The answer to literally every other question: money.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 7/Plus Apple had the "courage" to end support for the iPhone 7 (iOS 16)
- Thread starter oofio2461
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The S phones always seemed to get an extra year iOS support compared to the Non-S phones.
iOS 15 has required an A12 for most of the new features and this continues into iOS16 (even the more details maps!). My guess is the A12 has the ML power needed to do the on-device work whilst the A11 has a first-gen ML engine (never buy 1st gen Apple devices...) and the A10 and earlier don't have any ML cores.
My guess (with a cynical hat on) is that Apple sees the inflationary spiral coming - device prices are going to have to go up to maintain margins, meaning fewer people will upgrade. If they cut off more devices prematurely then perhaps a percentage of them will upgrade just to maintain support with the latest OS despite the higher prices...
If you don't mind second hand, my advice would be to buy an iPhone 12 or better now - it will support all the iOS16 features announced so far and my guess is if the iPhone prices do increase in September, the second hand prices will also go up...
1. iPadOS does not support the Lock Screen updates, so they can keep the older iPads and drop the older phones that don’t have the required processor with the neural engine.
2. iPhone 7 was definitely a problem device…failure of the audio system giving no audio and the cellular modem searching no service issue…I’m sure they’re glad to get not of them out of the ecosystem.
2. iPhone 7 was definitely a problem device…failure of the audio system giving no audio and the cellular modem searching no service issue…I’m sure they’re glad to get not of them out of the ecosystem.
On phones, alright, as Apple is still leading in terms of support length on smartphones compared to the market standard (ie Android, which is averaging around 2 to 3 years for most).
But for laptops, the support window of Macs is relatively "short" compared to the market standard (ie. Windows). 2015 Macbook Pro, for example, only gets 7 years of support, +2 years of extended support on -2 macOS version. That's still less than 10 years for a premium laptop. Meanwhile, those same Macbooks can still run Windows 10 just fine.
The 7 Plus may have more RAM. The 4.7” iPhone 7 just has 2GB same as the A9 iPad.
I believe the A9-A10 iPads are only getting minor improvements to Files app and sharing features on iPadOS 16 anyway. All the other new features require either A12 or M1.
Frankly, I wouldn’t have minded if the iPad 5th and 6th gen was kept on iPadOS 14. Performance with just 2GB RAM kinda sucks on 15.
Samsung is Catching up, used to be supported for 1-2 years, now gets software updates for 4 years and security updates for 5 years.
The iPhone 7 was released in 2016, thats 6 years ago…. At this point im impressed if the battery is still working. 6 years was a good run.
Really, though. Sure, it may be able to run iOS 16 fine enough but 6 years is such a long time to support a phone. No other manufacturer comes close to that.
And it seems like people forget that the phone won’t stop working. You will still be able to use it for at least a couple more years before apps stop supporting iOS 15.
Yeah. I think the biggest miss is the SE because there is no other iPhone with a similar form factor. Even the Mini is a giant compared to the original SE. The 7 form factor is alive and well so those who want to continue with it can move onto the SE’22 and have 5-6 years further iOS support.
The phone came out in 2016. It's a bummer, but ~6 years of software updates is wonderful.
True, albeit only on its flagship models and select A models. The rest are still 2 years of updates and 3 years of security patches. And that's actually better on Android as others like the Chinese are only doing 1 or no updates with only 2 years of security patches, as that's the minimum requirement for Android certification from Google.
The iPhone 7/7+ is definitely getting the short end of the stick compared to other iPhones, considering the 5th gen iPad with an A9 (the same spec as an iPhone 6s) is still supported.
Well, the battery can be replaced.
And Apple didn't stop selling the phone right after the release of iPhone 8. They continued selling it, even until 2020 in some markets. So for many people who doesn't buy the phone right at launch, they only get 5 years or less for support, and for no reason since the A9 and A10 on the iPads are still supported.
The slimmest is iPhone 6. The iPhone 7/Plus has the largest capacity battery of any 4.7- and 5.5-inch iPhone. The battery life was excellent for the time and form factor.
Apple will most likely see a big boost in sales once the 14/14 Pro's comes out due to 6s/7 buying new iPhones. Just a Marketing Decision to "force" upgrade to the latest and greatest.Yeah, big sad day to know the days of my iPhone 7+ has ended....
Apple literally cut off 2 generations all at once (6s and 7). And RAM is not an issue as the iPhone 8 is still being supported. So literally a ploy to get that juicy upgrades when the no-update iPhone13.514 is released. Really annoyed with Apple today.
Definitely. And it might be due to the weak offering of the iPhone 14, if it's basically iPhone 13.5. So Apple decided to put more phones into the grave to nudge more upgraders. And those needing TouchID will get the conveniently-upped-in-price 2022 SE.
Apple replaces batteries of any product (even obsolete/vintage) as long as they have stock. So plenty of iPhone 7 out there.
At a time where prices of commodities are ever increasing due to shortage, it is disappointing that Apple is ending iOS support for models that clearly have the capability to run said OS, even if it is in a cutdown fashion.
Especially disappointing since Apple is suppose to be a green forward company.
Hopefully there is still security updates on iOS 15 for some years to come.
Especially disappointing since Apple is suppose to be a green forward company.
Hopefully there is still security updates on iOS 15 for some years to come.
If you decide to do another “lucky” long term support version, it makes sense to lump in more phones than usual, as it reduces effort and complexity in developing and backporting fixes. Less OS versions to target.
iPad 7th gen (2019) has the A10 chip so if that were true then that would mean only four years of support which is shorter than usual.
Apple's definition of green is in its internal operation (using recycled material, taking out accessories to reduce shipping weight, etc). They never intended their green initiatives to be pro consumer. You still have to buy their products at a regular basis, if not more often. Can't wait until the USB-C iPhone come out, and Apple selling a boatload of USB-C cables at $20 each.
Ah, good point. Then again, didn't the last iPod come out in 2019 with an A10 and is already getting dropped? I guess stranger things have happened. They really shouldn't have been releasing new devices with A10s in 2019.
I guess that would be like them keeping the A13 on this year's iPad 10th gen. It would be a three year old processor right out of the gate. We'll see what they do.