Apple Commits To At Least Five Years of iPhone Security Updates

When buying a new smartphone, it's important to consider the duration of software updates, as it impacts security and longevity. In a rare public commitment on Monday, thanks to the UK's new Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) regulations, Apple said it guarantees a minimum of five years of security updates for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. "In other words, the iPhone 15 is officially guaranteed to receive security updates until September 22, 2028," reports Android Authority. From the report: This, as VP of Engineering for Android Security & Privacy at Google Dave Kleidermacher points out, means that Apple is no longer offering the best security update policy in the industry. Both Samsung and Google guarantee seven years of not just security updates but also Android OS updates for their respective flagship devices, which is two years longer than what Apple guarantees.

To Apple's credit, though, it has long provided more than five years of security updates for its various iPhone devices. Some iPhones have received security updates six or more years after the initial release, which is far more support than the vast majority of Android devices receive. So, while Samsung and Google currently beat Apple in terms of how long they're guaranteeing software support, that doesn't mean iPhone users can't keep their phones for just as long, if not longer. They'll just need to hope Apple doesn't cut off support after the five-year minimum.

Did they ever not?

[SvnLyrBrto]

The current iOS, 17, lists six years worth of iPhones as compatible. And Apple usually back ports security fixes into the next-previous versions of its OSs. They're a bit more aggressive in dropping older Macs from OS support. But so far as I can recall, iPhones have gotten OS upgrades WELL past their sell-by dates pretty much the entire time there's been such a thing as the iPhone.

Updates

[JBMcB]

My ancient iPhone 5 got a security update a couple of years ago. I think it was 9 years old at the time.

Re:

[ShanghaiBill]

I've had my iPhone 7 since 2016.

I still get security updates every few months.

Re:Did they ever not?

[swillden]

Apple has done a consistently good job of supporting their iPhones for several years, but until now they've never actually committed to do so. This was a nice situation for them, because they could tout their long support times... but could always drop support earlier if it turned out to be inconvenient. Now they're legally obligated for five years, which likely won't make a difference in practice, but does reduce their options.

Re:

[MachineShedFred]

It also gives them the perfect excuse for not supporting legacy products one day longer than what they posted as official policy. Seems the day of "my 6 year old iPhone is still getting updates" are numbered.

Re: Did they ever not?

[gnasher719]

Why would a government required 5 year period stop apple from delivering updates for much longer as they always did? If you bought a Mac last week, apple was legally required to do nothing, but you could expect seven years at least. Today they are required to do five years by law, and you can expect the same seven years at least.

Re:

[fluffernutter]

You can't "expect it" unless they commit to it.

Re:

[MachineShedFred]

Why would you expect a for-profit company to give you any single thing that isn't in a legal policy somewhere?

You are setting yourself up for disappointment, no matter who the company is, if you expect them to just keep giving you stuff for free after they've already been paid, if they don't have something in writing that you can sue them over if they don't give it to you, or some other angle for making money off of you by continuing to deliver you that stuff.

Re:

[AmiMoJo]

Shame it's only 5 years though. Google has committed to 7 years, and it would have been nice if that had become the industry standard, or even something Apple would try to beat.

Re: Did they ever not?

[gnasher719]

Apple has set the industry standard for _delivering_ 7 years updates or more, year after year. We will have to wait a few years what others actually deliver.

Re:

[alvinrod]

I have far more faith in Apple's past behavior than I do in Google's commitments.

Re:

[swillden]

I have far more faith in Apple's past behavior than I do in Google's commitments.

What commitments on paid products has Google not followed through on?

Re: Did they ever not?

[sectokia]

Is that a joke? Google once sold a 2 year upgrade subscription where you get a be phone every 2 years. They canceled it after 1 year 10 months and not a single person got the second phone.

Re:

[swillden]

That's and Stadia are the closest things to a counterexamples I've seen, and in both cases Google refunded money to make customers whole.

Re:

[LazarusQLong]

my iPhone X is 7 years old and still gets both security updates and other ones as well. I do imagine that they will stop the regular updates and just do the security updates soon though.

Re: Did they ever not?

[Malc]

I turned on my iPhone 8 for the first time since October yesterday and there was an iOS update waiting to go. It must be nearly six years old, although it was rehearsed longer ago than that. Iâ(TM)m fully expecting them to support my iPhone 15 longer than the commitment in this story.

Re:

[ctilsie242]

This is exactly why I use an iPhone. I know that the device will be updated for a long time, and the updates actually are relevant. The last upgrade I did for an iPhone was because newer iPhones support AES-256, and the previous device only did AES-128 for its onboard storage.

Hopefully, Android will catch up, but the best way to fix this is to move to LineageOS or some "universal" ROM that will have support for a long time, provided there are developers still hammering on it. However, many Android phones

Re:

[MachineShedFred]

Hopefully, Android will catch up

The summary said that there are two Android manufacturers, who happen to be the two most popular manufacturers, who already committed to longer update schedules than Apple, previously to Apple.

You can buy a Pixel 8a and you'll still be getting software updates in 2031.

Come on now.

