Despite the ecodesign regulation: no update promise for iPhones and iPads

Since June 20, the new ecodesign requirements for smartphones and tablets in the EU. The Regulation 2023/1670 writes “manufacturers, importers or authorized representatives” binding to provide software updates for sold devices for at least 5 years. Apple has long fulfilled this requirement, but continues to do without a specific update promise. Upon request, the company only referred to the existing practice for security patches for old devices and its durability approach.

“Apple has a demonstrable track balance in the provision of widespread and durable operating systems that go far beyond the historical industry standard, as well as functional updates for operating systems that came out up to 6 years after the original publication of the respective devices”, “, the group records in a white paper, which was recently updated in June 2024.

Five years of iPhone security updates from the start of sales

In response to the British “Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act”, Apple had committed itself to the first time, for the first time, To supply devices for at least 5 years with security updates – But calculated there from the start of sales. The ecodesign requirements within the EU provide software updates for 5 years from the end of sales and thus for a usually much longer period. For example, the iPhone XR was on the market until September 2021, but does not receive a iOS 26 in autumn 2025. Safety patches for iOS 18 will still continue to exist on this model series.

In the case of particularly serious weaknesses that are used actively for Spyware attacks, there are also patches for very old iPhones: at the end of March, for example, several security gaps were eliminated with an update for iOS 15 even on the almost ten-year-old iPhone 6s. However, Apple only stuffs all known gaps in the latest version of its operating systems.

No more patches for iOS 17

Patches for older iOS versions are only available on older hardware that no longer receives functional updates. For iOS 17, Apple obviously no longer delivers no further patches because all supported iPhones can also be updated to iOS 18. Accordingly, however, users also have to import larger updates to protect against security gaps, even if they may not want massive changes-such as the upcoming liquid glass design of iOS 26.