Why does Apple allow older phones like the 12 to get IOS 26 when it's clearly not powerful enough to do so?

[Slo Pesci]

I got an old XR on IOS 18 and it's noticeably smoother than my iPhone 12 on IOS 26. It's just constant lag.

Any idea why Apple even allows these older phones to upgrade to the latest OS if it's just gonna be a miserable experience? Is there an easy way to downgrade the iPhone 12 to a previous OS?

 

[HouseLannister]

iOS 26.4 23E246 is the only signed IPSW for the iPhone 12, so no downgrade is possible.

To kind of answer the other part of your question: the EU now requires at least 5 years of smartphone OS updates. That was up in October 2025, but I guess Apple wanted to put out one more update so they wouldn't get in trouble for cutting it off in September? Not sure they care about EU fines anymore, but someone at Apple made the decision to release it. In fact, iOS 27 this year MAY still be available for the 12, because even though the 11, 12, and 13 are all going to be 5 years or older, the SE3 with the same 4GB of RAM is only going to be 4 years old, so should continue to get updates. I don't recommend it though. These OSes were designed for new phones with 8-12GB RAM. It reminds me of Horrible Bosses: you can drag race in a Prius, but you won't win much.

 

[d123]

iOS 26 works fine on my spare iPhone 12.

I don’t know what the “constant lag” the OP refers to is.

 

[Bazza1]

Apple none-too-subtly encouraging users to upgrade to a new phone.
'Yes, you can experience the current OS, but imagine how much better it will be on our new devices!'

Frankly, in hindsight - and having experienced the current OS on a 16 (a device truly capable of using it) - I regret no longer having my 12 Mini, running on iOS 17.

 

[TKSX]

Sometimes it is the app that slows down an older phone, not the OS itself.

 

[tonmischa]

the EU now requires at least 5 years of smartphone OS updates. That was up in October 2025, but I guess Apple wanted to put out one more update so they wouldn't get in trouble for cutting it off in September?

Are you blaming the EU for Apple's decision to release iOS 26 for the iPhone 12?

Apple could have easily decided to cut the iPhone 12 off at iOS 18 and simply provide it with the same iOS 18.7.x updates that the iPhone XR gets.
That would have been completey sufficient for the EU regulators.

And BTW: I am running my iPhone 12 Mini on 26.4.1 right now and it runs fine. It looks like crap, but it runs fine.

 

[HouseLannister]

Are you blaming the EU for Apple's decision to release iOS 26 for the iPhone 12?

Not blame. Just rationalizing why Apple might have gone with this decision. They also put iOS 26 out for iPhone 11, which they most certainly were under no obligation to do. But if you have to do the iPhone 13 and the SE 3, why not the 11 and 12, I guess. Keep in mind that Apple had a long history of not verbalizing how long they would support any phone, computer, etc. We always felt it was long, but when Google and Samsung came out and set company policies of 7 years, the EU changed their law of requiring 3 years minimum for OS and 5 years for security updates to 5 years for both OS and security updates. Therefore, Apple has to have 5 full years for the iPhone 12 to avoid fines. Boo-hoo, we owe the EU another 10 million! Like I said, I don't think they care about fines. It might have been a part of the decision-making process, however. Only so many governments we are willing to piss off in a year, or something like that.

 

[txb_811]

slow device make you buy a new iphone.

 

[StellarVixen]

When Apple drops support: “how dare you?”
When Apple keeps support: “how dare you?”

 

[underthere]

slow device make you buy a new iphone.

This is my thinking as well

 

[klasma]

To kind of answer the other part of your question: the EU now requires at least 5 years of smartphone OS updates. That was up in October 2025

The required five years start with the last unit of the model being placed on the market. Apple discontinued the iPhone 12 in 2023, so the five years would only end in 2028. However, the EU rules only apply to new models placed on the market after June 2025. So only from the iPhone 17 on. At the current support cadence, the iPhone 12 would still receive iOS 27, but not 28.

 

[winxmac]

I remember when the iPhone 4s with 512MB RAM received an upgrade to iOS 9 when it is almost unusable.

iOS 18 is bearable on 3GB and 4GB RAM iPhone models but iOS 26 should have been limited to 8GB RAM iPhone models.

 

[Andy_2341]

I remember when the iPhone 4s with 512MB RAM received an upgrade to iOS 9 when it is almost unusable.

iOS 18 is bearable on 3GB and 4GB RAM iPhone models but iOS 26 should have been limited to 8GB RAM iPhone models.

3GB of ram I could see being not enough. But my iPhone SE3 keeps up on the latest 26 just fine. It's mostly used for games. I can't tell a major difference in smoothness between it and my 15 Pro unless it's a taxing game. But regular OS functions and general apps they perform pretty much the same.

 

[HouseLannister]

The required five years start with the last unit of the model being placed on the market.

Ewww. I did not realize that. So they define market based on Apple stopping sales? Because I am sure they were still being sold by service providers and big box retailers for some time past then.

Glad it's only for newer phones then. The SE3 ended sales in 2025, so keeping that 4GB RAM phone updated until 2030 would be tough.

 

[klasma]

Ewww. I did not realize that. So they define market based on Apple stopping sales? Because I am sure they were still being sold by service providers and big box retailers for some time past then.

