Despite Ecodesign Regulation: No update promise for iPhones and iPads
Smartphones in the EU must now receive software updates for at least 5 years. Apple easily meets this requirement, but does not want to be tied down.
(Image: goffkein.pro / Shutterstock.com)
The new ecodesign requirements for smartphones and tablets have been in force in the EU since June 20. Regulation 2023/1670 makes it mandatory for “manufacturers, importers or authorized representatives” to provide software updates for devices sold for at least 5 years. Apple has been voluntarily complying with this requirement for a long time, but continues to refrain from making a specific update promise. When asked, the company merely referred to its existing practice for security patches for old devices and its longevity approach.
“Apple has a proven track record of providing widespread and long-lived operating systems that go well beyond the historical industry standard, as well as feature updates for operating systems that were released up to 6 years after the original release of the respective devices,” the company states in a white paper last updated in June 2024.
Five years of iPhone security updates from the start of sales
In response to the UK's Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act, Apple made a concrete commitment for the first time to provide devices with security updates for at least five years – from the start of sales. The ecodesign requirements within the EU stipulate software updates for 5 years from the end of sales, which is usually a much longer period. The iPhone XR, for example, was on sale until September 2021, but will not receive iOS 26 in autumn 2025. Experience shows that security patches for iOS 18 will probably continue to be available for this model series.
Videos by heise
In the case of particularly serious vulnerabilities that are actively exploited for spyware attacks, for example, there are also patches for very old iPhones: at the end of March, for example, several security vulnerabilities were fixed even on the almost ten-year-old iPhone 6s with an update for iOS 15. However, Apple only fixes all known vulnerabilities in the latest version of its operating systems.
No more patches for iOS 17
Patches for older iOS versions are also only available on older hardware that no longer receives function updates. Apple is apparently no longer providing patches for iOS 17 because all supported iPhones can also be updated to iOS 18. However, users must also install major updates to protect against security vulnerabilities, even if they may not want massive changes – such as the upcoming Liquid Glass design of iOS 26 –.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externer Preisvergleich (heise Preisvergleich) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (heise Preisvergleich) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
(lbe)
