Bad news if you’re still using one…
The iPhone 5 is a well grizzled veteran at this stage in the smartphone realm with it being introduced to the market way back in September of 2012, with the iPhone 5 S following it into the market a year later.
In tech terms, they’re dinosaurs and it seems like Apple are of a similar opinion.
Earlier this week, Apple released iOS 10.3 with a host of updates for their devices included in the new software. Less than a day later they released iOS 10.3.2 beta, for testing on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
The latest iOS 10.3.2 beta version issued on Tuesday only contains restore images for 64-bit devices, but no restore images for 32-bit devices like the iPhone 5 and fourth-generation iPad.
“Apple continues its push toward an all 64-bit future and last year began warning iOS 10 users that 32-bit apps might negatively impact system performance.
“More recently, users attempting to open 32-bit software in iOS 10.3 are met with the message, ‘This app will not work with future versions of iOS,’ a clear indication that legacy apps are on their way out,” wrote tech magazine Apple Insider.
While this is not a definitive sign that 32-bit devices are on their way out, it does indicate that Apple will be dropping support for their older hardware.
Whether they will cut off support completely for 32-bit hardware with the forthcoming iOS 10.3.2 update remains unknown. Since iOS 10.3.2 is still in beta testing, support for 32-bit devices could still be added at a later date.
As it is, it’s not looking good for users of the iPhone 5.