It’s defined as the manufacturer (i.e. Apple) releasing the unit into the market. Meaning something that the manufacturer has full control over. If at some point the manufacturer can’t guarantee five more years of updates for a given model, they have to stop putting units of that model on the market. What resellers do with units previously received from the manufacturer doesn’t matter.

I think of it as a compromise between what someone purchasing a smartphone should be able to expect (to have at least five years of usage from the date of purchase) and what the manufacturer can actually control.

A consequence might be that Apple will stop selling older models sooner, at least in the EU. The new yearly release cadence of the “e” line, which is now the least capable iPhone, may be partly motivated by that.

 

[tonmischa]

to 5 years for both OS and security updates. Therefore, Apple has to have 5 full years for the iPhone 12 to avoid fines.

Thanks for clarifying. I admit that I was under the impression that 5 years of security updates (not iOS upgrades) would suffice. Which is obviously wrong. Well, I learn something new every day ;-)

 

[klasma]

Thanks for clarifying. I admit that I was under the impression that 5 years of security updates (not iOS upgrades) would suffice. Which is obviously wrong. Well, I learn something new every day ;-)

More precisely, “security updates, corrective updates or functionality updates to an operating system” that are made available for some product must also be made available to all other products that use the same operating system, for five years.

With respect to the performance topic of this thread, there is also the requirement that “when a functionality update […] shows a negative impact on device performance, manufacturers […] shall modify the released operating system to ensure at least the same performance as before the update within a reasonable period of time, free of charge and without causing significant inconvenience to the end-user, except if the end-user has given explicit consent for the negative impact prior to the update.”

So look out for (possibly EU-only) confirmation dialogs on future updates seeking explicit consent regarding possible performance degradation.

 

[HouseLannister]

It’s defined as the manufacturer (i.e. Apple) releasing the unit into the market. Meaning something that the manufacturer has full control over. If at some point the manufacturer can’t guarantee five more years of updates for a given model, they have to stop putting units of that model on the market. What resellers do with units previously received from the manufacturer doesn’t matter.

Makes sense. Also gives Apple an out in that they can discontinue a phone they still have high amounts of Stock on Hand and just sell the remaining inventory to a 3rd party retail chain or a liquidator. Never get caught holding the hot potato!

 

[klasma]

Makes sense. Also gives Apple an out in that they can discontinue a phone they still have high amounts of Stock on Hand and just sell the remaining inventory to a 3rd party retail chain or a liquidator. Never get caught holding the hot potato!

I bought a brand new iPhone 13 mini last August from a commercial seller on eBay, which had a model number that Apple exclusively uses for replacement units. I wondered if Apple had dumped their remaining stock to some hidden channel. It would be nice if it received iOS 30, but alas… Though iOS 28 seems possible, or even likely.

 

[purpleturtle]

I remember when the iPhone 4s with 512MB RAM received an upgrade to iOS 9 when it is almost unusable.

iOS 18 is bearable on 3GB and 4GB RAM iPhone models but iOS 26 should have been limited to 8GB RAM iPhone models.

I still bear a grudge about that to this day, and it's why all my devices are on 18.7.7. Ruined an excellent piece of kit, the 4s is to this day my favorite phone of all time.

 

[FeliApple]

Alternative title: “why do people keep updating almost the oldest supported device to a knowingly risky iOS version while STILL expecting like-new performance and/or battery life after nineteen whole iterations?”

When are people going to learn? Updating the oldest compatible device carries a massive risk AND it’s not reversible. At this point I’m beyond the point of siding with the user.

Update the oldest supported device to its latest supported version and you deserve to use garbage.

 

[aespana]

Alternative title: “why do people keep updating almost the oldest supported device to a knowingly risky iOS version while STILL expecting like-new performance and/or battery life after nineteen whole iterations?”

When are people going to learn? Updating the oldest compatible device carries a massive risk AND it’s not reversible. At this point I’m beyond the point of siding with the user.

Update the oldest supported device to its latest supported version and you deserve to use garbage.

Is it Apple's fault or users fault?

 

[Ctrlos]

iOS 26 works fine on my spare iPhone 12.

I don’t know what the “constant lag” the OP refers to is.

26.3 is a revelation.

 

[FeliApple]

Is it Apple's fault or users fault?

Both. Apple for disallowing downgrades and destroying devices and users for rewarding that via accepting endless updates.

Apple is at fault, but after nineteen iterations the user is, too. You can’t complain about the oldest or second oldest device on the newest iOS version. You should know how this works by now.

“I didn’t know that iOS updates did that” is no longer valid. It’s on you if you update endlessly.

 

[Padre_Pio]

iOS 26.4 23E246 is the only signed IPSW for the iPhone 12, so no downgrade is possible.

To kind of answer the other part of your question: the EU now requires at least 5 years of smartphone OS updates. That was up in October 2025, but I guess Apple wanted to put out one more update so they wouldn't get in trouble for cutting it off in September? Not sure they care about EU fines anymore, but someone at Apple made the decision to release it. In fact, iOS 27 this year MAY still be available for the 12, because even though the 11, 12, and 13 are all going to be 5 years or older, the SE3 with the same 4GB of RAM is only going to be 4 years old, so should continue to get updates. I don't recommend it though. These OSes were designed for new phones with 8-12GB RAM. It reminds me of Horrible Bosses: you can drag race in a Prius, but you won't win much.

I think the point is, if Apple is going to keep five years of updates, they should modify the OS and take the parts out that slow down their older phones.