Why Apple Just Updated an iPhone From 2013
Apple this week released iOS 12.5.8, a surprise update for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 – devices that launched in 2013 and 2014, respectively. It's the first software these aging devices have received in three years. So why did Apple bother?
It has to do with something called certificate expiration.
According to Apple's release notes, the update extends a security certificate required for iMessage, FaceTime, and device activation to continue functioning. Without it, these features would have stopped working after January 2027.
Device activation is what allows an iPhone to be set up or restored in the first place. If the certificate in question had been allowed to expire, anyone still using an iPhone 5s or iPhone 6 would have been left with a device that couldn't be reactivated after a factory reset. It would be bricked, as they say.
Apple has committed to providing at least five years of security updates for iPhones, but the company routinely exceeds that. The iPhone 5s has now received support for 13 years, while the iPhone 6 sits at 12. Both models last saw an update in January 2023.
Apple also released new versions of iOS 18 and iOS 16 this week, offering a lifeline for the millions of older iPhones still in circulation that aren't compatible with iOS 26, which also got an update.
Update: Apple has temporarily made the updates unavailable to download as it works with telecommunications company Telstra to fix an issue preventing some older Apple devices from connecting to the Australian network.
Popular Stories
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
