Other Why Aren't we Keeping our iPhones for Years?

[FeliApple]

You know the experience you had with your 6s? This sounds pretty much what happened to me with my OG SE and no amount of battery replacement helped it any.

Yeah, and if you stay behind like I do (going with the example of the same model, or at least the same processor as you, the A9, shared by the 6s and the 1st-gen SE), compatibility kills us if we want to use it as a main. (The broken 6s was forced out of iOS 9 due to the A9 activation bug in which devices with A9 processors on iOS 9 were deactivated and forced to update. You wouldn’t be able to use your SE either had you kept it on iOS 9).

So really, the only quality longevity that is achievable is to use the device as primary on the original iOS version for as long as possible. Once compatibility breaks enough so as to preclude you from using it, upgrade, and turn the device into a secondary iPhone for.. something.

Some people use it as their car GPS. I use them for music. Some use them as portable cameras to preserve battery life on their main. Some use it for gaming to preserve their main device. I don’t know, find your specific “niche” of use with what the device can do, and you have longevity.

I’m currently listening to music with an iPhone 8 on iOS 14. Is it useful for me and my requirements as a main iPhone? No. But for music it is flawless.

That… or update and forfeit quality longevity whilst gaining “X” amount of years as a main until iOS updates kill it (and as we experienced, forget about using it as secondary because the experience is too unpleasant).

Sadly, that’s the longevity conundrum. Do you buy a certain amount of full compatibility with quality, performance, battery life, and secondary longevity? Or do you keep secondary usability and longevity in exchange for primary compatibility for a little longer?

Your choice.

 

[A1423]

Why I don’t.

As long as my carrier is willing to pay me more than my phone is worth to upgrade every year, I see no reason not to.

 

[SalisburySam]

Why Aren't we Keeping our iPhones for Years?​

Actually, we are. Two 2022 iPhone13minis make up our total stable of smartphones. Both working well, see no need for a newer model, including the 17. Maybe an 18, but also maybe not. Sadly, these devices debuted in September of 2021, and were discontinued only two years later, apparently forever.

 

[33355]

Then don't make the mistake I did upgrading to iOS 26. I'm just hoping at this stage that iOS 27 will save the day.

I did... The phone gets very hot but I've gotten used to it. Although it's a problem in the summer. My battery capacity is whack but that's expected after 4+ years. I've contemplated a battery replacement but haven't gotten around to it so I take a powerbank wherever I go and juice up if needed.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

I did... The phone gets very hot but I've gotten used to it. Although it's a problem in the summer. My battery capacity is whack but that's expected after 4+ years. I've contemplated a battery replacement but haven't gotten around to it so I take a powerbank wherever I go and juice up if needed.

Yeah..but this just shouldn't be. Ive never had the Mini 13 get hot during charging before, not with a 5 W or 20 W charger. Also watching reels it has become an issue that iOS 18 didn't have, it's especially the case with 5 G use. I'm on 78 % battery health and will replace it when iOS 27 comes out to avoid killing my battery prematurely on this OS.

Luckily I can charge in the car, home, work and via MagSafe battery but this horrid power draw just shouldn't be happening. The only saviour is that at least there's no perceivable current draw on stand-by.

 

[paranoidgraylady]

Off topic, scroll if allergic- Thanks El Paso for this thread. It’s had lots of great info, and without being about a specific product or problem it got the 8’s, 11’s, 18’s dancing with the ATGs (Alphabet Tech Geniuses) and the OCCs (Older than Calculators Crowd).
Notably too- everyone has different opinions based on their experiences, as all people do, yet no one tried to change them to be like them! Social Forum Awards for Everyone! This may be a world record if it continues another hour.

Lastly, I had to say your collection of user names is the best I’ve ever seen in one thread and by happenstance. Clever, fun, smart people, good names and zero chance of catching the latest contagious bug: keyboard angst.

 

[eyoungren]

For @FeliApple…



iPhone 6+ streaming via BT to my AfterShokz Aeropex bone conduction headset. iOS 12.5.8.

