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Will iOS 11 ditched the iPhone 5 (A6)?

Will iOS 11 ditched the iPhone 5 (A6)?

  • Yes. RIP iPhone 5

    Votes: 78 87.6%

  • No, but it will be the last iOS for the iPhone 5

    Votes: 10 11.2%

  • No, the phone will still be supported for another 2 years

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • Total voters
    89
  • Poll closed .
P

pika2000

Suspended
Original poster
Jun 22, 2007
5,587
4,903
Reason for the iPhone 5 being ditched: The A6 is Apple's only 32bit SoC left. With a lot of focus on 64bit for the apps, it's a no-brainer that we will have to say sayonara to the iPhone 5 this year.

Reason for keeping support: Unlike the A4 and A5, which were gasping for air on their last iOS, the A6 can still run fine and dandy on iOS 10. It's still holding up quite well. Also the iPhone 5 has 1GB of RAM, unlike the 4S (512MB). Furthermore, the phone is the oldest iPhone to support the Apple Watch. So it would be odd to discontinue support for the phone for those owning an iPhone 5 and an Apple Watch.

So what do you guys think? I love my iPhone 5, and although it's being used as a backup phone now + iPod, I do still hope to get a few more mileage on it.
 
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It's hard to say, it depends what iOS 11 ultimately implements into the OS. With the iPhone 5/5C only being available to update via iTunes, I would say the chances are very slim it will be supported, even though I think it can still handle iOS 10 on an acceptable level.

I will say this, if the iPhone 5/5C are not supported On iOS 11, it's been a good run and two great iPhones that have lasted for years on iOS and been fairly impressive.
 
Relentless Power said:
It's hard to say, it depends what iOS 11 ultimately implements into the OS. With the iPhone 5/5C only being available to update via iTunes, I would say the chances are very slim it will be supported, even though I think it can still handle iOS 10 on an acceptable level.

I will say this, if the iPhone 5/5C are not supported On iOS 11, it's been a good run and two great iPhones that have lasted for years on iOS and been fairly impressive.
Click to expand...
My iPhone 5 can receive OTA updates.

Yeah, the A6 is a great SoC, and a nice send-off to the 32-bit era.
 
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pika2000 said:
My iPhone 5 can receive OTA updates.

Yeah, the A6 is a great SoC, and a nice send-off to the 32-bit era.
Click to expand...

Am I mistaken about the iPhone 5/5C only being available via iTunes? At least that's what I was reading reported from other forum members today that it was only available via update iTunes and not over the Air. Can anyone confirm This?
 
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iOS 11 may be the first 64bit only version.
iPad 4th gen and iPhone 5 are still 32 and I guess they won't receive an update this fall.
 
iPhone 5 is dead bro the upcoming iOS 10.3.2 will not support it and ur saying that iOS 11 would
 
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SSAJ said:
iPhone 5 is dead bro the upcoming iOS 10.3.2 will not support it and ur saying that iOS 11 would
Click to expand...
Don't think we know anything definitive about 10.3.2 just yet (nor 11 realistically speaking).
 
Apple is already beginning obselescence of 32-bit hardware. iOS 10.3 already adds in an "App Compatibility" menu, which puts together all your apps that are still 32-bit, and it says that these apps won't be supported in a later iOS version. That's the biggest red flag.

Also, iOS 10.3.2 beta is for 64-bit devices only. No 32-bit devices can even see that update.
 
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Peter K. said:
I was able to update my iPhone 5 to iOS 10.2.1 OTA, but I had to use iTunes to do the 10.3 update.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought. 10.3 is via iTunes only for the iPhone 5 and NOT over the Air for the iPhone 5 as suggested by the OP. Thank you for the clarification Peter.
 
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I hope it won't be supported. Launch day iPhone 5's will be five years old this fall. I was still using one a week ago, and I was way overdue for an upgrade. They can run iOS 10, but you lose features, and it drains the battery pretty good.
 
KUguardgrl13 said:
I hope it won't be supported. Launch day iPhone 5's will be five years old this fall. I was still using one a week ago, and I was way overdue for an upgrade. They can run iOS 10, but you lose features, and it drains the battery pretty good.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what do you mean by "lose features." I have an iPhone 5 myself, and I have not noticed features that are taken out from iOS 6.

As for battery drain, the 5 has pretty small battery. The battery life has always been an issue since iOS7. Apple did have a battery replacement program for the iPhone 5. I had mine replaced. Battery life is still not great, but you cannot do much from a 1440 mAh battery.
 
pika2000 said:
I'm not sure what do you mean by "lose features." I have an iPhone 5 myself, and I have not noticed features that are taken out from iOS 6.

