Apple has supported its iPhones for many years now. Updates therefore respond for a long time. But on an older iPhone, the operation can be a bit tricky.
If you still have an old iPhone and are resisting the temptation to buy the latest generation, congratulations. However, you sometimes have to deal with performance issues and, among other things, deal with deprecated features. But we have to admit that the Cupertino company has been supporting its iPhone through iOS updates for years, about 7 years to be exact.
This means that if you currently own a 2015 iPhone 6S, Apple allows iOS 15 (the latest version of iOS today) to be installed on your device and will continue to provide updates, including security updates.
Those with an iPhone 5S released in 2013 are stuck on iOS 12, but Apple released a security update (12.5.5) for these devices in September 2021.
Do you still need software and security updates for older iPhones?
The downside of older smartphones is that the further they get stuck on a version that is far from current, the less likely they are to see minor bug fixes and the higher the risk of security breaches. Advantage? You can continue to use these devices for a very long time if you don’t need the latest features and components.
But then how do you know if Apple supports your iPhone? You can go to Apple’s security page to find out which version of iOS (or macOS, watchOS, or iPadOS) is available for your device and when it was released. You can also click to learn more about the various updates.
How to update your old iPhone?
Your iPhone can be set to update iOS automatically or manually. Go to Settings > General > Software Update to see which version of iOS your device has and if a new version is available. If so, you can install it. If not, click Automatic Updates > Download iOS Updates and Install iOS Updates.
Apple also offers diagnostic instructions for updating or restoring your iPhone while it’s in recovery mode and connected to your computer.
Please note that if you are not running the latest version of iOS available, your device may not update automatically. You should check frequently for updates and install them immediately if they are available.