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Apple Dropping Support for iCloud Backups on iPhones and iPads Running iOS 8 and Earlier

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Starting next month, making a device backup over iCloud will require iOS 9 or later, Apple has informed some customers via email. New backups for iPhones and iPads running iOS 8 or earlier will no longer be supported, and Apple will delete all existing ‌iCloud‌ backups of those devices as well.

iCloud General Feature
Apps and data stored on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 8 or earlier will not be affected, and Apple says that customers can still manually back up their devices to a Mac or a Windows PC.


These ‌iCloud‌ backup changes will be made on December 18, 2024, so customers who have a device running iOS 8 or earlier should update to the latest available version of iOS if possible in order to continue to be able to back up their devices.

According to Apple, ‌iCloud‌ backups for older devices are being discontinued in order to "more closely align" with Apple's "published minimum software requirements." With iOS 9, Apple adopted CloudKit for ‌iCloud‌ backups rather than the prior system, and it seems that the company is now discontinuing the old backup system.

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Top Rated Comments

B
breenmask
24 months ago
All 19 people are going to cry outrage that their 11+ year old devices can no longer backup to the 5GB of storage they never paid for
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
strongy
24 months ago

Planned obsolescence strikes again :p
you can't really say its planned obsolescence when the duration is 10 years or older lol, its pretty much just obsolete
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
podycust Avatar
podycust
24 months ago
Well if anyone is still using a 4s on iOS 8 it’s pretty much useless here in the uk as most networks have turned off 3G lol
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
dannyyankou
24 months ago
I’m shocked they were even still backing up iOS 8 devices.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
E
Entilzha
24 months ago

Planned obsolescence strikes again :p
After ten years, I suspect it’s just “obsolescence.”
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
magicschoolbus Avatar
magicschoolbus
24 months ago
Honestly, would a device still even work on iOS 9 with most apps out there? We're talking about software from 2015 would never been updated by the consumer.. that's crazy
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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