As for battery drain, the 5 has pretty small battery. The battery life has always been an issue since iOS7. Apple did have a battery replacement program for the iPhone 5. I had mine replaced. Battery life is still not great, but you cannot do much from a 1440 mAh battery.
Click to expand...

He is likely referring to features that are in newer platforms. Sometimes, Apple has not implemented a new feature in an older phone that the phone should be able to support, since it is software only.
 
XTheLancerX said:
Apple is already beginning obselescence of 32-bit hardware. iOS 10.3 already adds in an "App Compatibility" menu, which puts together all your apps that are still 32-bit, and it says that these apps won't be supported in a later iOS version. That's the biggest red flag.

Also, iOS 10.3.2 beta is for 64-bit devices only. No 32-bit devices can even see that update.
Click to expand...
I do not have iOS 10.3, but if that section appears, isn't it obvious that support from 32-bit devices and apps is almost unquestionably being ditched? Or am I thinking too hyperbolically?
 
pika2000 said:
I'm not sure what do you mean by "lose features." I have an iPhone 5 myself, and I have not noticed features that are taken out from iOS 6.

As for battery drain, the 5 has pretty small battery. The battery life has always been an issue since iOS7. Apple did have a battery replacement program for the iPhone 5. I had mine replaced. Battery life is still not great, but you cannot do much from a 1440 mAh battery.
Click to expand...

kevink2 said:
He is likely referring to features that are in newer platforms. Sometimes, Apple has not implemented a new feature in an older phone that the phone should be able to support, since it is software only.
Click to expand...

She. And yes, I probably should have said "lose out on new features". There is so much that even the 5s can do that the 5 cannot because of hardware or software limitations.

I'm aware of the battery replacement program. I took advantage of it. Unfortunately even the newer battery was struggling when I was still using my 5 every day a week ago. Newer apps are very resource-heavy. Pokémon Go is a terrible experience on a 5 while it runs pretty well on a 6s or 7. Even just looking at Facebook and Twitter will drain a 5 in no time.
 
KUguardgrl13 said:
She. And yes, I probably should have said "lose out on new features". There is so much that even the 5s can do that the 5 cannot because of hardware or software limitations.

I'm aware of the battery replacement program. I took advantage of it. Unfortunately even the newer battery was struggling when I was still using my 5 every day a week ago. Newer apps are very resource-heavy. Pokémon Go is a terrible experience on a 5 while it runs pretty well on a 6s or 7. Even just looking at Facebook and Twitter will drain a 5 in no time.
Click to expand...
Well, I am not sure why one expects Apple to magically turn an iPhone 5 into a 6S via software. When I use my iPhone 5, I still use it and get the same feature-set as it was on iOS 6.

As for battery life, the 5 has 1440mAh battery. Do you expect it to magically be equal to the 6S running a GPS intensive app like Pokémon go?

on the other hand, your statements and others are expected indicators of consumer behaviors. When Apple releases a new iPhone, Apple managed to put in enough improvements to entice people to want their newer iPhones, and it's not because the older iPhone performs worse, it's because of the expectation for the older iPhone to perform better than what it was. Interesting. :)

Anyway, it is weird to cut off hardware support in the middle of iOS cycle (10.2 to 10.3.x). My 5 is on 10.3.
Although I do expect the 5 to be dropped on iOS 11 based on the pattern so far, it is interesting to see those owning a 5 and an Apple Watch as that accessory might be supported longer than the host device.
 
pika2000 said:
Well, I am not sure why one expects Apple to magically turn an iPhone 5 into a 6S via software. When I use my iPhone 5, I still use it and get the same feature-set as it was on iOS 6.

As for battery life, the 5 has 1440mAh battery. Do you expect it to magically be equal to the 6S running a GPS intensive app like Pokémon go?

on the other hand, your statements and others are expected indicators of consumer behaviors. When Apple releases a new iPhone, Apple managed to put in enough improvements to entice people to want their newer iPhones, and it's not because the older iPhone performs worse, it's because of the expectation for the older iPhone to perform better than what it was. Interesting. :)

Anyway, it is weird to cut off hardware support in the middle of iOS cycle (10.2 to 10.3.x). My 5 is on 10.3.
Although I do expect the 5 to be dropped on iOS 11 based on the pattern so far, it is interesting to see those owning a 5 and an Apple Watch as that accessory might be supported longer than the host device.
Click to expand...

Having a 5 and an Apple Watch allows the owner to take advantage of modern features like Apple Pay without needing a newer phone.

I do understand that the 5 is over four years old and will not perform like newer devices. That's why I don't think it should support a much newer OS. What's the point if the device can't take full advantage of the OS's features? Apple is already coding iOS assuming most users have 64 bit and Touch ID (getting rid of swipe to unlock?). Pretty soon they will assume most have 3D Touch, so on and so forth.
 
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