I have a 6S I keep because it was one of my favorite phones and it's running iOS12.4. It only gets fired up to make sure it stays between 40-80%, so every few months. The phone worked fine with all apps while on wifi (sim card is in my latest phone) including being signed into iCloud. I saw a video yesterday about 6S/6S+ owners being asked to re-enter their AppleID password to gain access to apps that use iCloud and after doing so they get a message that states the phone can't be activated and you must restore the phone to the latest version of iOS available to your particular device using Finder/iTunes to activate the phone. I fired my phone up and I was met with the enter AppleID password notification shortly after my device connected to wifi. I can use all the apps that don't need to be signed into iCloud to use but get the popup when I try to use App store, iTunes, music, etc. If the wifi is turned off i don't get the banners but the notification badge is showing with "enter AppleID to complete setup" notification in the iCloud tab in settings at the top of the page. I know all I have to do is update to 15.7.1 but I like the phone on iOS12.4 because I don't use it and iOS12 was an almost perfect so why upgrade. Just seems odd Apple would do this.. Here's the video:
Your issue is different. Like the video shows and says, that bug only exclusively affects devices running the A9 processor on iOS 9. Oh, also, the video is wrong about that: iPads are affected too. The first-gen iPad Pros can’t run iOS 9 either. I should know... I was forced to update my 9.7-inch iPad Pro and iPhone 6s from iOS 9 to iOS 12 and 13 respectively. This issue is abhorrent, is definitely forced obsolescence, and the most abhorrent part is that it’s been around for years. Apple has never solved it, like the video says. Your device should be able to run iOS 12 flawlessly, however. This is different.
It was my only iPad, I wish I could’ve left the device deactivated forever, but I couldn’t. In retrospect, it was the right decision: it is 2023 and the issue remains unsolved. At least I have iOS 12.
Nobody knows exactly why this happens, or why Apple refuses to fix it, but yeah. All iPhones or iPads with A9 processors cannot run iOS 9.
I have an iPhone 6s on iOS 10, which works flawlessly, and my 9.7-inch iPad Pro is still on iOS 12 (in fact, I am writing this from it), and works fine too (other than a 25% reduction in battery life). Your iPhone should be able to use iCloud. The issue is a lot more serious than that: as soon as it connects to the internet it is bricked, there’s nothing you can do other than leave it on Airplane Mode forever. Oh, and once you do get deactivated, you can only update.
Do you want to know something funny about this bug? The video says that the issue has been present since 2018. I first read about it in early 2019, when both devices (my 6s and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro) were still on iOS 9. I was fearful something might happen, but my cards were played: All I could do was pray for them not to be deactivated. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro was forced out in September 2019; the 6s, in December 2019. Both were fine before, even after it supposedly had been running around for a year. I can’t explain why it took so long to affect me, but it did.
One of the most compelling arguments for planned, forced obsolescence: fix the bug and, as a courtesy, allow me to downgrade. Apple’s clear neglect and disdain is a massive indication that they don’t care and can’t be bothered. The fact that it is still happening only tells me that they do not care.
It’s funny, Apple brags constantly about iOS’ adoption rates, but they eliminate the competition. Want to see whether adoption rates are actual proof of iOS updates actually being compelling? Allow downgrading and try again. Many will flock back to see perfect performance and battery life. This case is, like I said, the worst: at least on every other processor/version combination I can willingly stay should I choose to do so. I cannot with this one…