Yeah, that's my 6s+ underneath it - and the 6s to the right. 😉

 

[paranoidgraylady]

Yeah, and if you stay behind like I do (going with the example of the same model, or at least the same processor as you, the A9, shared by the 6s and the 1st-gen SE), compatibility kills us if we want to use it as a main. (The broken 6s was forced out of iOS 9 due to the A9 activation bug in which devices with A9 processors on iOS 9 were deactivated and forced to update. You wouldn’t be able to use your SE either had you kept it on iOS 9).

So really, the only quality longevity that is achievable is to use the device as primary on the original iOS version for as long as possible. Once compatibility breaks enough so as to preclude you from using it, upgrade, and turn the device into a secondary iPhone for.. something.

Some people use it as their car GPS. I use them for music. Some use them as portable cameras to preserve battery life on their main. Some use it for gaming to preserve their main device. I don’t know, find your specific “niche” of use with what the device can do, and you have longevity.

I’m currently listening to music with an iPhone 8 on iOS 14. Is it useful for me and my requirements as a main iPhone? No. But for music it is flawless.

That… or update and forfeit quality longevity whilst gaining “X” amount of years as a main until iOS updates kill it (and as we experienced, forget about using it as secondary because the experience is too unpleasant).

Sadly, that’s the longevity conundrum. Do you buy a certain amount of full compatibility with quality, performance, battery life, and secondary longevity? Or do you keep secondary usability and longevity in exchange for primary compatibility for a little longer?

Your choice.

I have a question about reanimating my old 8 for car use. This would be really great if I could use it for music or GPS but wouldn’t it need to a data line somewhere to connect to? I’m tired. I know I can download music but maps… are y’all using hot spot data or paying for data lines?

 

[eyoungren]

I have a question about reanimating my old 8 for car use. This would be really great if I could use it for music or GPS but wouldn’t it need to a data line somewhere to connect to? I’m tired. I know I can download music but maps… are y’all using hot spot data or paying for data lines?

I have an iPad Mini (1st Gen) I bought specifically for car use (GPS). Google Maps still works in offline mode under iOS 9. But, it has a line.



For music, I use my 6s+ which has had a line for years now. It's my secondary phone.

There's a few ways to do this. Dedicated lines like I have (and you asked about), tethering to a device that has a line, an in-car hotspot device, or as you also mentioned - downloading stuff.

For a few years we had two of T-Mobile's SyncUp Drive devices. These plug in to the OBD port of your car (which provides power) and provide an in-car WiFi network that other people in the car (including other devices) can connect to. But they have their own SIMs and thus their own lines. I converted them to standard data lines a while back as we no longer use the devices.

Being as your old 8 is probably newer than my iPad Mini you should have some better music and maps options available to you as you'd be on a newer version of iOS.

 

[paranoidgraylady]

I have an iPad Mini (1st Gen) I bought specifically for car use (GPS). Google Maps still works in offline mode under iOS 9. But, it has a line.

View attachment 2653145View attachment 2653147View attachment 2653146

For music, I use my 6s+ which has had a line for years now. It's my secondary phone.

There's a few ways to do this. Dedicated lines like I have (and you asked about), tethering to a device that has a line, an in-car hotspot device, or as you also mentioned - downloading stuff.

For a few years we had two of T-Mobile's SyncUp Drive devices. These plug in to the OBD port of your car (which provides power) and provide an in-car WiFi network that other people in the car (including other devices) can connect to. But they have their own SIMs and thus their own lines. I converted them to standard data lines a while back as we no longer use the devices.

Being as your old 8 is probably newer than my iPad Mini you should have some better music and maps options available to you as you'd be one a newer version of iOS.

Thanks! I’m with Verizon now so another line is not in the budget, the one I have barely is at $75/ month and no perks, no need for the amount of data and don’t tell anyone here, but I have no idea how hot spots work and they sound horribly unsafe (?) so I’ve never turned it on. I have it though so it’s there if needed. Hmmm. I’m going to try to charge the 8 ! Thank you so much!

 

[eyoungren]

Thanks! I’m with Verizon now so another line is not in the budget, the one I have barely is at $75/ month and no perks, no need for the amount of data and don’t tell anyone here, but I have no idea how hot spots work and they sound horribly unsafe (?) so I’ve never turned it on. I have it though so it’s there if needed. Hmmm. I’m going to try to charge the 8 ! Thank you so much!

