS 16 is a requirement...
Pretty sure this is false and that peope still on IOS 14 or earlier can use any of Apple's apps. Just looking into a few apps like photos and camera it says Requires iOS 10.0 or later
 
Always perturbed when they drop two generations of phones at once. That puts my iPhone X on the chopping block for next year...
I think the iPhone X will get iOS 17 & then support will be dropped just by looking at how they have done this over the years. But then with ios 15 a few features the iPhone X never got.
 
Pretty sure this is false and that peope still on IOS 14 or earlier can use any of Apple's apps. Just looking into a few apps like photos and camera it says Requires iOS 10.0 or later
iMovie requires iOS 15.3 or later
GarageBand requires iOS 15.0 or later
Clips requires iOS 15.0 or later
Apple Developer requires iOS 15.0 or later
Apple Configurator requires iOS 15.0 or later

Okay, not all of these are used by most end users, however, it still proves that downloading some Apple apps require the device to be using iOS 15.x

Yes, you can still install the latest compatible version of some apps and use them, but for how long? Apple can force other developers to only support the most recent version of iOS and iPadOS...

One day, you will be unable to use the app because support for it has been pulled by the developer and you will only be able to access it through web browser but if you still want to use the app, you would have to buy a device that is still supported by the current iOS and iPadOS version...
 
So it’s just phablets and larger now. I’ll obviously still keep using my trusty SE, and probably won’t really miss out on anything for at least a couple more years.

I did trade in an iP8 (network provided) to return to this SE something over a year ago, but even if I could have put up with that; it doesn’t look like it would have offered much more in the way of anti-planned-obsolescence. It just remains to be seen whether in the future it’s Apple that provides a viable replacement or if it ends up being time to move elsewhere.

You do know the mini exists right? It’s not only “phablets”
 
I have this feeling that iOS 16.x will be the last "hurrah" for the iPhone 8/X generation. I had an iPhone X, but upgraded to an iPhone 12 because I wanted 3GPP NR 5G support.
 
Eventually Apps will require IOS 16 but that won't be for years
I have this feeling that iOS 16.x will be the last "hurrah" for the iPhone 8/X generation. I had an iPhone X, but upgraded to an iPhone 12 because I wanted 3GPP NR 5G support.
It’s looking that way.

I’m finding out that iOS 16 for the 8 and 8+ will be a downtuned version. The full feature set will only be available to phones that have the A12 or higher.

I’m also pretty sure that this also means that Apple very well could of included the 6s and 7, given that iPads from that era with the same hardware are getting the update. Are they just trying to push people into buying new phones?

It’s a bummer. Has Apple ever changed their mind about something like this? Like later on deciding to allow certain devices to get the update after all?
 
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My iPhone 7 Plus screen shattered early this year and I spent $185(with tax) with the assumption that I will be able to use it for another year and a half and now this!! :oops::rolleyes:
 
And why can you not use the Iphone 7 + anymore? I will be using mine


My point was about being on the latest OS. When I paid $952(with tax) for the iPhone in 2016, my assumption based on past support for iPhones was that it will be on the latest OS till 2023. One reason, I specifically chose iPhone 7plus was because it had 3 gb ram.
 
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