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Obsolete iPhones and iCloud

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pika2000

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Original poster
Jun 22, 2007
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I Have a question for those owning and using obsolete iPhones (4S and older) and use iCloud services (iMessage, photo syncing, FaceTime, etc). Do they still work? Any issues?

The reason I ask is that I am preparing what to expect when my iPhone 5 will be dropped from iOS 11. I don't mind not getting iOS 11, but it is still a useful device under iOS 10.
 
I have a 4s on 9.3.5 my son used. As long as you have iOS 7 or above Facetime will work. The certfiicate under iOS 6 is expired and Apple did not renew it on purpose so people would update.

I also have an iPhone 5 on 10.3.1. Works just fine.
 
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eyoungren said:
I have a 4s on 9.3.5 my son used. As long as you have iOS 7 or above Facetime will work. The certfiicate under iOS 6 is expired and Apple did not renew it on purpose so people would update.

I also have an iPhone 5 on 10.3.1. Works just fine.
Click to expand...

What are the security risks of keeping a 5 or 5c on iOS 10 if it isn't compatible with iOS 11? I may keep my 5c as an extra phone when I upgrade to the 8/Edition in the fall.
 
myrtlebee said:
What are the security risks of keeping a 5 or 5c on iOS 10 if it isn't compatible with iOS 11? I may keep my 5c as an extra phone when I upgrade to the 8/Edition in the fall.
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Specifically?

I have no idea.

Generally? About the same as it's always been. No more updates so if there is something to be patched that exists in both earlier and current versions you won't get it.

Whether to use a device or not because of that is entirely dependent on your comfort level.

Both my 4s and my 5 are not primary phones, although my 5 is handling Walmart pay. My primary phone is a 6s+ and it's running iOS 9.0.2 AND I am jailbroken.

So, that's my comfort level.
 
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eyoungren said:
I have a 4s on 9.3.5 my son used. As long as you have iOS 7 or above Facetime will work. The certfiicate under iOS 6 is expired and Apple did not renew it on purpose so people would update.

I also have an iPhone 5 on 10.3.1. Works just fine.
Click to expand...
Questions on your 4S.
I'm assuming there are no issues in accessing the app store, iTunes store, etc? How about iCloud photos?
As long as it doesn't get booted out of the services, that would be fine for me. My 5 is on the latest iOS 10, and it is fine because iOS 10 is the current supported OS. The question is what kind of deprecation will it get when iOS 11 drops it. As long as current iCloud connectivity are not broken, I will keep the 5 since I'm starting to use it again in addition to my 6S.
 
Well. My 4s is actually more up to date than my 6s+. 9.3.5 compared to 9.0.2.

I don't use iCloud photos but I could. On all three phones. All other services are functioning just fine. In fact, my iPad Air 2 which is running 8.1 (also jailbroken) has no issues either.
 
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pika2000 said:
And right on cue, the iPhone 5 is obsolete.... sad :(
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Really? LOL!!!!

The iPhone 5 was obsolete when they discontinued it for the 5c.

That year, rather than moving the 5 down like the 4s did when the 5 was introduced, Apple replaced the 5 with the 5s, gave us the 5c and kept the 4s.

Yeah…I was pissed about that in 2013.

So this…par for the course.
 
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eyoungren said:
Really? LOL!!!!

The iPhone 5 was obsolete when they discontinued it for the 5c.

That year, rather than moving the 5 down like the 4s did when the 5 was introduced, Apple replaced the 5 with the 5s, gave us the 5c and kept the 4s.

Yeah…I was pissed about that in 2013.

So this…par for the course.
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I meant the fact that Apple dropped it from iOS 11

The thing is, unlike the 4 or 4S, which are really gasping for air on their last iOS version, the 5 is humming along just fine on iOS 10. It's sad that it is being dropped before the hardware is really pushed to its limits, simply because of 32 bit.
 
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dogslobber said:
Scandalous. A new low for Apple.
Click to expand...