Hotspots are just tethering devices. Just like you'd turn on the hotspot on your phone or tablet and then connect another device to it using WiFi, that's exactly how hotspot devices work. It's just that hotspot devices aren't phones or tablets. They do one thing and that's provide a hotspot.

Hotspots require their own line because they are using cellular to get data and then passing that on via WiFi to connected devices. Conditions that would make it dangerous are quite extreme. Any hackers would literally have to be standing between a connected device and the hotspot. Pretty sure you'd spot someone trying to capture your data when they are being that obvious right in front of you. Most people are not in the habit of putting giant amounts of space between their devices and the hotspot they are connected to.

 

[FeliApple]

For @FeliApple…

View attachment 2653133

iPhone 6+ streaming via BT to my AfterShokz Aeropex bone conduction headset. iOS 12.5.8.

Yeah, that's my 6s+ underneath it - and the 6s to the right. 😉

Yeah, but you’ve probably replaced the battery of those iPhones, right?

I considered it, but I’m not entirely sure how worth it replacing it actually is. Not only I either have the same iPhone on the perfect version of iOS (6s on iOS 10), but I also have a newer 4.7-inch iPhone if I wanted to go back to the home button (the iPhone 8).

I just can’t square in my brain the unavoidable requirement of “you probably need a 90+ BH battery to use these iPhones on awful versions of iOS”. Performance is poor, battery life even with a new battery is poor vs my relatively significant number of iOS devices on original iOS versions, I’d be artificially prolonging the lifespan of a poor device.

I compare the 6s to everything else I have and it doesn’t really scream “worth it” to me.

Worst-case scenario I just use the iPhone 8 like I wanted to use the 6s.

The conclusion I’m in right now is “Apple forcibly killed it, just let it go”.

 

[eyoungren]

Yeah, but you’ve probably replaced the battery of those iPhones, right?

I considered it, but I’m not entirely sure how worth it replacing it actually is. Not only I either have the same iPhone on the perfect version of iOS (6s on iOS 10), but I also have a newer 4.7-inch iPhone if I wanted to go back to the home button (the iPhone 8).

I just can’t square in my brain the unavoidable requirement of “you probably need a 90+ BH battery to use these iPhones on awful versions of iOS”. Performance is poor, battery life even with a new battery is poor vs my relatively significant number of iOS devices on original iOS versions, I’d be artificially prolonging the lifespan of a poor device.

I compare the 6s to everything else I have and it doesn’t really scream “worth it” to me.

Worst-case scenario I just use the iPhone 8 like I wanted to use the 6s.

The conclusion I’m in right now is “Apple forcibly killed it, just let it go”.

Ah, I was just showing you that I was using the phone to stream music to a BT headset, LOL! 😀

Yes, the battery on both have been replaced. The 6+ in September 2023, shortly after I bought it from eBay and the 6s+ in November 2020 from Apple.

The 6s+ is my original 2015 phone from T-Mobile, but second battery. That one is now almost six years old and needs to be replaced again. I'm not in a rush. The 6+ was an eBay buy, an unlocked AT&T phone to replace the Sprint 6+ I turned into T-Mobile in 2015 for the 6s+. The replacement battery is now 99% as I do not use this phone very much.

I have several cables running around all the phones on my desk, so this is largely why I am not in a rush to replace the battery on the 6s+ (again). In the car, if I take it, it goes in a mount and gets charged. So, there's always power available to it somewhere. And as these two phones are not primary phones, and the above is true, I again see no need for replacement batteries right now.

The 6s+ is more than capable of functioning on battery and streaming music for the 30 minute daily walks I go on, so that's another reason I'm not in a rush.

Eventually, my 11PM will become the secondary phone and the 6s+ is probably just going to sit on charger for most of the day if it's being used.

 

[Macdctr]

Then don't make the mistake I did upgrading to iOS 26. I'm just hoping at this stage that iOS 27 will save the day.

My experience using my Green 13 mini on iOS 26 was not great as the device got warm and showed lagging. I did not like this iOS on the mini however after WWDC, I upgraded my mini to iOS 27 Developer Beta and my mini feels like a new device again. It boots into home screen much quicker, goes into apps much quicker and I can switch into different apps much quicker than I was able to in iOS26.

