In case anyone still doubts that Apple cares about people using old iPhones, Apple is warning all all iPhone 5 users to update to the latest iOS version before Monday, November 3, lest they encounter a giant headache.
The update in question is the same 10.3.4 update that was released in late July, more than two years after the last 10.3 update. At the time, Apple stressed the importance of the update, telling users that it “addresses an issue that could impact GPS location performance and could cause system date and time to be incorrect.”
Now that check is about to be cashed. Any iPhone 5 that isn’t updated to 10.3.4 by November 3 will have to go through a lengthy restore process to get things up and running again: “If you have an iPhone 5, it’s especially important to update your device’s software wirelessly or using your computer before November 3 to maintain accurate GPS location and to continue to use functions that rely on correct date and time including App Store, iCloud, email, and web browsing.”
Basically, that’s everything that matters, so iPhone 5 users should take this warning seriously. To update you phone—or check to see if it needs an update—head over to the Settings app, then General, and finally Software Update. Inside it will tell if you’re up to date or if new software is available.
If your phone isn’t updated by the deadline, Apple says users will be required to back up and restore using a Mac or PC in order to update because over-the-air software updates and iCloud Backup will not work. At which point, you may as well save yourself the trouble and just buy an iPhone 11.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He's still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.