Many of us choose to upgrade our smartphones every two or three years, while others pick up the latest model every year. But just because it’s the norm to swap out your smartphone on a regular basis, that doesn’t mean all of us do. Smartphones can last a long time, especially if you maintain it with the occasional battery replacement.
But no piece of technology lasts forever. Eventually, something gives out—even if it’s just the company that makes it. Even Apple, which usually offers its iPhones a number of years of updates after their original release, drops support for new features after some time. That’s why your iPhone XS can’t run iOS 26: Apple drew the line here this year. But iPhones like the XS can still receive updates, even if they aren’t the latest and greatest version of iOS. Instead, Apple tends to issue security and stability patches to older iPhones, to ensure the users who still rely on them can do so safely and securely. It might be in Apple’s best financial interest to persuade you to buy a new iPhone, but not at the cost of putting a large number of users at risk of cyber attacks.
Apple’s latest update patches very old iPhones
Apple dropped new updates for an assortment of devices on Monday. That includes its latest devices, of course, which can now install iOS 26.2.1. But a host of older devices also received new updates, some of which are particularly surprising, considering their age.
Apple released iOS 18.7.4 for iPhones that either can’t or won’t update to iOS 26. In the former category, that basically includes the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR. Then, there’s iOS 16.7.13, for iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X, and iOS 15.8.6, for iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, and iPhone SE (first-gen). Those are some old iPhones, but that’s not what caught my eye today. In a twist, Apple dropped an update for iPhones running iOS 12, including iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus. These iPhones can now run iOS 12.5.8. For reference, Apple released iOS 12 back in 2018, so it’s pretty wild to see a new version in 2026.
These iPhones are even older. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus dropped all the way back in 2014, while the iPhone 5S released the year before that. As such, Apple just sent an update to 12-year-old iPhone. If you’re still rocking one of these devices, that new update must be quite the surprise. It’s even more than the age of the devices itself: Apple considers all three of these iPhones “obsolete,” as the company stopped selling them more than seven years ago. The company will not service the hardware for obsolete products, and largely omits them from future software releases. That’s why this is so interesting.
What do you think so far?
What’s new in iOS 12.5.8
iOS 12.5.8 is, of course, not a feature update, but it’s also not a security update, either. Instead, Apple extended the certificate required for features like iMessage, FaceTime, and device activation to continue working after January of next year. These iPhones might not have seen a new feature in years, but they’ll still be able to FaceTime in a year’s time—and that’s pretty great.
It’s not clear how many people are using these iPhones in 2026. But if you do, and it’s working for you, Apple gave you one more reason to keep your phone for another year.
