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

[scrapesleon]

well I actually like changing my phone every 10 months or less

 

[powerbook911]

My current phone I've kept the longest since the iPhone era began. 15 Pro Max. Three years in September.

I don't know if I'll get a phone this year, or wait for the big 20th anniversary next year.

You can definitely keep them longer than ever before.

 

[Reno Raines]

I keep mine usually for 3-4 years. Heck I am still using an iPhone 8 Plus on an extra line.

 

[ElPaso]

I suspect quite a lot of people also get sucked in by instalment payments

Amazing how they can turn a consumer from '£1,200 for a phone...are you mad?!' to '£50 a month for 24 months...bargain!'...very clever psychology...

Very good point. For the past ten years or longer I've just been paying cash for my phones, so I didn't think of this angle when I wrote the op. But a small monthly payment as opposed to the full value would indeed draw in people.

 

[M.Brane]

I buy my phones outright too. I am allergic to debt. Recently retired my refurb 11 for a new 17. Looked at refurbs again, and was not impressed by the value vs. performance. First brand new Apple device I've ever bought. With the recent chip vulnerabilities looks like my timing was good.

 

[ElPaso]

. . . I am allergic to debt . . . .

That's the bottom line why I buy phones outright too. My wife and I (in our 70s now!) have no debt and wanna keep it that way! We are very fortunate.

 

[cbsnbiker]

I'm preaching to myself I guess, but with the high quality of iPhones both in physical build and OS, I'm curious why we move on to a new iPhone after only a year or two of use? With a couple of my old devices, I replaced them after only a year or so of use - the iPhone SE (1st gen) and the 13. But on the other hand, I kept my iPhone 8 Plus for four years, and I was extremely happy with it from day one all the way to the end of its 48 month tenure. I figure I could have squeezed another couple of years out of it, but the thought of a shiny new device (the 13) was too much to take lol. At the end of the 8 Plus' time with me, it seemed just as capable and fast as when I first got it.

With my iPhone 8 Plus experience under my belt, I've decided to keep my 16e, which I've had for only 3-1/2 months, for 5 years. Or at least try for 5 years. Since I'm retired and have limited income, it seems the smart thing to do - especially with the high quality of iDevices I've experienced, and specifically my experience with the 8 Plus.

Who else wants to keep their iPhones for a looooooong time?

In the last fifteen years, I've owned three models of iPhone: 5, 7, [edit] 14 Pro. 😱

 

[BigDO]

Very good point. For the past ten years or longer I've just been paying cash for my phones, so I didn't think of this angle when I wrote the op. But a small monthly payment as opposed to the full value would indeed draw in people.

It is simply bad fiscal sense to NOT take a 24 month, interest free, installment option and pay upfront, especially in the high inflation environment today.

 

[throAU]

I usually keep them for years. Nothing like a paid off device anything.

buy all mine outright

I replace at 2-4 years because tech moves fast and I realised recently that my phone is a primary device, integral to my day for:

• CarPlay: Navigation, audio streaming/playback
• payments
• password manage / authenticator
• camera
• messages
• voice calls
• shopping lists
• etc.

 

[CraigJDuffy]

I upgrade when there is a compelling reason for me to do so, which is usually years in between.

Started with a 4S and upgraded to a 6 (was on a carrier plan) then went to a X and then a XS (as my X was stolen and insurance replaced it) then a 13 Pro (2nd hand, it was 2 years old) which I’ve now had for a little over 2 years.

I don’t see myself upgrading from the 13 Pro anytime soon as there is nothing compelling about new iPhones for me. I upgraded to this device for improved mobile hot spot (XS can only do 2.4GHZ vs 5) and 5G.

 

[CraigJDuffy]

Very curious about these incredible trade in deals.

I just got the battery on my 13 Pro replaced for £85 and they’d give me £295 on a trade in… but a new iPhone Pro is £1200 which is quite a stretch from “not much more”. I guess a 16/17E or a regular 16?

 

[staceyu]

I currently use an 14 Pro. Previous iPhone was the X. Before that was an 5S. I get about 4-5 years out of my iPhone before I get a new one. I always get it unlocked.


Waiting on the official specs of the Air or Ultra, I hate the new Pro designs, it feels like a massive downgrade from my stainless steel 14 Pro.

 

[Kriss_De_Valnor]

I never buy Pro models, I will easily keep my 16 Plus for another 4 or 5 years. I just use my mobile for calling, texting, whatsupping and browsing the net. My previous phone was an XR which I had for about 6 years. I prefer to spend more money on photography and headphone related stuff.

 

[Kriss_De_Valnor]

Very curious about these incredible trade in deals.

I just got the battery on my 13 Pro replaced for £85 and they’d give me £295 on a trade in… but a new iPhone Pro is £1200 which is quite a stretch from “not much more”. I guess a 16/17E or a regular 16?

I went for a 16 Plus. Big screen and a massive battery matters! If you can see a good deal grab it!

 

[Andeddu]

I plan on keeping my 17 Pro for at least 6 years. I still use my older phones as multimedia devices, such as my iPhone 8 which is presently being used as a Netflix, Prime, Apple TV, Disney+ and YouTube steaming machine.

 

[trash eighty]

My wife and i keep our phones for 2 years (though we're thinking of upping that to 3 as the amount of change is less apparent now).

