iPhone 5 or earlier What apps can't you use on iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s?

[levmc]

I was looking at eBay for cheap used phones.
Also iPhone 4.

 

[now i see it]

you'll be hard pressed to find any useful apps in the App Store that can run on ios9 and iOS 10.

 

[Paddle1]

The 5s still has half decent app support. Everything else mentioned is pretty much just obsolete.

 

[eyoungren]

You can run older versions of apps, but there are no guarantee that they will still work or connect to whatever service they use. The problem is whether those are still available or not to download.

 

[now i see it]

iOS 9 (iPhone 4 and 4S) is tied to safari which can’t be upgraded. The internet for the most part no longer works properly with iOS 9.

 

[Paddle1]

The 2016 SE is capable of running the latest software while being fairly affordable as well. If you're looking for something to actually use this would be the best bet.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

And if that old phone (whatever it is) ends up needing a battery within 6 months (or less), it'll be no bargain at all.

 

[levmc]

And if that old phone (whatever it is) ends up needing a battery within 6 months (or less), it'll be no bargain at all.

How can the seller find out how much percentage of the original capacity the battery holds currently?
I want to ask them but they might not know how to find that information.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

How can the seller find out how much percentage of the original capacity the battery holds currently?
I want to ask them but they might not know how to find that information.

Battery condition info that today is found in Settings > Battery > Battery Health is not present in the versions of iOS that run on those old iPhones.

There are battery apps that will do this, but current versions of those apps may not be/probably are not compatible with those iPhones either, unless they were obtained some years ago. A repair shop can run a battery diagnostic, and Apple tech support may be able to run a remote diagnostic during a support call/chat (again, that may be iOS version-specific).

This is one of the reasons I mentioned battery condition as a risk factor. Not only is it likely the battery could need replacing, but it is harder to learn that in advance than it is on newer phones.

 

[now i see it]

If the Coconut Battery application is installed on a Mac, it can read the battery health of any iPhone running iOS versions down to at least iOS 9

 

[eyoungren]

iOS 9 (iPhone 4 and 4S) is tied to safari which can’t be upgraded. The internet for the most part no longer works properly with iOS 9.

Generally I use something else anyway, so even if I were stuck on one of my older phones, Safari would not be the browser I'd be using.

I hate Safari with a passion…doesn't matter what platform, it's all equally bad.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Generally I use something else anyway, so even if I were stuck on one of my older phones, Safari would not be the browser I'd be using.

I hate Safari with a passion…doesn't matter what platform, it's all equally bad.

Whether you like Safari or not hardly matters. Apple isn't alone in withdrawing support for browsers running on older OSes. Is it in a developers best interest to devote expensive staff time to updating iOS 9 or iOS 10-compatible versions of their software? With a user base that is tiny now, declining in size steadily, and with no prospect for ever becoming larger, what motive do developers have for cranking out security updates for those barely-used OSes, other than "public spiritedness?"

Whether we're talking about Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, Linux... support for older OSes is going to be cut off after a certain number of years. Once those OSes and/or browser versions stop receiving security updates, developers of secure websites are going to block those OSes and/or the older browsers that run on them.

https://david-smith.org/iosversionstats/ has lots of numbers on OS utilization. It doesn't pay a very pretty picture for older OSes and hardware.

 

[Jessica Lares]

The 2016 SE is capable of running the latest software while being fairly affordable as well. If you're looking for something to actually use this would be the best bet.

Yeah. This is a good route to take. A good condition/good battery 16GB is like $90. Can go up to iOS 15 (I've stuck to 14 myself though).