Juli Clover at MacRumors, writes:
Last week, MacRumors shared news that Apple had stopped releasing iOS 14 security updates and was pushing those still on iOS 14 to upgrade to iOS 15, an apparent reversal of a promise to allow users to stay on the iOS 14 operating system.
Apple today told Ars Technica that the option to stay on iOS 14 and avoid the iOS 15 upgrade was always meant to be temporary. It is not a mistake that there are no more security updates to iOS 14, and support for the update has essentially ended.
When iOS 15 was released, Apple’s feature page said that the company would provide a choice “between two software update versions” in the Settings app, and that it would offer security updates for iOS 14 until people were prepared to upgrade.
Apple’s original wording was (emphasis mine):
You can update to the latest version of iOS 15 as soon as it’s released for the latest features and most complete set of security updates. Or continue on iOS 14 and still get important security updates until you’re ready to upgrade to the next major version.
Back to Clover:
When iOS 15 was released and this information was published, Apple did not make it clear that this was a temporary option, but the company in September 2021 did publish an updated support document that mentioned the option to stay on iOS 14 would be available “for a period of time.”
And the new wording is:
If you’re using iOS or iPadOS 14.5 or later, you might now see the option to choose between two software update versions. This option allows you to choose between updating to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS 15 as soon as it’s released, or continuing on iOS or iPadOS 14 while still getting important security updates for a period of time.
In December, in my article When dropping support feels like sabotage, I was complaining that Apple was limiting the support of security updates to just the two previous versions of Mac OS, and not extending such support to even older versions like High Sierra or Mojave given the amount of people that are still using them. But I was forgetting that on iOS the situation is even worse.
And I think that dropping security support for anything but the newest iOS version is rather irresponsible, given the amount of security threats targeting mobile operating systems nowadays. Sure, it’s great that iOS 15 can be installed on devices as old as the iPhone 6S, and Apple can always respond that if you want to keep your older iOS device safe, you can do so simply by updating to iOS 15, but once you move away from the tech sphere orbit and enter the everyday world of regular people, things are never so clear-cut. There are still a lot of folks using older versions of iOS on their iPhones and iPads. Maybe they dismiss or don’t notice Apple’s periodical push notifications to update to the latest version. Maybe they have automatic updates disabled. Or, there are more tech-savvy users who still want to use certain apps they’ve come to rely on, apps that have ceased to work on newer iOS versions (or have been removed from the App Store, or whose development has stopped for whatever reason, etc.), and don’t want to update to iOS 15.
Then there are people who have become increasingly hesitant about jumping on the latest iOS version as soon as it’s released. This is a trend I have noticed in my circles in the post-iOS 10 era. I think it must have been the general bugginess of iOS 11 what made people wary. I don’t know. But a lot of friends and acquaintances (and readers who have written me a considerable amount of emails in the past) have started to delay updating iOS, even waiting several months before finally doing it.
These are choices that should be respected, within reason of course. I’m not saying Apple should still publish security updates for iOS 9 and iOS 10 devices. But it wouldn’t hurt to adopt a policy similar to what they’re doing with the Mac — keep releasing at least the most crucial security patches for the two iOS versions prior to the latest one. The forgetful and non-tech-savvy users are also the most vulnerable to security threats, and Apple should do the decent thing and meet them halfway — protect their customers’ interests — instead of always having this indirect way of demanding customers to adapt to whatever decision or stance the company comes up with.
In my article When dropping support feels like sabotage, I wrote:
As I’ve often pointed out, Apple’s behaviour — at least for an outside observer — is to adopt the course that’s more convenient for them. The course that makes things easier for them to manage, streamline, deploy. It’s all very opinionated. It’s not a matter of costs or lack of resources, I don’t believe that for a second. Apple moves forward, doesn’t look back too much, and constantly nudges their users to do the same.
This latest move keeps reinforcing this impression. When they wrote that you can “continue on iOS 14 and still get important security updates until you’re ready to upgrade to the next major version”, maybe there was the idea, behind the scenes, to open up to offering a sort of two-lane upgrade path. But it really feels that, at a certain point, someone in the chain of command said, “Nah, scratch that. Why bother. Make it temporary. Make them update.”
I would be more tolerant of this kind of subtle blackmailing if Apple’s software quality were like it used to be circa ten years ago. Instead here I am, firmly staying off Apple’s treadmill until I decide I’m ready to upgrade. I’m sacrificing security in favour of general stability and using tried-and-true older versions of Mac OS and iOS made by people who know how to design user interfaces. Not an easy trade-off, I know, but at least I’m tech-savvy enough to deal with the consequences.