Security updates for no longer supported iPad Air 2

[KFridman]

Will Apple provide security updates for the iPad Air 2 since it cannot receive iPadOS 16?

 

[GMShadow]

They did sporadic updates for the devices left on iOS 12 for a few years (including a recent one), and we know iOS 15.7.1 is in testing. Beyond that, it's anyone's guess as to how much support it'll get.

 

[KFridman]

They did sporadic updates for the devices left on iOS 12 for a few years (including a recent one), and we know iOS 15.7.1 is in testing. Beyond that, it's anyone's guess as to how much support it'll get.

Thanks for that. Do you know if there is a way to tell when they have stopped? Does Apple issue some type of announcement or at some point do we just have to assume they are no longer doing the updates?

 

[carylee2002]

If you worry about security..i recommend get a vpn and run it in the background to hide your IP address.

 

[chrfr]

If you worry about security..i recommend get a vpn and run it in the background to hide your IP address.

This isn’t a valid security protection at all. The only thing this accomplishes is that it hides your actual IP address from websites, and also obscures where you’re browsing from your ISP. It does not add any layer of protection to your actual device or computer to prevent exposure to vulnerabilities.

 

[chrfr]

Thanks for that. Do you know if there is a way to tell when they have stopped? Does Apple issue some type of announcement or at some point do we just have to assume they are no longer doing the updates?

Apple doesn’t make announcements about OS life cycles, unfortunately. They did, however, state that in order to make sure you’re actually getting all known security issues patched, you need to be on the current OS:

Apple warns that iOS 15, macOS 12 devices could still have 'known security issues'

According to a new support document, only the most current OSes get up-to-date security patches.

www.macworld.com

 

[ian87w]

Apple doesn’t make announcements about OS life cycles, unfortunately. They did, however, state that in order to make sure you’re actually getting all known security issues patched, you need to be on the current OS:

Apple warns that iOS 15, macOS 12 devices could still have 'known security issues'

According to a new support document, only the most current OSes get up-to-date security patches.

www.macworld.com

This.
Apple basically said they don't guarantee anything.

Having said that, I doubt there will be security issues on iPads. iOS/iPadOS by nature is already more restrictive and secure than a traditional desktop OS. The only problem with an old iPad is that it cannot run the latest browser due to Apple's monolithic approach to first party apps. So sooner or later, the old Safari might no longer render websites properly. But other than that, I believe overall it's still secure. I would worry more about phishing scams.

 

[KFridman]

I looked at that document. The section on updates to the most current OS specifically mentions MacOS (see below). It doesn't really say anything about IOS or IpadOS. I suppose it would be the same for all of the operating systems but it would be nice if they put it in black and white and I wouldn't have to make an assumption.

Note: Because of dependency on architecture and system changes to any current version of macOS (for example, macOS 13), not all known security issues are addressed in previous versions (for example, macOS 12).