iPhone SE (2016) SE1 support lifespan is 6 years only

[babyexercise]

While 8 years for Air 2. May be only support 4 to 5 years for coming new products.

This indirectly increases the price, you cannot wait for years for price drop then use for years anymore.

 

[Andeddu]

They’re both different devices — I know they share similarities but one is a phone and the other is a tablet. 6.5 years of support is actually very good and is only beaten by the 6S which will have had 7 full years of support by the time iOS 16 is rolled out.

Keep in mind that in 2016/17 the Samsung Galaxy S7/S8 were given only 2 years of firmware support before becoming obsolete. I believe Samsung provide 4 years of updates now which is still 1/3 less than Apple. Other brands are even worse with their updates so I guess we can’t really complain.

 

[Abazigal]

Well, the iPads aren't getting the improved Lock Screen feature, so that may have been a key deciding factor in terminating support for the 6s / SE.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

“Support lifespan” is not what you’re referring to here. All Apple products are supported until 5 years after discontinuation. The SE isn’t losing any features, it’s simply not gaining any.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

“Support lifespan” is not what you’re referring to here. All Apple products are supported until 5 years after discontinuation.

That is not correct. There is no set support timeline for Apple products. iPhones have so far had between 3 and 6 years of iOS updates, and if we talk hardware support then it goes up to 7 years I believe. And it gets even wilder when you include non-iPhone products.

 

[BrianBaughn]

It may not be as bad as it was back in the iOS 5/6/7/8 days but back then a third-party app could go completely kaput if it couldn't be updated to the latest version.

What I'm saying is there's a difference between Apple supporting a device stuck in an old version of iOS and your third-party developers doing so.

 

[Mark Stone]

While 8 years for Air 2. May be only support 4 to 5 years for coming new products.

This indirectly increases the price, you cannot wait for years for price drop then use for years anymore.

Software outgrows hardware. It happens to all smartphones and tablets. However, as @Andeddu stated in post 2, Apple does a lot better than other makers.

 

[Andeddu]

Software outgrows hardware. It happens to all smartphones and tablets. However, as @Andeddu stated in post 2, Apple does a lot better than other makers.

Even the iPhone 8/X, which are both way more powerful than the 6S/SE and 7, are running a cut down version of iOS 16 and are missing numerous features. I strongly believe iOS 16 will be the last supported firmware update for those phones. It appears that we are starting to see large strides in software development from Apple given we didn’t see a great deal of difference between iOS 13-15.

 

[Mark Stone]

Even the iPhone 8/X, which are both way more powerful than the 6S/SE and 7, are running a cut down version of iOS 16 and are missing numerous features. I strongly believe iOS 16 will be the last supported firmware update for those phones. It appears that we are starting to see large strides in software development from Apple given we didn’t see a great deal of difference between iOS 13-15.

Agreed.

 

[Juicy Box]

As a few people have mentioned, lifespan can mean many different things.

From Apple's point of view, they are still offering HW support for the SE1 long after iOS 16.

The SE might not longer be supported for latest SW after iOS 16, but we really don't know for sure. I think there has been security updates on iOS devices that are not on the newest iOS version.

From app developers' POV, they can support apps on older iOS versions for years after the iOS version isn't current anymore.

And it gets even wilder when you include non-iPhone products.

While 8 years for Air 2.

A lot of people think the iPad Air 2 is the longest supported Apple device when it comes to OS, but the Apple TV 3 is still getting firmware updates and some new (minor) features, and that was from 2013 and discontinued back in 2016.

 

[Tyler O'Bannon]

6 years of OS updates seems pretty good to me. The difference in the A chip launched this fall (A16), is drastically more powerful than what would be dropped (A10). It’s got to happen at some point, and that seems very fair.

Also, I would not wait years to buy a device. I would always buy the current one. If you’re going to wait years to buy, it’s well worth the investment to buy current (like a MacBook Air upgraded getting the M2 Air just released). It is not worth getting M1 or getting previous Intel models. You’re that much closer to obsolescence from the start.

 

[iHorseHead]

They’re both different devices — I know they share similarities but one is a phone and the other is a tablet. 6.5 years of support is actually very good and is only beaten by the 6S which will have had 7 full years of support by the time iOS 16 is rolled out.

