Apple prematurely ends IOS 14 updates and claims it never promised to support IOS 14 in the long term

[AlTech]

Summary

 

 Apple is no longer offering IOS 14 updates to IOS 14 devices and has decided to discontinue support for IOS 14 using the pretext that IOS 15 is now stable and that Apple didn't really mean IOS 14 would be supported for as long as they originally said.

 

Apple is now forcing users of IOS 14 to update to IOS 15 if they wish to get any further updates. The final IOS 14 update is IOS 14.8.2 . It is my understanding that this update is no longer available for download on IOS 14 devices.

 

Quotes

Quote

 

When iOS 15 was first unveiled, Apple announced that the upgrade wouldn't be mandatory for people who wanted to stick with iOS 14. The new operating system would still be offered to every device that could run it, but iOS 14 would keep getting security updates so that people wouldn't be left vulnerable just because they were happy with the performance and stability of the OS they were already running.

Ars Trending Video

 

But last week, 9to5Mac and others noticed that the iOS 14.8.1 update had stopped being offered to phones running iOS 14. The only upgrade option was for the latest version of iOS 15, currently 15.2.1. We've confirmed with Apple that this isn't an error; iOS 14 is no longer being updated, and anyone who wants the latest security updates will also need to accept the other changes in iOS 15.

Quote

Update, 3:30pm: Apple has pointed us a support page, published in September of 2021, that mentions iOS 14 receiving updates for "a period of time" as evidence that iOS 14 security updates were always intended to be a short-term offering. That notice's lack of specificity doesn't address our core complaint about Apple's lack of security timelines and transparency, but we've updated the article accordingly.

 

 

My thoughts

 To be honest this feels like an insanely scmy thing to do. My impression was that IOS 14 would get security updates until IOS 16's announcement. Only offering a temporary respite makes no sense and it feels like Apple changing its mind after the fact and using vague language to justify it.

 

Sources

 https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/01/apple-ends-security-updates-for-ios-14-pushes-users-to-install-ios-15-instead/

[Spotty]

I don't follow iOS updates so forgive my ignorance. Is there something wrong with iOS 15? Is there any reason why someone on iOS 14 who wants to continue receiving updates shouldn't just update to iOS 15 to continue receiving the latest security updates?

[emosun]

Big whoop i used android 4.2 for 8 years. You dont really need updates theyre just scams anyway.

[AlTech]

2 minutes ago, Spotty said:

I don't follow iOS updates so forgive my ignorance. Is there something wrong with iOS 15? Is there any reason why someone on iOS 14 who wants to continue receiving updates shouldn't just update to iOS 15 to continue receiving the latest security updates?

For a while IOS 15 was a mess, also IOS 15 will be getting the CSAM detection once Apple is done pretending they won't implement it.

[da na]

I could be wrong but didn't they say that they'd support 14 for a while? 

[sof006]

I’ve been using 15 since beta and had no major issues

[Vishera]

8 minutes ago, emosun said:

Big whoop i used android 4.2 for 8 years. You dont really need updates theyre just scams anyway.

It depends on the situation,

For example i had an issue of missing OpenGL features on the driver level,

The solution for that issue was to update Android.

[SignatureSigner]

Problem -> solution

Spoiler

yes i poorly photoshopped windows phone OS onto an iphone 7

 

[G27Racer_188]

15 minutes ago, emosun said:

Big whoop i used android 4.2 for 8 years. You dont really need updates theyre just scams anyway.

Out of curiosity, was it just one device? I used 4.0.4 ICS on my Xperia Arc S for 8 years also.

[jagdtigger]

Too bad iphones dont have unofficial fw like android does ( more often tjan not the unofficial one is better than the factory too)...

[Fasterthannothing]

Hmm but I was told by all the Apple fanboys and girls that apple would never stop updating their stuff. What a mess they are doing this to push their privacy invading tools on everyone as they go around pretending to care about privacy.

[bcredeur97]

apple has never really supported old versions. once new update was out and they took down downloads for old ones, they were done with it. Up to end user to update. 