I think you will have a better experience once you upgrade to iOS 27. 👍🏽

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Some people use it as their car GPS. I use them for music. Some use them as portable cameras to preserve battery life on their main. Some use it for gaming to preserve their main device. I don’t know, find your specific “niche” of use with what the device can do, and you have longevity.

I’m currently listening to music with an iPhone 8 on iOS 14. Is it useful for me and my requirements as a main iPhone? No. But for music it is flawless.

I bought the 13 Mini start of 2023 after the OG SE served its 6+ solid years as a primary and only phone. Six years, yes. But I do actually have a patched and rather Frankenstein 2009 MBP that's still functional.

The plan for the SE:

1. Take it to the beach, buried in a plastic bag and not worry too much if it's stolen.
2. Use it on WiFi only at home for HEOS to the HiFi and control smart lights.
3. A backup phone in case the primary (13 Mini) is ever hospitalised at Apple.

However...

I updated the SE to iOS 15.8.7 (latest) and even though the 4th year saw an Apple fitted battery, things went quite pear-shaped. Now this 2nd battery has health of 89%, purely on stand-by it runs out within 24 hrs. There's no LTE involved, only WiFi. The original battery I thought had met its demise after some severe European winters (I thought) but it was more so the updates themselves that deemed it unusable.

So I could charge the SE non stop now but tbh I no longer see a point in this. I always felt that the 64 GB storage was a severe limitation, always deleting/ off loading Apps to update (unfortunately), but I will actually reset it to factory setting if I don't keep forgetting to do so and see what happens.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

My experience using my Green 13 mini on iOS 26 was not great as the device got warm and showed lagging. I did not like this iOS on the mini however after WWDC, I upgraded my mini to iOS 27 Developer Beta and my mini feels like a new device again. It boots into home screen much quicker, goes into apps much quicker and I can switch into different apps much quicker than I was able to in iOS26.

I think you will have a better experience once you upgrade to iOS 27. 👍🏽

Great to hear that's still the case as we've had quite a few conversations about this.

It's interesting that quite a few folk in other forums seem to have had a reprieve after finally updating to iOS 26.6 but for me personally this hasn't had much of a difference.

I never really felt with iOS 26 that booting or App opening times were that awful. It was always the overheating when charging and battery "counting down", often 2% at the time when any video was involved, especially when outside of WiFi, overheating also at that time vs the same use case in iOS 18.

Ive kind off put all eggs in the one basket moving to iOS 26 and have so much hope with iOS 27 as surely, it can all only get better. Feature wise I do like this latest OS functionality better that all previous versions, obviously without all the negative side effects.

 

[edubfromktown]

Ditched 8 Plus (since iPhone 3!!) for Android and have zero regrets.

 

[Luftkopf]

Ditched 8 Plus (since iPhone 3!!) for Android and have zero regrets.

Each to his own. I’ve used iPhones since the 3GS (and a 1st gen iPod touch before that), and I still love iPhones. I will replace my iPhone 14 with another.

 

[FeliApple]

Ah, I was just showing you that I was using the phone to stream music to a BT headset, LOL! 😀

That’s great! Really, I think that it is great that we can find uses for these older devices instead of selling them for pennies or throwing them permanently into a drawer.

I do the same, even if it’s just music or a specific app, I like to at least give it some use.

I’ve gotten some comments over the years about how “pointless it is to use another phone, why don’t you just use your main (16 Plus in this case?”, well, because if I did, what would I do with the rest?

Yes, the battery on both have been replaced. The 6+ in September 2023, shortly after I bought it from eBay and the 6s+ in November 2020 from Apple.

The 6s+ is my original 2015 phone from T-Mobile, but second battery. That one is now almost six years old and needs to be replaced again. I'm not in a rush. The 6+ was an eBay buy, an unlocked AT&T phone to replace the Sprint 6+ I turned into T-Mobile in 2015 for the 6s+. The replacement battery is now 99% as I do not use this phone very much.

I have several cables running around all the phones on my desk, so this is largely why I am not in a rush to replace the battery on the 6s+ (again). In the car, if I take it, it goes in a mount and gets charged. So, there's always power available to it somewhere. And as these two phones are not primary phones, and the above is true, I again see no need for replacement batteries right now.

