Conspiracy theories claim that Apple is doing everything to force people to buy new iPhones. That is certified grade A bullplop and I can prove it. As? Apple has recently released iOS updates for every iPhone since 2013.
If you still own a 12-year-old iPhone 5s, it’s just been upgraded to iOS 12.5.8, so you can use it for years to come. So tell us again how Apple hates old iPhones?
iPhone updates are a conduit for forced obsolescence conspiracy theories
With each major iOS release, online forums and social media are filled with anecdotal reports of iPhone performance lagging, apps taking longer to open, or batteries draining faster. This is because software updates take days to fully install, which has a temporary impact on performance and battery life.
But some people don’t understand what’s going on and jump to the worst possible conclusion. They accuse Apple of deliberately using software updates to degrade the performance of older iPhones in order to force people to buy new ones.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
If this is true, why has Apple released iOS software updates for every iPhone introduced since 2013?
We’re on iOS 26, but last week brought iOS 12.5.8, iOS 15.8.6, iOS 16.7.13, and iOS 18.7.4. These updates update iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s (all models), iPhone 7 (all models), iPhone SE (1st generation), iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.
Apple also released iOS 26.2.1, the current version that runs on every 2019 phone since the iPhone 11.
To be clear, updates to iOS 12 to iOS 18 do not include new features. However, they will make the change needed to maintain the functionality of the older models. As Apple says about all of them: “This update extends the certificate required by features like iMessage, FaceTime, and device activation to work beyond January 2027.”
Without this certificate, all those older iPhones still in use would become almost useless. Apple could have let it go, but it didn’t.
The iPhone 5s is just an extreme example
To be clear, while it’s amazing that Apple just gave iPhone 5s users the option to install iOS 12.5.8, it can’t act like the iPhone 17. Even if the software update means most of its built-in apps will fail catastrophically in January 2027, it’s still only a 12-year-old phone with all the limitations of a very difficult device.
But Apple is doing what it can to keep the iPhone 5s — plus the iPhone 6, iPhone 7, etc. — alive, debunking the argument that the point of iOS 26 is to kill the iPhone 14, iPhone 15, etc., forcing their users to buy new devices. Apple was simply trying to preserve the device many older than the functional ones.
Apple makes billions from older iPhones
The conspiracy theory that Apple loves to force iPhone obsolescence and plans that require users of older iPhones to buy new ones comes from the mistaken belief that Apple doesn’t make any money on these older devices. In fact, he rakes in billions from them.
In 2025, Apple’s revenue from services will reach $109 billion. “Services” is the group name for the App Store, iCloud, Apple Music, etc., and it generates more revenue than Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods sales. combined. Some of these services are fantastically profitable: Estimated gross margins on the App Store are 75% to 80%, and on iCloud 60% to 70%.
Older iPhones contribute to service revenue. That’s why Apple wants to keep them going – hence all the recent iOS upgrades for them.
Far from forcing people to trash their old iPhones, Apple keeps them running. When you’re ready for the latest model, you can give your old one to your kids. Or sell it to a service that resells it. This happens to millions of them.
Based on current market data for 2025 and projections for 2026, approximately 20-25% of all smartphones sold in developing countries worldwide are refurbished iPhones. That’s why there are over a billion iPhones in active use, something Apple is very proud of.
In short, Apple doesn’t need to sell new iPhones to make money – it makes billions on older iPhones. This means that deliberately destroying devices with bad software updates would cost the company billions. So Apple doesn’t do that. Instead, it releases iOS updates that keep iPhones running for more than a decade.
Ed Hardy He has been writing about the technique full-time for 25 years and has been using it for much longer. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but he now uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. It is written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthandas well as other sites.