Our old phones get cascaded to my wife's various relatives (she has a lot). My previous phone went to my nephew (who has broken it already i think lol) the others are fine though I think even my original iPhone SE is still going strong.

 

[DougiePhresh]

Who is this “we” you are talking about? Since about the iPhone 8 the year-on-year advancements have not justified yearly upgrades … for me. I now keep my iPhones until it breaks or I simply want an upgrade (generally every 2-3 generations at this point)

 

[QuarterSwede]

buy all mine outright

I replace at 2-4 years because tech moves fastened I realised recently that my phone is a primary device, integral to my day for:

• CarPlay: Navigation, audio streaming/playback
• payments
• password manage / authenticator
• camera
• messages
• voice calls
• shopping lists
• etc.

I tend to finance (borrow other people’s money, ie. Apple/Citizens Bank) and do the 0% option.

 

[throAU]

I tend to finance (borrow other people’s money, ie. Apple/Citizens Bank) and do the 0% option.

I buy mine and write it off on tax to get a deduction.

 

[chaosbunny]

I'm very undemanding when it comes to smartphones because I don't really like these devices. I don't like doing stuff on the small screen and taking pictures is way more fun with my Sony Alpha 7 IV, which I take with me very often.

I usually buy refurbed iPhones 2-3 years after their release. My current one is an iPhone 12 Pro I bought in 2022/23. Before that I had an iPhone 6s since around 2017, an iPhone 5 from 2015-2017 (unfortunately it broke after only 2 years, I really liked the form factor) and an iPhone 4 from 2010-2015.

 

[david_n_n]

I preordered a 14 pro on launch and have had it since. This was an upgrade from the 7 I had at the time for 2.5 years at the time given by my parents when I was a teen (before then, my first phone was a five for almost two years, then I cycled between two used 6's and two used 7's, holding onto that last 7). Now it's gonna be four years of the 14 pro in September. When I got it, I made my goal to hold onto it for six years and I'm pretty sure I'm on track. At the time, I loathed the idea of some people paying every year or two for a new iPhone, but at the same time, I consider myself an Apple enthusiast and loving new Apple tech and keep track of it through leaks throughout the whole year. Currently my phone is at 79% capacity on its original battery, has barely any scratches of any kind, is on its second case as of about nine months ago, and I'm constantly on the developer beta, which probably heats it up and wears away the battery quicker. I think I'm ahead the curve, but I'm considering replacing the battery.

My main concerns are the following: 1) If I replace the battery now, sure I'll benefit, but by the time I upgrade it'll degrade again and resale value would tank again. It makes sense, at least in my mind, to upgrade even further out than 6 total years if I replace it now, or if I stick to 6 years to just power through it. 2) When I originally set the goal of 6 years I based it on a; six years between my original 7 coming out and the 14 pro coming out, and b; that same 7 got cut off software wise and wasn't getting iOS 16 (my current phone's software on launch, working out pretty nicely), which means it got 6 years of software support since it came out. However, iOS 27 supports all the way back to the iPhone 11, meaning a phone from 2019 will be supported until at least Fall 2027, which equates to a whopping eight years of software support! Should I hold on to my 14 pro even longer because of this, assuming it still functions? That would make the upcoming 4 year mark the exact halfway point to replace the battery.

I also ask myself the question if it's worth the new features to just upgrade sooner. For example, my phone is the last lightning iPhone, which will continue to get more difficult. It's also the last pro iPhone without getting Apple Intelligence, meaning every new iOS I have to see that many of the new features will not apply to my phone. (It's also the last stainless steel iPhone, but if anything that's just extra weight and sharper edges with only a slight durability benefit) If you were me, would you let this get to you? Or would you make do on the vow when you bought it of just treating any new feature post 14 pro as part of a sum of features all adding up to when you buy when you said you would? Obviously when I watched keynotes since, I'm still wowed by new features, but I've kept myself from buying by telling myself it's all adding up to when I upgrade further down the line. But sometimes I feel like I picked a year to upgrade that didn't age all that well compared to even the one right after it. Any potential advice isn't expected, but greatly appreciated.

 

[now i see it]

Apple iOS updates historically slowly ruin perfectly good iPhones with each new update.
They ruined 3 of my previous old iPhones - became sluggishly slow.
So many of us -would- keep an iPhone for 10 years or longer, but Apple sees to it that it really isn’t possible.
Their whole business model is selling hardware. They give away the software for free primarily to slowly obsolete the older hardware.

 

[rensuchan]

For example, my phone is the last lightning iPhone, which will continue to get more difficult.

This actually encouraged me to upgrade from the 14 Pro Max. It's not something you actively think about until a situation actually happens.

I went to the Indianapolis 500 in 2025 and I had my battery pack, but I accidentally left the lightning cable in the car. Nobody around me in the stands that I asked had a lightning cable and I had no way to charge my phone even though I had the battery pack. Had I had a USB-C model though, there were cables available.

Now that I'm on a 17 with USB-C, I have a feeling I will keep it for a while.

 

[xAnthony]

Was planning to upgrade to the new fold device this year. With all the price increases I sense this is going to be a $3500 device in Canada after taxes. I’m just not sure I can justify that. My 15 Pro Max is working perfectly still.

 

[fricotin]

Still using my 7 it just got a security update a few weeks ago, can remember what year I bought it...