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Apple Services Except iCloud to Stop Working on Some Older Software Versions

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Apple services except for iCloud will stop working on some older iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS versions starting in early May, according to information shared by Twitter account @StellaFudge, a source with a proven track record.

Apple One Apps Feature 2
Users will not be able to access any Apple services except for iCloud on these software versions:

  • iOS 11 through iOS 11.2.6
  • macOS 10.13 through macOS 10.13.3
  • watchOS 4 through watchOS 4.2.3
  • tvOS 11 through tvOS 11.2.6

In an internal document, Apple said affected users might receive a push notification prompting them to update their device to a newer software version.

"Some older software versions will no longer support Apple Services like the App Store, Siri, and Maps," said Apple, in a support document published last month. "Update your software to the latest available version to continue using these services."

Apple did not explain why most of its services will stop working with these older software versions, released between late 2017 and early 2018, but the move will affect only a small percentage of users. As of mid-February, for example, Apple said only 8% of actively used iPhones were running iOS 14 or older.

Apple offers a wide range of services, including Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, and others.

We've reached out to Apple for comment and will update this story if we hear back.

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Top Rated Comments

Slix Avatar
Slix
43 months ago
Before everyone freaks out, this is first of all, not confirmed yet, and secondly, only affects a small amount of Apple device versions on older versions, and of those versions, only a few before the final version. For example, macOS High Sierra went up to 10.13.6. Why anyone would not be running that version and instead running 10.13.2 at this point, I’m not sure. I’m curious what features will not work, because iCloud covers a lot of services under its umbrella.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
abhibeckert Avatar
abhibeckert
43 months ago

I wonder what the full list of services is... I still use an Apple Watch Series 0 frequently for stuff, and I know my mom's iPhone is still on iOS 14 and she uses it for Podcasts all the time. I wonder if basic stuff like Podcasts will stop working?
They only dropped support for WatchOS 4.2. As long as your series zero is running WatchOS 4.3, you'll be fine.

It's the same with all the others - if you're on the latest software that your hardware can run, you're still supported.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonblatho Avatar
jonblatho
43 months ago

If you have a Mac on 10.13 that isn't capable of updating to 10.14 Mojave, I think Apple should try their best to continue to support it.

That being said, every iOS 11 device can update to iOS 12
Every impacted device stuck on High Sierra can update to macOS 10.13.4 – 10.13.6, which per the documentation should not be impacted.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
R
randomando
43 months ago
Makes sense. These OS versions probably use very old API endpoints or possibly rely on certain restrictions / expectations that have since changed on newer OS versions. Best to set a cut off for supporting them since it's infeasible to test back so many versions and removing them would reduce clutter.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
orbital~debris Avatar
orbital~debris
43 months ago
A large proportion of this thread indicates a couple of things:


* Perhaps MacRumors could do a better job of wording posts/headlines
* People’s reading comprehension is not as high as it could be

This issue is not an absolute cutoff for older OS versions (“planned obsolescence”), it just applies to some very specific releases of older OS versions – which in a majority of cases have a path to a more recent release of that OS version, which retains support for these services.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
stephen1108
43 months ago

This IS the latest version for many devices. They shouldn’t be disabling basic functionality. Can’t even install apps anymore on some of these iPhones.
It's actually NOT the latest version for any device that may still be on one of these ancient softwares.

Any iOS device that runs iOS 11, runs iOS 12. And the other devices all have newer software updates available.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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