When Apple ends support for older iPhones and iPads with the latest versions of iOS or iPadOS, that’s usually not the end of the world. Apple will continue to release new security-only patches for these devices over the next year or two, keeping the hardware usable while it’s still fully functional.
Once these updates dry up, Apple rarely revisits older operating systems, but the company sometimes makes exceptions. That was the case yesterday, when the company released a series of updates to its long-deprecated iOS and iPadOS versions. These versions haven’t had new patches for months or years. These updates include iOS 12.5.8, available for devices up to the 2013 iPhone 5S and 2014 iPhone 6. Available for iOS 15.8.6, iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, iPad Air 2 and other devices. iOS 16.7.13 (available for devices such as iPhone 8 and iPhone X).
Both iOS 15 and iOS 16 were last patched in mid-2025, while iOS 12’s last patch was released in January 2023.
These updates do not patch security flaws or add new features. According to Apple’s iOS 12 and iOS 15 update release notes, all the iOS 12 and iOS 15 updates do is update security certificates to ensure that iMessage, FaceTime, and Apple account sign-ins continue to work beyond January 2027, when the operating system’s original certificates expire.
