Apple's services could be about to stop working on older versions of its iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV software, according to a new report.
While Apple is yet to confirm the change, it's claimed that devices running older versions of its software will no longer have access to some unnamed services while iCloud will remain unaffected.
It also isn't clear why Apple chooses to make some services unavailable to those whose devices are using older software, but it could be related to new features, APIs, or even security updates that are not available on those devices.
iCloud's safe, but other services aren't
As Apple likely gets ready to announce iOS 17 and other software updates at WWDC23 in June, Twitter leaker @StellaFudge reports that non-iCloud services will be going away for people with specific software installed.
According to them, the following software versions will be impacted.
- iOS 11 - 11.2.6
- macOS 10.13 -1 0.13.3
- watchOS 4 - 4.2.3
- tvOS 11 - 11.2.6
Unfortunately, it hasn't been made clear which services will be affected. But Apple does have plenty that could be impacted including Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade, and Apple News Plus to name a few.
The leaker says that Apple may warn users about the change via a push notification before they lose access to anything.
As of early May, access to Apple services, with the exception of iCloud, will stop working on devices running:- iOS 11-11.2.6- macOS 10.13-10.13.3- watchOS 4-4.2.3- tvOS 11-11.2.6You'll likely receive notification prompting you to updateApril 5, 2023
The change means that people who want to continue to use those services will have to upgrade to a new device if their existing one doesn't support more recent software updates. They don't necessarily have to go all the way to the best iPad, iPhone, or other device that Apple sells of course. But this could be a good opportunity to get something a little more capable while retaining access to the services they use.
Apple is expected to announce new iPhones this September, with the iPhone 15 lineup likely to be announced alongside new Apple Watches.
