Even officially “obsolete” models have plenty to offer – just watch out for unpatched security holes.
My son’s iPhone X is in dire need of a new battery. With 71% battery health it barely goes a few hours between charges in the hands of a digitally-native teenager. Otherwise, my son says it satisfies his anime fixation and copes admirably with mobile gaming and his life on social media. Not too shabby for a “vintage” phone released in 2017.
Apple deemed the iPhone X “vintage” this year as it’s more than 5 years since the model was last sold (in 2018). It’ll become “obsolete” when it turns 7 years old (Apple’s definition, not mine). The designation means Apple doesn’t support hardware repairs.
Despite Apple trying to kill it off, the X hardware still has life. A Google search reveals pages of local businesses that will replace the battery for $100 or less. [1]
However, it’s not just the iPhone hardware I need to think about. Like most of us, my son uses his phone for everything. It can access a lot of personal data, bank account and payment details, and could act as a gateway to private networks it connects to. Though we might not think about it regularly, we rely on our phones being secure.
Apple regularly releases functional improvements, bug fixes and security patches for its current products and supports older ones, but not indefinitely. Functional updates and bug fixes are the first to drop off for older models. But it’s security patches to fix new vulnerabilities, or the lack of those security patches, that will kill the phone.
The iPhone X is stuck on the defunct iOS16 and got a patch (16.7.10) on 29 July this year to keep security up to date. Apple is cagey about security support. It won’t say which older iOS software remains supported, nor will it formally announce which it has dropped. It has admitted, however, that while it will provide security-related updates for older versions of its operating systems, only the most recent will receive updates for every security problem it knows about. [2]
We’re realising just how important this is for the lifespan of internet-connected devices. Laws requiring businesses to state the duration of security support are coming into force. The UK passed one in April this year (the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act), and Apple responded by formalising its support for the iPhone to a minimum of five years from the date a model is launched. [3]
It’s maddening to think a perfectly functional phone will become obsolete because its manufacturer won’t keep its operating system secure while the hardware is still functional for many users. It shouldn’t be like this.
Manufacturers choose to drop security support for older hardware because they profit from doing so. There’s a cost to keep supplying software updates, which diverts valuable development resources away from more profitable work, such as creating new products. Apple figures there are relatively few old iPhones still being used, and it can stop support for them without mobilising too many angry owners.
The latest iPhone model now looks and functions very similarly to the previous ones, so users of older devices need more of a carrot to upgrade. When carrots aren’t enough, Apple deploys the stick of fear – ensuring owners of old models worry about the risk of security breaches it could prevent.
There’s no good reason for my son's iPhone X to become prematurely obsolete this year or next. It is up to date with security patches – for now – but Apple won’t confirm or deny if it will get any more. I’m buoyed to see Apple updated the older iOS15 software in July this year, and my research shows it has previously supported iPhones for longer than its newly stated minimum 5-year period.
I’m going to get the battery replaced on my son’s iPhone X. Spending $100 will give the phone a new lease of life, even if it’s only for a year. Compared to the cost of a more recent refurbished model the repair is good value. But it’s infuriating that Apple will soon kill this device off prematurely and force us into a costly upgrade we don’t need. There should be a law against it!
[1] https://www.goodtech.co.nz/collections/repairs/products/repair-iphone-x?variant=40624473342041
[3] https://www.macrumors.com/2024/06/06/apple-iphone-security-updates-five-year-minimum/
About the author
Dr Paul Smith, Fixed First
Paul is a leading voice in the Aotearoa repairability movement. He advocates for a Right to Repair and a change to the broken system that sees too many ‘durable’ products sent to landfill.
He tries to walk the talk, buying less and buying well, and embed that thinking into his two teenage kids (not always successfully).
He knows the future will be one of product custodianship – where we cherish and value the products we use – but we need to fight the system to get there, “We need product design that embraces repair and durability if we're to create a sustainable, circular economy".