They just patched more serious things  in older versions to be nice I guess. But that's about it. 

[WhitetailAni]

I'm gonna be honest, I don't believe they ever intended to support 14. Why? They never kept signing it after 15 came out.

This is gonna be a bit of a lesson on how iOS versions work, or at least modern ones. I could do them all but that'd have no relevance.

Anyway.

When a build, or version, of iOS is released, it's a signed build. Let's take iOS 15.2.1 for example, their most recent public version.

iOS 15.2.1 is signed. You can download an IPSW of it and restore to it in iTunes, no questions asked.

What is an IPSW? They're Apple's iOS restoring files - they contain a dump of the root filesystem (also called rootFS), SEP firmware, and sometimes the baseband firmware. SEP is the Secure Enclave Processor, baseband is the modem firmware and only present in builds for iPhones or cellular-equipped iPads.

So we're looking at iOS 15.2.1 and we want to restore it to our iPhone - let's use an iPhone 7 (Global) as an example, or an iPhone9,1.

We go to ipsw.me, scroll down to iPhone 7 (Global), click it, and we're greeted with this:

Spoiler

The site neatly divides signed IPSWs from unsigned IPSWs. Currently, only iOS 15.2.1 is signed, so that is all that can be restored from iTunes. iOS 15.2 was unsigned 2 days ago, on the 19th, on December 20th, 2021, iOS 15.1 was unsigned, on November 11th, etc.

If we go all the way back to iOS 14.8, we can see that it was unsigned back on October 4th, 2021. This means that after October 4th, it was impossible to restore to iOS 14, at all (well there is saving blobs but the average user won't know of that).

 

There are two different forms of iOS updates. The OTA, or Over The Air update, is accessible via General -> Software Update in settings. It merely downloads the patch file for iOS - think of it like updating Windows 10 from 2004 to 21H1. It doesn't wipe your system, it simply updates OS files. That's what OTA updates do. They don't wipe your system, they update it.

iOS updates also come in the form of IPSWs, as shown above. These contain a rootFS image, SEP FW, and the optional baseband FW. Using this is not updating your iDevice. It completely wipes it and restores it to the image file, or IPSW file, that you provided it.

Every iOS update, as far as I know, has followed this pattern. You get an OTA update, and an IPSW.

 

Then Apple released iOS 14.8.1. Which had no IPSW file. It came in the form of just an OTA update. No IPSW meant no restore to 14.8.1, and while it did have a sizable OTA update size of 3.99GB (or 134MB if you were on 14.8 already), OTA update files are not able to be restored to. So while Apple did update iOS 14, they didn't allow restoring to it after October 4th.

 

If Apple truly meant to continue supporting iOS 14, why did they stop allowing restores to it? If you upgraded to 15 accidentally and wanted back to 14 after the 4th, too bad you're out of luck. Enjoy your time on 15!!!!

Sure, you can save blobs, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms. Here's a good explanation on it all.

[RejZoR]

1 hour ago, emosun said:

Big whoop i used android 4.2 for 8 years. You dont really need updates theyre just scams anyway.

Can people stop repeating this utter idiocy? Updates are very important on devices that store private data as well as user finances.

 

People keep repeating this nonsense because they are so used to utterly pathetic support by 99,99% of Android phone makers who can't be bothered to support anything for more than a 1 or 2 years and we're talking flagship phones costing stupid money. That 0.01% in Android segment is the Samsung which is the only bright exception with outstanding software support from Galaxy A50 series and above. Both, major OS updates as well as timely monthly security updates without skipping a single month.

 

Updates of apps and stuff that can be delivered through GooglePlay only goes as far. For rest you need firmware level updates and those are only delivered by phone vendor itself.