The 6s+ is more than capable of functioning on battery and streaming music for the 30 minute daily walks I go on, so that's another reason I'm not in a rush.

Eventually, my 11PM will become the secondary phone and the 6s+ is probably just going to sit on charger for most of the day if it's being used.

I think the Plus is significantly more resilient, especially if (like me) you just use it for music. Sheer battery size renders Plus models more stable if updated.

I fully acknowledge that if I were to replace the battery on this 6s I’d get years on end of music playback (after all, as a… quaternary iPhone or so, how much can I really use it?), and honestly I might do so at some point, but the truth is that I have more efficient devices on better iOS versions for the same task. In your case, the 6s Plus is by far the best for music imo, and it makes sense that you prefer it.

I honestly think that my 6s on iOS 13 can even work as-is even if battery life is garbage, I’d just have to keep it on a charger for most of the day (and I don’t really want to).

The 11PM, if you eventually assign the task of “secondary main iPhone” is a little like my iPhone Xʀ (iOS 12, 89% health even after six years of main, always original battery since I don’t replace them): the pinnacle of a secondary iPhone, unless iOS 26 (if you are running it) has killed it to an astronomical degree, just like iOS 13 killed my 6s.

I hope you can keep them working for as long as it makes sense to do so. It’s exactly what I plan to do.

 

[FeliApple]

I bought the 13 Mini start of 2023 after the OG SE served its 6+ solid years as a primary and only phone. Six years, yes. But I do actually have a patched and rather Frankenstein 2009 MBP that's still functional.

The plan for the SE:

1. Take it to the beach, buried in a plastic bag and not worry too much if it's stolen.
2. Use it on WiFi only at home for HEOS to the HiFi and control smart lights.
3. A backup phone in case the primary (13 Mini) is ever hospitalised at Apple.

Yeah, I always like to see people take advantage of devices like this. Six years as primary and a plan to use it in “riskier” situations or for specific purposes like your second point. I think that’s the way to obtain maximum longevity.

However...

I updated the SE to iOS 15.8.7 (latest) and even though the 4th year saw an Apple fitted battery, things went quite pear-shaped. Now this 2nd battery has health of 89%, purely on stand-by it runs out within 24 hrs. There's no LTE involved, only WiFi. The original battery I thought had met its demise after some severe European winters (I thought) but it was more so the updates themselves that deemed it unusable.

So I could charge the SE non stop now but tbh I no longer see a point in this. I always felt that the 64 GB storage was a severe limitation, always deleting/ off loading Apps to update (unfortunately), but I will actually reset it to factory setting if I don't keep forgetting to do so and see what happens.

And I also agree with your conclusion. It’s the same one I have with my 6s. Updated, even with a new battery it’s bound to have a far poorer battery life than any of my other few iPhones I can use for this (including my flawless, original battery 6s on iOS 10), so I question the point in replacing the battery.

After all, just like you, it’s the worst iPhone I have (alongside an updated 5c, which I intend to downgrade at some point if they ever figure out a blobless untethered downgrade to iOS 8.4 or so. It’s so garbage that it doesn’t count).

The A9/A10 devices were obliterated by updates (not so much the A11/A12, not to the same level), so you’re either lucky enough to have them on early iOS versions, tolerate the checkm8 tethered downgrades if you have no blobs, or just try to use newer devices if you have any.

A11 onwards? As secondaries? They’re amazing, you don’t even need battery replacements. For music and the like they more than suffice.

 

[eyoungren]

That’s great! Really, I think that it is great that we can find uses for these older devices instead of selling them for pennies or throwing them permanently into a drawer.

I do the same, even if it’s just music or a specific app, I like to at least give it some use.

I’ve gotten some comments over the years about how “pointless it is to use another phone, why don’t you just use your main (16 Plus in this case?”, well, because if I did, what would I do with the rest?

I think the Plus is significantly more resilient, especially if (like me) you just use it for music. Sheer battery size renders Plus models more stable if updated.

I fully acknowledge that if I were to replace the battery on this 6s I’d get years on end of music playback (after all, as a… quaternary iPhone or so, how much can I really use it?), and honestly I might do so at some point, but the truth is that I have more efficient devices on better iOS versions for the same task. In your case, the 6s Plus is by far the best for music imo, and it makes sense that you prefer it.

