Yahoo Finance Apple warns old iPhones will stop working on Sunday
Apple has told users of iPhone 5 devices that they will need to update their devices by 3 November or see several major apps cease working.
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The iPhone 5 devices were the last iPhones to be released under Steve Jobs’ leadership. Those devices, and other devices released in 2012 and earlier, will see issues beginning at midnight UTC on 2 November, or 10:00 Sunday 3 November AEST, Apple said in a statement.
“Starting just before 12:00 a.m. UTC on November 3, 2019, iPhone 5 will require an iOS update to maintain accurate GPS location and to continue to use functions that rely on correct date and time including App Store, iCloud, email, and web browsing,” Apple said.
“It's always a good idea to keep the operating system on your iPhone updated. If you have an iPhone 5, it's especially important to update your device's software wirelessly or using your computer before November 3 to maintain accurate GPS location and to continue to use functions that rely on correct date and time including App Store, iCloud, email, and web browsing.”
Apple said that if the iPhone does not have the 10.3.4 update by that date, users will have to back up and restore their device using a computer to update, as the software updates and iCloud Backup will not work otherwise.
Users have been reticent to update iPhones with older batteries due to concerns of performance issues.
Reddit users in 2017 began noticing that older Apple iPhones were slowing down, with many users claiming to see the slowdown due to upgrades.
So it's true Apple intentionally slow down old iPhones. Proof: My iPhone 6 was bought 3years ago and recently got really slow. APP 'CPU DasherX' shows iPhone CPU is under clocked running at 600MHz. After a iPhone battery replacement. CPU speed resumed to factory setting 1400MHz. pic.twitter.com/pML3y0Jkp2
— Sam Si (@Sam_RMSI) December 20, 2017
In a statement to The Verge, Apple said that it slows down older phones due to flaws in the older batteries that can lead the phones to spontaneously shut down.
“Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components,” Apple said at the time.
“Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.”
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