Apple is often lauded for their robust software support — their devices often receive years of full software upgrades and additional security updates — but the company clarified just how long users should expect to have the latest security patches. There is a somewhat routine schedule that Apple follows for its software updates and upgrades, but there are always sudden updates released to fix important bugs and patch critical security vulnerabilities. Though devices can certainly be used until it breaks, a product that does not receive full security updates is a weak link in a user's cybersecurity portfolio. For that reason, it's important to know how many years of security updates a product will receive before buying.
There is no official guarantee of how many years of updates Apple products will receive, but there are patterns that can be good indicators of future software support. For example, iOS 16 was released in September 2022 with support for the iPhone 8 series and newer. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were released alongside the iPhone X in 2017, meaning the smartphone is receiving at least five years of full software upgrades. The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus were compatible with iOS 15 last year, and that device was released in 2015 — good for six years of software upgrades. That means users can expect about 5-6 years of full upgrades, but there's more to the story when it comes to security updates.
Apple made an important clarification on how it categorizes updates in recent years, and it now has an impact on the number of full security patches a device gets. An Apple Support document defines the difference between updates and upgrades, words that are often used interchangeably. "Updates are more frequently released software patches that help secure or enhance the current operating system and are designed to protect your device against security or privacy vulnerabilities," the document states. "Upgrades are released much less frequently than updates, and can take a while to install because of their large size." This may seem like a small clarification, but it has a big impact on how long a device can be fully protected against security vulnerabilities.
Only The Latest Upgrades Are Fully Protected, Apple Says
Apple issues security updates to older versions of software, even after a new upgrade is released. For example, although iOS 16 was released in September 2022, Apple is still making updates to the older iOS 15. A security vulnerability was spotted and addressed with the release of a subsequent update to iOS 16, numbered iOS 16.1. But for devices running iOS 15 — that are unable to upgrade or have not yet upgraded to iOS 16 — Apple also released iOS 15.7.1 to address the same security vulnerability. However, a new line in an Apple Support document says that security updates to older versions of the company's software may not include all patches found in the current software version.
The support document notes that only the latest releases provide full protection from security vulnerabilities. "Because of dependency on architecture and system changes to any current version of macOS (for example, macOS 13), not all known security issues are addressed in previous versions (for example, macOS 12)," the Apple document says. Essentially, this means that the security updates Apple issues to older operating system versions are not fully protected. Using that logic, the iOS 15.7.1 update may leave security vulnerabilities unaddressed that have been patched in the iOS 16.1 updates. This means that although Apple issues security updates to older operating systems, users should only expect their devices to be secure during the typical five to six-year software upgrade support window.
Source: Apple Support