I honestly think that my 6s on iOS 13 can even work as-is even if battery life is garbage, I’d just have to keep it on a charger for most of the day (and I don’t really want to).

The 11PM, if you eventually assign the task of “secondary main iPhone” is a little like my iPhone Xʀ (iOS 12, 89% health even after six years of main, always original battery since I don’t replace them): the pinnacle of a secondary iPhone, unless iOS 26 (if you are running it) has killed it to an astronomical degree, just like iOS 13 killed my 6s.

I hope you can keep them working for as long as it makes sense to do so. It’s exactly what I plan to do.

I won't show it here (again) because I've already done so, but there are 5 iPhones, 1 Pixel and three iPads sitting on my desk - all used for various things. The use for music, video, and streaming TV gets passed around. Today it just happened to be the 6+.

What is NOT on my desktop is a 3Gs, a 4 and a 4s. Unfortunately, it seems that at least for now, the 4s won't be getting used any time soon. It would seem that I have run into some sort of activation issue after restoring (not iCloud activation, phone activation) and it's put the device into a loop. Until, I can figure it out, it will remain off.

Not having a job for some time now (currently looking) though has resulted in getting creative with the stuff I have. It's been interesting finding things to do with this stuff. 😉 I hate just letting it sit there doing nothing.

PS. 11PM is on iOS 27, Beta 5.

 

[Luftkopf]

I can't remember whether or not I've already shared this, but my old iPhone 5 is now my wife's bedside clock, my old iPhone 8 Plus is about to become part of a baby monitor setup, and the iPhone 11 I got from a friend to use while I waited to afford to fix the screen of my 14 is now my wife's phone after her Pixel 4a died, tying itself up in a boot loop.

Previously, while I still had a motorbike, I used my 8 Plus as my GPS/speedo, until I gave that to my wife so she could use Find My while I was riding, whereupon I set my 5 up for my motorbike.

They're all made well enough that they're just lasting, and I like to get my money's worth.

 

[magbarn]

I have upgraded every single year since the 3GS, but I might keep the 17PM as the 18PM looks like a really small update and the fold is too crippled in the camera department.

 

[paranoidgraylady]

Hotspots are just tethering devices. Just like you'd turn on the hotspot on your phone or tablet and then connect another device to it using WiFi, that's exactly how hotspot devices work. It's just that hotspot devices aren't phones or tablets. They do one thing and that's provide a hotspot.

Hotspots require their own line because they are using cellular to get data and then passing that on via WiFi to connected devices. Conditions that would make it dangerous are quite extreme. Any hackers would literally have to be standing between a connected device and the hotspot. Pretty sure you'd spot someone trying to capture your data when they are being that obvious right in front of you. Most people are not in the habit of putting giant amounts of space between their devices and the hotspot they are connected to.

Thanks, that’s what I figured, but for some reason I always equate it to checking my bank balance on public WiFi at LaGuardia. I don’t know why LaGuardia, I’m an hour from BWI?
I think all 3 old phones charged. Next I’ll try getting in without signing in to anything and what works.

 

[paranoidgraylady]

I won't show it here (again) because I've already done so, but there are 5 iPhones, 1 Pixel and three iPads sitting on my desk - all used for various things. The use for music, video, and streaming TV gets passed around. Today it just happened to be the 6+.

What is NOT on my desktop is a 3Gs, a 4 and a 4s. Unfortunately, it seems that at least for now, the 4s won't be getting used any time soon. It would seem that I have run into some sort of activation issue after restoring (not iCloud activation, phone activation) and it's put the device into a loop. Until, I can figure it out, it will remain off.

Not having a job for some time now (currently looking) though has resulted in getting creative with the stuff I have. It's been interesting finding things to do with this stuff. 😉 I hate just letting it sit there doing nothing.

PS. 11PM is on iOS 27, Beta 5.

I’m with you on the repurposing anything possible but I didn’t know how passionate I felt about it until I was digging out the old 8 for this purpose and I also found a 5, a Samsung, my old Nokia and a Nano. Oh! And a Garmin GPS with no hope of finding its way around here now. They add a new housing development every night.
It’s nice to give all our tourists an opportunity to just stay forever, but what are they going to look at when their relatives come to visit? 😂 I need a nap.