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Warning: Apple Says macOS 27 Won't Support AirPort Time Capsule Backups

Glad to see that it was supported till now. Will be nice if Apple launches a router but don't think it will happen any time soon, if ever.
 
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That AirPort Extreme was a great router. I had 2. Same for the software before Apple castrated it in their idiotic drive towards UI "simplicity". UniFi for me now.
AFP to Synology NAS for Time Machine is still is more dependable than SMB for me although that gets dorked up once a year.
 
cateye said:
Yes, but with an asterisk. WPA2's encryption was formally broken in 2017, although it's a non-trivial exploit. WPA3, which all newer routers and most new devices support, solves this.
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I'd argue that's overstating the problem - at least for the typical home user. If you're a "targeted individual", then perhaps it's a bigger deal.

Also one would hope people are layering their security in this day and age. You shouldn't really just rely on your wifi security to protect your network traffic.
 
So let's see: AFP deprecation, Apple are starting to make their own wireless chips, and some future devices will (presumably) need some kind of high bandwidth & low latency wireless protocol (future Vision line products?).

Maybe in the next few years we will see new AirPort/Time Capsule hardware that not only provides WiFi but also facilitates this new network protocol for Apple's future devices? Wishful thinking but I can't shake the feeling that Apple's not done in this space.
 
Automated backups via Time Capsule were such a great feature—and while plenty of third-party routers have stepped up to fill the AirPort void, there’s no comparable third-party solution to Time Capsule. I had to revert to manual backups post–Time Capsule.
 
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Does anyone have advice what to do with Time Machine after September? I have NAS Synology and I don't mind have desktop external hard drive attached to my Mac. I have desktop Mac. Before Time Capsule I did use WD My Cloud NAS which was awful with Time Machine (normal NAS function was fine) which why I got Time Capsule for Time Machine. I never use router part, it is in bridged mode. I also use it as switch. So I will also need get new switch as well (I already know which switch I am getting so no issues there).

EDIT: I am not too sure if desktop external hard drive with power supply or portable external drive would be best if I don't use my NAS for Time Machine.
 
jwdsail said:
Well, that's freaking stupid.

They're obviously seeing telemetry that shows that these devices are still being used (Otherwise why bother coding the notification re: dropping support?), that there's a demand for them, but they won't continue to support them, never mind introduce a new version...

But, man just look at these custom emojis !!!! /me rolls eyes so far into my head I can see my own birth.

The priorities inside Apple are so backwards and upside down it's just comical at this point.
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Now that they've set the expectation of a new OS every year, we'll be playing this game every single year. Oh we drop this, we drop that, we stop supporting X devices, who cares if people are using these products, services, tools, whatever.
 
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It’s sad, but the last Time Capsule has been broken from the start and would error out after max 18 months of backups and then you could start all over again. As an access point it’s still good though although the Airport app has been crippled since the iOSification.
 
I have an Airport Extreme, if I connect drive to it - will it work doing backups with Time Machine in MacOS 27?
 
So... because they haven't bothered to update the software on these to support SMB, they're no longer up to date.

Back when I worked in the Apple Store, I tried to sell a Time Capsule to everyone who bought a Mac, because it was such a great combination of features that they really ought to have. But now, instead of a plug-it-in-and-it-works Apple appliance, you need to wade into the Sharing features on a second Mac, or buy a third-party NAS and get involved in a finger-pointing session when it doesn't work right. It's all part of Apple's neglect for local-backup... because they want us storing everything in their cloud instead, holding it for annual ransom payments.
 
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cateye said:
There are updates to WPA2-based routers to mitigate the threat but it's a fundamental design flaw that can't be completely removed.
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Thanks. In 2019 Apple released a firmware update to address security, which I installed at that time (via the Airport utility app). It's still the most current firmware for my unit, per their support article which was last edited in May 2025.
 
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Jay-Jacob said:
I have same one as you but never used it as Time Machine. Had bad experience before with NAS but with WD not Synology. Did you follow any type of guide online or just general internet search?
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I didn't do anything special. There are instructions to set it up on Synology's web site. Really easy, honestly.
 
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I used my Airport Extreme for years past when it became sorely outdated, simply because it still worked better than anything newer I could afford at that time. I still have it active as a backup network, but I finally got a few Ubiquiti APs set up in a mesh config.
 
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Slix said:
I put it off because backing up wirelessly is just so handy. I also liked the added peace of mind that if I ever had my house broken into, it was likely my backup drive would be left behind because the server is in the basement.
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I believe you can stoll use network storage, it just has to support newer protocols. I’ve been considering using a single board computer, but my current one only supports USB 2 speed to storage
 
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cateye said:
No, this won't work. It's not the drive, it's the connection between the Mac being backed up and the Time Capsule / Airport unit itself. They still use AFP which Apple hasn't supported for years and is now fully depreciated.
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GMShadow said:
It will not - that's AirPort Disk functionality, and it still uses AFP, so it will cease functioning in 27. I was using that myself until last year, but moved away in part because the writing's been on the wall for AFP for a while.
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cateye said:
As has been noted by multiple people, this will not work either. It's not the drive or how it's connected to the Airport unit, it's that the Airport unit itself cannot serve access to that drive by any protocol other than AFP. The Mac and the Airport will have no way to tunnel file system support once the Mac no longer supports AFP (which is a depreciated protocol and hasn't been actively supported by Apple for years. They're just getting around to ripping out support entirely).
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Thanks, thanks, and thanks - for the frustrating explanation.

Guess I'll ride my time capsule and external as long as I can . . . but look for a replacement for next year.
 
I had 2 AirPort Extremes and thought that they were excellent. However, in 2017 I replaced them with a Netgear Orbi mesh system and couldn't be more pleased. We've had NO WiFi dropouts in our house ever since. Also, I've been using an external disk for my Time Machine with no problems.
 
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