iOS 17 reportedly drops support for iPhone X, iPhone 8 and some older iPads

Apple has reportedly lowered the system requirements for iOS 17, meaning that some devices, like the iPhone X, won’t be compatible with the update. That’s why.

• What’s happening? iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 may drop support for Apple A10-based devices that are affected by the fatal vulnerability, including the iPhone X (2017).
• Why care? The solution will reduce attack vectors in iOS 17.
• What to do? If your iPhone or iPad isn’t listed in iOS 17, maybe give it to a family member and plan on buying a newer model?

iPhone X missing from leaked iOS 17 system requirements

iPhones and other Apple devices usually run smoothly on the latest versions of the operating system for at least five years before certain features are no longer supported. This is a big part of the reason why Apple hardware has such a high resale value.

But with iOS 17, a maintenance update containing only a few new features, the Cupertino-based tech giant is believed to be ending support for some older iPhones and iPads with the A10 chip for security reasons.

iOS 17 should mark the end of the road for these devices:

• iphone x
• iPhone 8
• iphone 8 plus
• 9.7″iPad (1st generation)
• iPad Pro 12.9″(1st generation)
• iPad (5th generation)

The only exceptions are (will work on iOS 17):

• iPad (6th generation)
• iPad (7th generation)
• iPad Pro 10.5″(2nd generation)
• iPad Pro 12.9″(2nd generation)

The four devices listed above are powered by the Apple A10 Fusion or A10X Fusion chip.

iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 will no longer support the following devices: iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone XiPad (5th generation), 9.7-inch. iPad Pro (1st generation), 12.9-inch. iPad Pro (1st generation)

— Fame_Monsters (@Fame_G_Monster) March 18, 2023

Blame it on an unrecoverable vulnerability

Joe Rossignol, MacRumors:

iPhones and iPads equipped with an A5 to A11 chip are subject to a bootloader security vulnerability that Apple cannot fix on these devices because the bootloader runs in a read-only state. The exploit allowed these devices to be constantly hacked across a wide range of iOS versions, allowing users to change the iOS file system.

Apple’s device requirements don’t change every year, which is a good thing.

With the release of iOS 16 in September 2022, the company changed the software system requirements to no longer support the iPhone 6s and 7 families, the original iPhone SE, iPad Air 2nd generation, iPad mini 4th generation, and iPod touch 7th generation. In addition, nine core iOS 16 features only work on devices with an A12 Bionic processor (iPhone XS) or later.