Keep in mind that in 2016/17 the Samsung Galaxy S7/S8 were given only 2 years of firmware support before becoming obsolete. I believe Samsung provide 4 years of updates now which is still 1/3 less than Apple. Other brands are even worse with their updates so I guess we can’t really complain.

I think it's for 5 years of updates. 3 OS upgrades + 2 years of security updates.

 

[Andeddu]

I think it's for 5 years of updates. 3 OS upgrades + 2 years of security updates.

I don’t count security updates because Apple are going to provide around 2 years of security updates for their unsupported phones also. 3 OS upgrades is poor compared to Apple, worse then I thought.

 

[iHorseHead]

I don’t count security updates because Apple are going to provide around 2 years of security updates for their unsupported phones also. 3 OS upgrades is poor compared to Apple, worse then I thought.

It's still better than what it used to be.
I remember I used Sony and received three security updates That's it.

 

[babyexercise]

It's still better than what it used to be.
I remember I used Sony and received three security updates That's it.

Sony phone hardware like screen quality is really good, but Software is xxxx. After one major android update everything are broken but they don’t care, camera app still has zero AI.

 

[AppleTO]

I don’t count security updates because Apple are going to provide around 2 years of security updates for their unsupported phones also. 3 OS upgrades is poor compared to Apple, worse then I thought.

I'm not sure why people keep saying Apple is going to provide 2 extra years of security updates for phones.

Apple has never stated or done this. If you're thinking of iOS 12, Apple provided a few select security updates over about a year. They weren't consistent or guaranteed in any way. Some were just for the COVID tracking and they only did this because they were under heavy pressure.

I would except nothing for iOS 15 after 16 is released.

 

[Macative]

"Support" =/= "Free Updates and New Stuff".

6 years is a damn long time to get that.

 

[babyexercise]

"Support" =/= "Free Updates and New Stuff".

6 years is a damn long time to get that.

Not really, just like iPhone 11 is still officially in apple website. If you buy it now then just still have around 4 years support, which is same as Samsung then.

 

[Macative]

Not really, just like iPhone 11 is still officially in apple website. If you buy it now then just still have around 4 years support, which is same as Samsung then.

Again, you don't know what "Support" is.

 

[babyexercise]

Again, you don't know what "Support" is.

Not more software update then it is not supported

 

[Macative]

Not more software update then it is not supported

That is not what support means.

 

[Spetsgruppa]

i dont get this "support" issue everytime...if the support is ONLY 5 years...and i assume i have a long and healthy life and die peacefully when im 100 years old...thats only 20 phones... compared to other brands with only 2 years or 3 years of support which will end up with 30+ to 50 phones...

 

[babyexercise]

support for iPhone 6s, 7 and SE dropped​

iPhone 8 and later are getting iOS 16, support for iPhone 6s, 7 and SE dropped

iPadOS 16 also drops some old devices - very old, e.g. the iPad Air 2 from 2014. watchOS 9 requires iOS 16, so that may cause some issues if you have an old phone.

www.gsmarena.com

No support anymore, very clear

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

“Support lifespan” is not what you’re referring to here. All Apple products are supported until 5 years after discontinuation. The SE isn’t losing any features, it’s simply not gaining any.

This! We need to stop this way of implying that Apple will be auto-nuking our devices remotely once they're barred from the next big update.

That's just not true in any way.

No, they won't get any of the new features. But Apple will still provide security updates for them for many years to come.

Look at the iPhone 5s from 2013. It got a security update in September 2021, 8 years after launching. And maybe there'll even be one in 2022, we don't know.

No, I'm not saying that these security updates compare to getting the latest iOS version. Obviously not.

But Apple is still providing updates that make it safe to use an "abandoned" device a good number of years beyond the 5 year mark. That's far more support than most other brands provide, if not way more.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

support for iPhone 6s, 7 and SE dropped​

iPhone 8 and later are getting iOS 16, support for iPhone 6s, 7 and SE dropped

iPadOS 16 also drops some old devices - very old, e.g. the iPad Air 2 from 2014. watchOS 9 requires iOS 16, so that may cause some issues if you have an old phone.

www.gsmarena.com

No support anymore, very clear

The definition of "no support" referred to here is specifically "no support for iOS 16". It's not "no support altogether", that's not what it's implying.

These devices will still get security updates from time to time making them perfectly good to use even if you can't get all the new features of future iOS updates.