When Apple stops supporting older iPhones and iPads with the latest version of iOS or iPadOS, it usually isn’t the end of the line—Apple keeps releasing new security-only patches for those devices for another year or two, keeping them usable while their hardware is still reasonably capable.
Once those updates dry up, it’s rare for Apple to revisit those older operating systems, but the company does sometimes make exceptions.
That was the case Monday, when the company released a batch of updates for long-retired iOS and iPadOS versions that otherwise hadn’t seen a new patch in months or years. Those updates include iOS 12.5.8, available for devices as old as 2013’s iPhone 5S and 2014’s iPhone 6; iOS 15.8.6, available for devices like the iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, and iPad Air 2; and iOS 16.7.13, available for devices like the iPhone 8 and iPhone X.
Both iOS 15 and iOS 16 were last patched in mid-2025, but iOS 12’s last patch was released in January of 2023.
These updates don’t patch security flaws or add new features. According to Apple’s release notes for the iOS 12 and iOS 15 updates, all they do is update a security certificate to ensure that iMessage, FaceTime, and Apple account sign-in will continue working past January 2027, when the operating systems’ original certificate would have expired.
Apple’s iOS 18.7.4 update also changes out the certificate, though that update is less surprising, since iOS 18 is still being actively patched for the iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and other devices that can’t run iOS 26. Oddly, the iOS 16 update doesn’t mention the security certificate, and there’s no equivalent update for devices stuck on iOS 17.
Devices running old iOS versions like iOS 12, 15, and 16 are difficult if not impossible to use as general-purpose smartphones and tablets these days. Many of these devices have just 1 or 2 GB of RAM, and their built-in Safari browsers will be missing features and security patches needed to browse the modern web safely. Third-party apps also mostly stop supporting old iOS versions after a year or two.
But plenty of old iPhones and iPads find second or third lives as single-use appliances and simple messaging devices. Up until just a couple of years ago, my own iPhone 5S served as a kid’s white noise machine on overnight trips. I wouldn’t call these 12- and 13-year-old phones and tablets “actively supported,” but it’s nice to see Apple commit to keeping them minimally functional over such an extended period.
This story originally appeared on Ars Technica.