Why is that?
That device came out back in 2012.
How many more years did you expect them to keep updating its software?
It's not like as soon as iOS 11 is out all the iPhone 5 phones will stop working.
If you tend to update every 6 years you might end up with some AppStore compatibility issues.
 
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Applejuiced said:
Why is that?
That device came out back in 2012.
How many more years did you expect them to keep updating its software?
It's not like as soon as iOS 11 is out all the iPhone 5 phones will stop working.
If you tend to update every 6 years you might end up with some AppStore compatibility issues.
Click to expand...
Careful AJ, this is the iPhone 5 you are talking about. Hands down better than that SE you bummed off of Boost a while back. :D

No one messes with the 5! :D
 
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Applejuiced said:
Why is that?
That device came out back in 2012.
How many more years did you expect them to keep updating its software?
It's not like as soon as iOS 11 is out all the iPhone 5 phones will stop working.
If you tend to update every 6 years you might end up with some AppStore compatibility issues.
Click to expand...

That might be the last iPhone I buy. Apple just threw me on the scrap heap.
 
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I had two iPhone 5's. I gave one to a buddy of mine and it was his first foray into the apple ecosystem. To this day he still uses it as his everyday phone and he loves it. What a great phone it has been. I can imagine there are other people out there too who have a 5 still and use it daily, or at least frequently. I do see though how apple does need to move on and can't support it forever. It certainly had a heck of a run.
 
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I have a huge place in my heart for the 4s and 5. The 4s was the first iPhone I'd ever owned after being Android for years. It opened my eyes to the world where people can actually enjoy their phones and don't have to spend hours fixing them/rooting them forever. Loved that phone - and I really liked the 5 that came after it.

I had the chance of using a 4s and a 5 recently. After almost 4 years of a 6+ and 6s+ ...... no way I could ever go back. But fond memories for sure.
 
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dogslobber said:
Maybe they'll bring back support with iOS 12? I'm not sure if they've done that before but this would be a great iPhone to support indefinitely.
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Not to be negative, but I think you'd have a better chance of the 4s being reincarnated.

After all, there was a 8GB 4s model released when the 5s was launched.

Between the 4/4s and the 5 it's quite obvious which model Apple loves and which one it could care less about.
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dogslobber said:
My 76 Chevvy is still going great yet Apple won't let me use my iPhone 5 anymore...
Click to expand...
Oh, they will let you use it. My son is using my wife's old iPhone 5 and it's on T-Mobile right now as a phone. He plays a lot of games and does a lot of texting with it.

My own 5 is a secondary phone but still active on T-Mobile as well.

Apple just isn't supporting it any more.

If we followed your conclusion out then I'd have to stop using all my old PowerMac and PowerBook G4s and my three PowerMac G5s. But somehow, Apple missed the kill switch on all of those. :D
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BigMcGuire said:
I have a huge place in my heart for the 4s and 5. The 4s was the first iPhone I'd ever owned after being Android for years. It opened my eyes to the world where people can actually enjoy their phones and don't have to spend hours fixing them/rooting them forever. Loved that phone - and I really liked the 5 that came after it.

I had the chance of using a 4s and a 5 recently. After almost 4 years of a 6+ and 6s+ ...... no way I could ever go back. But fond memories for sure.
Click to expand...
My sister gave me a 3GS for Christmas 2011. My primary phone at the time was an HTC Touch Pro but I was planning on getting an iPhone in 2012. So, as a secondary phone that 3GS was a good way for me to learn iOS and Apple's ecosystem (at the time).

I skipped the 4s though. Don't like that stainless steel band (still don't) and the 5 was my very first iPhone full purchase. I have a 4s now but that's because my son gave it up for my wife's 5.

It's a nice little phone, but I still prefer my 5.

Like you though, after the plus size phones (6+/6s+) I can't go back to that size as a primary phone.
 
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braddick said:
The sweetspot was iPhone 5, black, running iOS6.1.3
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Nah, iPhone 5 black running 6.1 jailbroken with Evasi0n. :D

2014-03-15 20.41.59.png

Lockscreen way back when. :D
 
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