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

[Shirasaki]

I've already run into a Time Machine issue on USB drives as I wanted to copy an old USB drive backup to a new, larger drive to continue using it, but as the original drive was formatted in HFS+, there is no way to format the new drive in HFS+ (encrypted) anymore and you can't convert an HFS+ backup to APFS... Pretty shoddy of Apple not to have a solution for this - just expected to start again and hope I don't need files from 5-10 years ago (or that the original drive doesn't break!)

Time Machine backup not portable is the exact reason why I ditched it in favour of CCC. Difficult to set up incremental backups but at least their backup is portable, meaning I can replace drives without losing history backups. Apple is a master of disappointing people really.

 

[theluggage]

Will you be able to access data on Time Capsules at all? Or is that it

The issue is the AFP file sharing protocol, which is being dropped in favour of SMB (a process that started in 2013...)
You won't be able to access shares on AFP servers like the Time Capsule.

Probably time to retire your 10-year-old backup drives, anyway... One of mine of that vintage (in a homebrew server, but the same DeskStar drives used in some Time Capsules) died a few months ago.

 

[AlexMaximus]

My whole Apple Plattform will be freezed on Sequoia as a consequence. Tahoe will most likely not running on my Cheesegrater 5.1 anyways. Rocking with this well into 2028, I guess 16 -18 years of usage for hardware is highly economical. Can’t beat that. I feel sorry for those folks that purchased the over priced 2019 MP 7.1. with such a short product life cycle. Enjoy your last run on the 7.1. My savings on skipping the 6.1 and 7.1 did go into my solar PV project with Wall Box and power Wall battery. Thanks Steve for the legendary 5,1.

 

[mbosse]

Sorry to be asking something which might be obvious - will macOS 26 totally break to support for the Time Capsule or only for those who access it via WLAN, i.e., an Ethernet-connected Time Capsule would still work?

Thanks!

 

[Scryb]

I've fully moved my backups to Arq Backup. I do one set to OneDrive (because MS365 Family is the cheapest per TB and I need Office anyway) and one local set to a MinIO (S3) instance running on a Raspberry Pi with a big drive attached. I also do daily clone backups with SuperDuper! but since that's not versioned I don't consider it an alternative to Time Machine. Arq can do partial restores faster than Time Machine, and backups are encrypted, deduplicated and compressed.

Duplicacy, Duplicati and Kopia are similar and don't cost anything, but Arq has been worth it for me.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

They are migrating to the “you now have to buy Synology-branded drives” protocol.

So I've heard. I have an older Intel model with x2 10tb drives, and it doesn't require Synology drives.

Been using it as a Time Machine, but have never restored from it. Also have two 4tb usb drives that I backup on weekly, in rotation.

 

[Henk Poley]

Sorry to be asking something which might be obvious - will macOS 26 totally break to support for the Time Capsule or only for those who access it via WLAN, i.e., an Ethernet-connected Time Capsule would still work?

Thanks!

The Apple Time Capsule shares it drives over the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP3).

Which will no longer be supported in macOS 26 (this September) for generic network files. And not for Time Machine backups in macOS 27 (September 2026). Neither for wired nor wireless (it does not matter).

You will need a different NAS for network backups.

 

[mbosse]

The Apple Time Capsule shares it drives over the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP3).

Which will no longer be supported in macOS 26 (this September) for generic network files. And not for Time Machine backups in macOS 27 (September 2026). Neither for wired nor wireless (it does not matter).

You will need a different NAS for network backups.

Thanks - so that's clear then!

 

[norbinhouston]

What's wrong with using a TimeMachine backup? It's only the Airport hard drive back up that is going to stop working. But Time Machine is still a good way to back up, right?

 

[johnrlaporta]

My entire network still consists of AirPort Extremes. They work so well I’ve never had a need to upgrade.

 

[masam]

Unifi - Ex Airport guys. Incredible kit for a decent price.

I have looked at their stuff, but their range is vast and I'm confused as to what might replace our 2 Airport Extreme home setup. Something that would allow me to connect an external disk for TM backups.

 

[johnrlaporta]

I have looked at their stuff, but their range is vast and I'm confused as to what might replace our 2 Airport Extreme home setup. Something that would allow me to connect an external disk for TM backups.

I’m also pretty sure it won’t pass AFP or for that matter classic AppleTalk, which is an issue for me.

 

[Le Big Mac]

What's wrong with using a TimeMachine backup? It's only the Airport hard drive back up that is going to stop working. But Time Machine is still a good way to back up, right?

Yes, you can do a local TM backup connecting an external to your computer. No indication TM itself is going away, just hte ability to do it over a network via Airport Extreme/Time Capsule.

 

[Le Big Mac]

Unifi - Ex Airport guys. Incredible kit for a decent price.

Yeah, requires a bit of networking knowledge to set it up. But very solid.

Now just needs an appliance to allow for TM backups via connection of a USB drive to the Unifi.

 

[EvenNotOdd]

and it's not possible anymore to select an AFP share as a new destination:View attachment 2518418

So MacOS 26/Tahoe will allow existing backup destinations to work, but won’t allow for new ones to be set up and MacOS 27 will stop even existing backup destinations from being used. I wonder what happens in regard to restoring backups in MacOS 27?

 

[splifingate]

Apple already announced that its AFP client had been deprecated, in its enterprise release notes for macOS Sequoia 15.5 last month.

Well, cripes!

There goes 4TB of storage space...

 

[Jay Tee]

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.

This !

Apple must carefully consider the types of customers they are targeting and the nature of the relationships they are investing in and maintaining.

I'm hoping one of their HomePods will also act as a router in the near future.

 

[msackey]

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.

I see. I haven't heard much about AFP and really don't follow as closely to these things as I used to. I guess I'll have to move to something else.

 

[darkcompass]

Bugger. Makes those Time Capsules a bit redundant.

 

[darkcompass]

So, I need a Pi + external disk.

Yeah, that will work. A lot of fudging around if you need to give it the networking capabilities too.

 

[darkcompass]

My entire network still consists of AirPort Extremes. They work so well I’ve never had a need to upgrade.

As long as you're not attaching storage and using them as Time Capsules, then yeah, your network is fine.

 

[darkcompass]

Plan.
Shuck the Hard Drive out of Time Capsule
Put it into an External Enclosure.
Attach to Mac Mini.
File Share with the Time Machine functionality, so I can back up by two machines.
Time Capsule can still be used as a network device providing Wifi and DHCP for devices.

 

[goobot]

Given their track record it would take them multiple years to support any new Wifi standard.

Pretty sure the last router they released was the first WiFi 5 router

 

[goobot]

I genuinely doubt any Time Capsules are still functioning, unless they've been repaired. They were insanely badly designed and ran incredibly hot as a result of that.

The spinning hard disk inside would therefore die prematurely—and even if heat death didn't get it, the fact that Time Capsules haven't been sold for years means that the disks are almost certainly approaching the end of their life anyway.

Bought mine 2015, never had 1 issue with it to this day

 

[mbosse]

Bought mine 2015, never had 1 issue with it to this day

My two Gen. 1 (2008) and Gen. 2 (2009) soldier on since bought new. Only the Gen. 2 needed a new power supply once since the old one fried for known reasons. Since years they are now placed in a colder room on metal shelves so heat is quickly drawn away.