If you have an iPhone you probably know that Apple is expected to release the update to iOS 11 in September.
What’s more, you probably also know that some of your favorite apps might no longer work after you update your device to the new version.
Well, there’s more to this story that just might impact you as well.
The impending release of iOS 11 will put into action Apple’s long-stated commitment to phasing out support for all things 32 bit.
That means if you have an older iPhone that’s powered by a 32 bit processor, you won’t be able to update your phone to iOS 11 because they won’t be releasing a 32 bit version of it.
The iPhone models that will effectively be orphaned by the release of iOS 11 are the iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, and all older iPhone models.
Note: iPhone 5s and iPhone SE users will be able to update to iOS 11.
Of course your 32 bit iPhone will still continue to work after iOS 11 is released since it will still be running the version of iOS that’s installed on it at that time, but there are a couple of reasons why you might not want to keep using it after that date:
1 – You probably won’t be able to install new updates to your existing apps, and you definitely won’t be able to install new apps since they will all be written using 64 bit code. That means you’ll be stuck using outdated (and possibly insecure) apps for the rest of your phone’s useful life.
2 – After Apple has released iOS 11 they likely won’t be releasing any further security updates for the version of iOS that your phone is using right now. That means continuing to use your 32 bit iPhone after the iOS 11 release date could put your personal and financial information at risk.
Of course that won’t be a problem if you don’t have any personal or financial info stored on your phone, but if you use your iPhone to log into any online accounts the orphaned operating system could put the security of those accounts at risk.
Bottom line: If you use one of the older iPhones mentioned above, it might be a good idea to consider replacing your phone with a newer 64 bit model after iOS 11 is released.
The amount of risk you’ll be taking by continuing to use an orphaned phone will depend on how often you use it and what you use it for, but replacing your older iPhone with a newer 64 bit model could potentially help you sleep better at night.
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