iPhone 11 7s only has 5 years iOS support, then 11 only has 3 years left

[BeatCrazy]

I have friends that still use iPhone 5s, and are very happy. I played with one of their phones during a visit, and they still have really impressive speed. They make calls, send texts, surf the web, etc. with grace. Certainly they don’t have some of the more modern and “hip” Apple features - like “memogies” - but they’re practical and strong. Apple hardware has always been superior and these old phones don’t just die when iOS updates stop coming down.

Usually the battery fails long before iOS updates stop, or the the hardware becomes unusably slow. And many folks don't want to deal with the battery replacement headache, so they just take their 5-7 year old iPhone to the store for a trade-in/new one.

Seems like a reasonable timeline to me, and independent of iOS updates.

 

[Abazigal]

iphone 11 is still in Apple store but very likely just 3 years more iOS support. S21 FE which just released right before S22 series sounds like a much better deal with similar price range as 11 having 4 years support. 11 is 2 years older than S21 FE.

Based on what I am reading online, it's more of 3 years of software updates plus an additional year of security updates afterwards. The caveat I feel, is that with Apple, you are more or less assured of at least 3 more years with the iPhone 11 (given their current track record). For the S21, it's what Samsung promises for now, and we will just have to see if this proves sustainable in the long run.

But it's also pretty much the downside of buying an older phone with an older processor. For example, the SE comes with a A15 processor which should see it supported all the way till 2026 at least. At the end of the day, the adage still holds true - go in with your eyes open, and know what you are getting yourself into.

 

[twdawson]

Usually the battery fails long before iOS updates stop, or the the hardware becomes unusably slow. And many folks don't want to deal with the battery replacement headache, so they just take their 5-7 year old iPhone to the store for a trade-in/new one.

Seems like a reasonable timeline to me, and independent of iOS updates.

I didn’t find the battery replacement a headache.
I dropped it off at the Apple store, went and got some food and an hour later my phone was ready.
So people will just want the new device no matter what

 

[BeatCrazy]

I didn’t find the battery replacement a headache.
I dropped it off at the Apple store, went and got some food and an hour later my phone was ready.
So people will just want the new device no matter what

Not everyone lives within 30 minutes of an Apple store.

 

[Andeddu]

Not everyone lives within 30 minutes of an Apple store.

A high quality third-party repair shop will use OEM parts and batteries. I have used them for my battery replacements and have had zero complaints.

 

[BeatCrazy]

A high quality third-party repair shop will use OEM parts and batteries. I have used them for my battery replacements and have had zero complaints.

You are underestimating the effort that people usually put into 'fixing a bad battery issue'. Going into a carrier store or major retailer (i.e. Best Buy) to trade-in/get a new phone is easier than finding a 'high quality third party repair shop'.

Everyone's got different priorities, but pay attention to how many billions (yes B) are spent on TV ads telling customers to 'bring in your old/busted phone for trade in'. That's where and how the majority of 'bad battery' phones end up.

 

[Andeddu]

You are underestimating the effort that people usually put into 'fixing a bad battery issue'. Going into a carrier store or major retailer (i.e. Best Buy) to trade-in/get a new phone is easier than finding a 'high quality third party repair shop'.

It’s really not, I checked online reviews which took 10 minutes, contacted the store via telephone and asked how much they charged for OEM parts and got a quote. I travelled to their location and it took an hour to change the batteries from 2 of my iPhones. If people don’t have time for that and would rather throw good money away on a product that does the exact same thing with minor superficial improvements, great.

It just means that they didn’t want to keep their old product in the first instance and were just looking for any old excuse to upgrade.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

Not really, a lot of stuff will start to break in updated websites and security is another big concern. Using an outdated browser is a nightmare. Not just safari, a lot of main tools in ios only update with ios.

The web moves at a surprisingly slow pace due to different browsers taking varying amounts of time to add support for different features. Just because Safari is no longer getting updates on a device doesn’t mean things will start to break. It should work fine on 99.9% of websites for years. I still have several iOS 12 devices that work perfectly fine with current websites. Any major security holes will be patched in iOS security updates.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

3 years is a long time.

And *gasp* it'll still work after software updates stop coming.

 

[zorinlynx]

I too still use an 11 Pro Max. The main feature I was missing was 5G support, but I've learned lately that in 90% of locations, LTE is just as fast if not faster than 5G, and that 5G still has a lot of coverage gaps, at least with AT&T. So I'm not really missing out by not having 5G. I can also stay on a less expensive plan since I don't need it.

I'll likely use my 11 Pro Max as long as it keeps being a usable phone with good performance. This is the second iPhone I have (7 Plus was my previous one) that didn't seem to slow down or become less usable with the "third year" iOS update. I'm very pleased at Apple for making these phones fully usable for longer time.

The only reason I even upgraded to the 11 Pro Max when I did was so I could gift my 7 Plus to someone who needed a better phone. I figured it was a great excuse to upgrade and help someone out! Worked out well.

 

[babyexercise]

The web moves at a surprisingly slow pace due to different browsers taking varying amounts of time to add support for different features. Just because Safari is no longer getting updates on a device doesn’t mean things will start to break. It should work fine on 99.9% of websites for years. I still have several iOS 12 devices that work perfectly fine with current websites. Any major security holes will be patched in iOS security updates.

Unlike for Mac OS X, Apple does not release "Security Updates" for previous versions of iOS after the next major version has been released, unless it is an extremely major vulnerability. Simply put, you are required to upgrade to the newest version if you want all security fixes.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

Unlike for Mac OS X, Apple does not release "Security Updates" for previous versions of iOS after the next major version has been released, unless it is an extremely major vulnerability. Simply put, you are required to upgrade to the newest version if you want all security fixes.

You’re contradicting yourself. If the security issue actually poses a threat to you or your device, they patch it. This has been true of both iOS and macOS for years.

 

[Tsepz]

iphone 11 is still in Apple store but very likely just 3 years more iOS support. S21 FE which just released right before S22 series sounds like a much better deal with similar price range as 11 having 4 years support. 11 is 2 years older than S21 FE.

I am using 11 and there is zero reason to switch to new iPhone. My camera photos are even better than 13 Pro sometimes. 13 Pro camera AI is too aggressive, sometimes it even makes people face look totally in another color like red color for no reason. I have both at home so test these a lot. 13 Pro screen is little bit better but not a big deal. People like me who never upgrade iphones force Apple to cut support years lol xd.

Good enough for me, I’ve had my 11 Pro Max since early 2020, if it has another 3 years of support I’m quite happy, it’s paid off and serving me pretty well and seems to be getting a lot of the iOS 16 features to:

A list of iOS 16 features that require an iPhone XS or newer

Some of the most exciting new features Apple is bringing to iOS 16 will only be available on the iPhone XS and newer models.

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