We are just a couple of months away from WWDC 2023 in June and we can't wait to see everything that Apple has in store for iOS 17, but not every iPhone and iPad will get the update this fall.
A new rumor first reported by MacRumors suggests that several iPhones and iPads are hitting end of life as far as major OS updates including the iPhone X and the original iPad Pros.
Here's the full list of devices not expected to receive the iOS 17 update:
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPad Pro 9.7 (Gen 1)
- iPad Pro 12.9 (Gen 1)
- iPad (Gen 5)
Is Apple's software support slipping?
The most notable of these are the three iPhones that were announced in September 2017. If this rumor is accurate those phones will have received five major iOS updates. While that is still better than the four major OS updates offered by Android flagships from Samsung and OnePlus, it's not the decisive advantage it once was.
At times, Apple offered up to seven years of software support on its phones, a truly outstanding figure that helped cement their value even when they were more expensive than their Android counterparts.
However, before signaling the demise of Apple's excellent software support, this particular cut-off may be due to an unpatchable bootROM vulnerability that persisted from the A5 Bionic chip through the A11 Bionic chip found in the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X. It's also worth noting that this doesn't necessarily signal the end of security updates for these devices. Apple has issued patches for devices that are no longer listed as supported in the past.
We only have a couple of months before we'll have the official confirmation from Apple on which devices are getting the axe, but if you are currently using any of these devices, you might want to start saving up for an upgrade this fall, just in case.
