What is the oldest iphone still supported?

[khayav]

I had a new friend we went out together and she asked if I have charger and said that she forgot to bring but actually has 4 charges. I asked why her phone dies all the time and she said she uses iphone 7 or something I forgot but it was a very old one. I asked her if it is still supported she said yes. So, what is the oldest one that is still supported? I thought iphone 11 is considered old now.

[spice]

As of now, the oldest iPhone model that is still supported by Apple's latest iOS updates is the iPhone 8. The iPhone 7 no longer receives the latest iOS updates. This means your friend's phone is just one generation behind the cutoff for the latest support, which is why it's likely to have battery issues and other performance problems.

While the iPhone 11 might seem old because of how quickly tech moves, it’s actually still quite capable and receives all the latest updates. If your friend is considering an upgrade but doesn’t want to break the bank, even an iPhone SE (2nd generation) or iPhone 8 would be a great improvement and still relatively affordable.

[MrOracle]

Cell phones have major, serious dependencies on more than one thing.

They first need to be supported by the cellular carrier, and in the US, the 5G rollout (which came with the decommissioning of 3G and both CDMA and GMS phone calls) effectively ended support for older phones - anything that didn't support modern Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE). The lack of 5G support also mode phones that are technically still "supported" non-functional in many areas where there was no VoLTE support on 4G - you might still get data, but wouldn't be able to make or receive calls.

Then there is support of the phone OS. Apple cuts off OS upgrades after 5-7 years, depending on the capabilities of the chips and radios in the phones.

There is the support of the apps themselves. App makers often target a specific OS version as their minimum requirement, because they want to use newer features in their apps that weren't supported by older versions of the OS. Different apps may target different minimum OS versions, so it will affect you when an app you really need is no longer available, and this will be different for everyone.

Last, you have to keep the hardware alive. This means having to replace batteries eventually, and RAM and particularly internal storage will eventually start to fail.

I would say that anything older than an iPhone 7 is "unsupported" even if people can live with it, and, really, anything that lacks 5G bands are only getting limited support.

[TheSpaceGnome]

This is why landline phones are superior products.
Unfortunately because they are no longer everywhere, they no longer are as convenient as cellphones when not home.

[Mr_twoface]

Depends on what you mean by "supported". If you are referring to iOS updates, and the latest being iOS 17, it only supports phones newer than Iphone XR and Iphone SE (2nd and 3rd generation). Which means her Iphone 7 isn't supported and she is stuck at iOS 15.8.2. If you are referring to authorised stores supporting it by changing battery, screens etc. then they still do it and even apple does it but for a price.

It is well known and apple has also admitted it, that with every iOS release the older phones becomes slower and drains battery faster. Back in the years 2017-2019, Apple had an Iphone battery replacement program which allowed user to either receive new batteries to reflect better with iOS releases or they would pay $50 for those who had replaced it on their own. That program only lasted during those years and now she simply has to buy a never version cause its not worth upgrading the battery.

If she is considering getting a newer one, tell her to get from Iphone 12 and onwards because it will last at least for another 2-3 years with iOS updates. If she can't afford a new phone, there are plenty of refurbished stores and tell her to get one of those.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Technically all of them are “supported” as long as they’re functioning but Apple is notorious for planned obsolescence so you have to be wary of certain system updates crashing and/or bricking your phone. I have an iPhone SE 2 and it still works just fine. By Apple’s standards, anything below 10 is old and they’re working on ways to make the system non-functioning but thankfully some legislation is being put through to try and pull the reigns on their illegal monopoly on smart phones

[dustybiker2]

Of an iphone will no longer update you can often take it into an apple store and talk with support in person. I've had them force a computer to update for free. I'm sure they would a phone too. Note to who tries this, just be polite.

[dustybiker2]

*if *updates

[RebelinSteel]

There is a difference view on supported, there is the OS for feature updates which are pretty much OS versions and hashes. Then there are security updates, which are still released for IPhone 6 or rather they are released for IOS 15.8.2, which covers 6 and 7. Depending on the issue Apple will release security updates going forward for most of its mobiles but not as often for older IOS versions, usually as the vulnerability is not present in a previous versions of IOS.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201222

[Coden7]

iPhones usually stop updating after about 5 years. The phone could still work fine depending on how you use it, but antivirus patches that come through the update package will no longer be available. My 2017 iPad stopped updating about a year ago. And I have a 2nd gen iPad mini that hasn’t seen an update since iOS 12

[Anonymous]

Technology doesn’t just stop working after a point unless it’s broken. As long as it has a charge and internet connection it will work just the same as the latest model.

[dustybiker2]

If a device won't update (due to factory built in update shut-off) it will no longer work with updated tech it should connect to online.

[strateguy632]

correct 11 is old. but customer service and updates aren't for 7 anymore.

[RingOfFire]

I still have the company Blackberry they gave me around 2000. Man was that cool back then!

[itsclearlynicholas]

Yet does it work nowadays on the current networks or whatever, that is the question ⁉️ lol 😆

[RingOfFire]

I sincerely doubt it, but have not tried. I stopped using in in 2001 when I was working in New York City on September 11th and watched the terrorist planes crash into the World Trade Center. The cell phone antennae were on that building so it cut off cell phone communication when the planes hit it. When things recovered in the city, I got a new cell phone.

[itsclearlynicholas]

A Nokia?

[RingOfFire]

Yes actually! I still have that one too!

[Redstang88]

I had a 5 until very recently and only got rid of it because the battery was toast again

[LiamJHayden]

I have a 1st Gen SE and despite claims to the contrary it still gets security updates.

[Iron_Man]

iPhone 6S is still usable

[TheSpaceGnome]

The 6s

[boobliker]

never had one