Re:

[Guspaz]

There's security updates, and then there's feature updates. Google and Samsung have committed to security updates for seven years, but what about supporting new phones with their latest major OS revisions? Based on their current releases, Apple currently stands at ~8 years for security updates (iOS 15.8.2 supports the iPhone 6S and SE from 2015) and ~5-6 years for feature updates (iOS 17 supports the iPhone XS and XR from 2018)

Re: Did they ever not?

[reanjr]

I don't know about Samsung, but my Pixels have never not gotten the new OS.

So yeah. Pixel is better than iPhone for updates. Objectively.

Re:

[Guspaz]

Google only guarantees 3 years of major OS upgrades for Pixel phones, and considering that the Pixel 5a from 2021 will never get a major OS upgrade newer than 2023's Android 14, that tracks: it will be roughly three years old when Android 15 comes out in 2024 and the Pixel 5a isn't supported. Looking at prior Pixel phones, the timing is roughly equivalent, the 2020 Pixel 4a got its last major OS upgrade in 2022, the 2019 Pixel 3a got its last major OS upgrade in 2021, etc.

Apple doesn't commit to a specific

Re:

[tlhIngan]

That's why they're saying it. The UK has a law stating how long support will be, and Apple simply put down a time they're already exceeding.

In other words, Apple isn't doing anything different now than what they've already done - if they're going to support phones for 6-7+ years, putting down 5 on paper doesn't really do much

Re:

[MachineShedFred]

Sure.

But now they've enumerated official policy. You can't count on one single day past what they put in writing.

Re: Did they ever not?

[gnasher719]

They did because it keeps customers happy which is good for repeat sales. The UK government now _requires_ that you promise 5 years of security updates, so thatâ(TM)s what apple did (in reality they have always done updates for longer).

5 years, 7 years, shrug

[iAmWaySmarterThanYou]

I tend to keep devices until they're frustrating or the battery capacity has shrunk too much, etc.

If they literally stopped security updates at 5 years, I'd be ok with that as long as the next phone was notably superior.
That comes out to about $200/year for a phone. Or I could get a new one through ATT and pay $6/month but then have to pay for unlimited service I don't need which blows the numbers up big time.

This is one of those "do the math for your situation, your mileage WILL vary" things.

Would I keep my phone for 7 years? Shrug, maybe. But I wouldn't choose a phone based on 5 vs 7 years promise for security updates.

Re:

[antdude]

Batteries can be replaced from Apple, third parties, and even yourself if you know how. It's just support with online apps. Like my 4S and 6+ don't work due to dropped online services. However, they are fine for local stuff like listening to local music.

Re:

[iAmWaySmarterThanYou]

I replaced my 6 battery. That did extend its life a few years but as iOS bloated out it got more and more annoying so I got a 12 which I still have.

As each model after comes out I compare specs. So far I see nothing new I care about. I like the new titanium shell but I'm not switching just for that.

The only difference between models is a better camera every year but the camera I have is already fine. I can't tell the difference between my old pics on the 6 and my recent ones on the 12. A 15 won't look

Re:

[antdude]

For me, I get a new one if too slow and unusable, break, stolen, etc. I went from an used 4S to an used 6+ and then a brand new 12 mini.

I'm left to wonder

[93 Escort Wagon]

Given that Apple has pretty much always exceeded this threshold of support - is this actually a planned downgrade being cynically represented as an upgrade?

Re:

[EvilSS]

Probably more a hedge in case in the future they can't for some reason support the devices past 5 years. They have always gone well past that but they have never been required to commit to a number before either.

Re:

[Carewolf]

No. I think it is making it official. It is also an EU requirement for high-end devices that many Android manufacturers have agreed to. So I think Apple is just making it official they are also a high-end device.

Re: I'm left to wonder

[gnasher719]

No, its following requirements by the UK government.

Google shouldn't throw shade after Pixel shit

[Rendus]

Google had a program to give every subscriber to a program a new Pixel phone every 2 years. They cancelled the program after 1 year, 11 months. So, I still wouldn't trust them to meet their obligations and promises regarding security updates.

Samsung has released phones that never received meaningful updates too.

We'll see if they're still releasing security updates 7 years later. Meanwhile, Apple has just been doing their thing all along, and just happened to have the best behavior in the industry without ev

Re:

[Canberra1]

A fairer consumer remedy is to declare that once any device is declared obsolete and unsupported, anyone can do anything or offer alternate firmware, including bootloader unlocking and patching whatever exists, remove crippleware etc. Everything on the table to enable viable re-use. And if the manufacturer won't help, anything published or downloadable - is allowed. Existing misrepresentation laws will prevent scoundrels advertising 'Android 21'.

Google, Samsung: You can do better

[Anonymous Coward]

Some iPhones have received security updates six or more years after the initial release, which is far more support than the vast majority of Android devices receive.

Apple released iOS 12.5.7 in 2023... which updated iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices nine years after their 2014 release.

The one area you can't really fault them on.

[Petersko]

It should go without saying for all manufacturers. But, since it doesn't, "Well done, Apple." You're not committing to do anything more than you were already doing, but good on you.

iphone SE Gen 1

[rabun_bike]

I have a functional iPhone SE Gen 1 (basically an iPhone 6S) and it still gets security updates even though it is stuck on IOS 16. I just took it out of celluar service this as a family member was using it and upgraded to an iPhone 15.