[Dracarris]

7 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

People keep repeating this nonsense because they are so used to utterly pathetic support by 99,99% of Android phone makers who can't be bothered to support anything for more than a 1 or 2 years and we're talking flagship phones costing stupid money. That 0.01% in Android segment is the Samsung which is the only bright exception with outstanding software support from Galaxy A50 series and above. Both, major OS updates as well as timely monthly security updates without skipping a single month.

inbound "but you can install custom ROM, how about that iLoser?". Yeah, what a great idea for improving device security and using all your super-fancy utterly-useful special flagship phone features (cough 100.000x zoom cough) as well as official tools like the Play Store.

[Video Beagle]

2 hours ago, Spotty said:

I don't follow iOS updates so forgive my ignorance. Is there something wrong with iOS 15? Is there any reason why someone on iOS 14 who wants to continue receiving updates shouldn't just update to iOS 15 to continue receiving the latest security updates?

I've been researching 15 the past few days, trying to decide if I and my parents should update.

We all haven't yet for the same reason the vast majority of people haven't... 14 is working just fine, so why rock the boat.

 

As far as I can tell, the problems 15 has is the same problems every update has.  Some people have bad performance, some people have poor battery life after..Nothing wide spread or systemic...just the very usual updates cause problems for some individuals.

 

(I have seen a higher number of issues for people with the SE v2, which is why I have, so I decided to wait til the next 15 version due in a week or two to see how that is before pulling the trigger).

 

(There's also people who seem to be on a "I'm afraid ios 15 will label me a child pornographer" bandwagon but that's a topic for another thread)

[emosun]

14 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

Updates are very important

 

15 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

Can people stop repeating this utter idiocy?

Lol

[emosun]

1 hour ago, G27Racer_188 said:

Out of curiosity, was it just one device? I used 4.0.4 ICS on my Xperia Arc S for 8 years also.

Yep

[emosun]

2 hours ago, Vishera said:

It depends on the situation,

For example i had an issue of missing OpenGL features on the driver level,

The solution for that issue was to update Android.

I guess at no point did my cell phone need opengl. The only thing it needed to be perfect was the gps fixed otherwise i wouldnt have replaced it

[Dracarris]

1 hour ago, SlidewaysZ said:

that apple would never stop updating their stuff.

This piece of "news" doesn't affect the validity of this claim the slightest bit. FYI, the oldest phone supported by iOS 15 is the 6S - a phone released in the fall of 2015. The 6 runs on iOS 12 which has received its latest security patch on Sep 23rd 2021.

8 minutes ago, emosun said:

Lol

With that well-reasoned, greatly thought out line of argumenting you surely have convinced everyone about the insignificance of updates.

[Rohith_Kumar_Sp]

2 hours ago, Spotty said:

I don't follow iOS updates so forgive my ignorance. Is there something wrong with iOS 15? Is there any reason why someone on iOS 14 who wants to continue receiving updates shouldn't just update to iOS 15 to continue receiving the latest security updates?

wouldn't it affect apple devices that only get IOS 14 as it's last line of OS updates? 

[RejZoR]

22 minutes ago, emosun said:

 

Lol

Apparently you know more than all the security experts who waste their time finding and patching security issues. Just don't come crying around when shit goes sideways because you're using outdated software. But I know for a fact people who have that happened to them are then quiet as a dead mice.

[WhitetailAni]

4 minutes ago, Rohith_Kumar_Sp said:

wouldn't it affect apple devices that only get IOS 14 as it's last line of OS updates? 

No such devices exist. Every device that can run iOS 14 also can run iOS 15.

[Video Beagle]

18 minutes ago, Dracarris said:

The 6 runs on iOS 12 which has received its latest security patch on Sep 23rd 2021.

My 5s still get's major security updates...fwiw.

[emosun]

11 minutes ago, Dracarris said:

 

With that well-reasoned, greatly thought out line of argumenting you surely have convinced everyone about the insignificance of updates.

Well unfortunately i dont exist for you to argue with. And also i dont care about convincing other people , my phone lasted 8 years and theirs dont. Nobody that paranoid is convincable anyway. I actually forget how much older i am than other people so outdated software is a whole new un explored world to them full of mystery. Lol.