iPhone 6(S)/Plus Older iPhones (6S/7), iOS support and banking apps

[NewBench]

Thinking of getting a cheap 6S or 7 as a second phone for work - it would only be used for email, the occasional google search/google maps search and banking apps.

I know that the 6S is only likely to be supported for the next year (iOS 14), but that's fine - I'm prepared to get rid of it after a year and buy another cheap phone to replace it. What I'm unsure about is how banking apps are with supporting older devices - I've heard that due to the higher security aspects of using the app, they are usually the first apps to stop supporting older devices.

Apps I use are all UK-based banks: Nationwide, Barclays etc.

So...

- Will my banking apps still work on a 6S/7 for the majority of 2021?
- Do they genuinely just stick with working on the latest version of iOS (e.g. if my phone can run the latest version, the app should run too)?

I appreciate that nothing is guaranteed, but I'm sure there are people that know more than I do on this.

 

[Thoradin]

The only banking app I use is Starling which works from iOS 9.3 and up.
I just checked Nationwide which requires iOS 9 as a minimum and Barclays is iOS 9.3+.
So you should be fine with a 6S/7 for a good while.

 

[saber32au]

- Will my banking apps still work on a 6S/7 for the majority of 2021?

I don't see why not? If the phone supports the latest version of iOS (or a compatible previous version as noted by Thoradin above), then I don't see why a banking app wouldn't run on the phone in 2021.

Have you considered grabbing the iPhone 8? It shouldn't cost much more than the 7 (seen a few on FB marketplace for under £200. FB marketplace is a good place to find phones, but you have to move quickly (and do your preliminary checks) if you want to grab a deal as phones sell quickly on FB), and should get a year or two more software support (ie iOS versions) compared to the 6s & 7.

 

[ian87w]

Thinking of getting a cheap 6S or 7 as a second phone for work - it would only be used for email, the occasional google search/google maps search and banking apps.

I know that the 6S is only likely to be supported for the next year (iOS 14), but that's fine - I'm prepared to get rid of it after a year and buy another cheap phone to replace it. What I'm unsure about is how banking apps are with supporting older devices - I've heard that due to the higher security aspects of using the app, they are usually the first apps to stop supporting older devices.

Apps I use are all UK-based banks: Nationwide, Barclays etc.

So...

- Will my banking apps still work on a 6S/7 for the majority of 2021?
- Do they genuinely just stick with working on the latest version of iOS (e.g. if my phone can run the latest version, the app should run too)?

I appreciate that nothing is guaranteed, but I'm sure there are people that know more than I do on this.

Just go to the app store and check the minimum requirements of the apps form your banks.
In my country, most bank apps requires just iOS9, while the most stringent one requires iOS11. That means even the iPhone 5S is still compatible.

Pricing wise, if you can get a 7 for not much more money than the 6s, then get the 7. I'm sure both the 6s and 7 will work fine in 2021.

 

[now i see it]

It's the version of iOS that's the gatekeeper, not the iPhone model.
As a geberal rule to sum up all banking apps into one suggestion, you're generally fine staying two versions behind the current version of iOS. Three different well known banks I use that have apps in the USA stopped supporting iOS 10 ages ago. One of them requires iOS 12 or higher, the others iOS 11.

I've never found a banking app any more useful than just visiting their websites I don't use banking apps anymore. Their websites work long after their apps have been shut down on an older version of iOS.

For example: The Anex app requires iOS 12 to run (and older versions of the apps have been disabled) but their website works fine with an iOS 9 browser.

An iPhone 6S would be a poor choice to run banking apps long term. Next year when iOS 14 comes out, many banking apps will update- closing the door on the 6S

 

[C DM]

I've never found a banking app any more useful than just visiting their websites I don't use banking apps anymore. Their websites work long after their apps have been shut down on an older version of iOS.

There are times when some apps offer more than what's at the web site, like mobile deposit, for example.