Apple has announced its commitment to at least five years of security software updates for iPhones from the date of each device's release, as a result of a new legal requirement in the United Kingdom.
Earlier this year, the UK introduced new Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) regulations. These regulations require companies selling internet-connected products in the country to comply with specific security requirements.
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One of the PSTI requirements is that companies establish a support period or minimum duration for providing security updates after a device is sold. The regulation defines a “security update” as “asoftware update that protects or enhances the security of a product, including updates that address security issues that have been discovered or reported to the manufacturer.”
In compliance with the regulation, Apple has filed a public regulatory filing for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The PSTI filing states that the “specified support period” for the device is “at least five years from the date of provision.” The “date of provision” is set as “September 22, 2023,” which is when the iPhone 15 series was released.
Unlike Samsung and Google, Apple isn't always clear about software support for older iPhones. So the five-year minimum support is good news for Apple users who still have older devices. However, as Android Authority points out, both Samsung and Google offer seven years of Android security and operating system updates, which is two years longer than Apple's warranty.
Apple typically provides security updates for older devices for longer than this five-year period. For example, just in March, Apple released a security update for iPhone 6s models, which were released in September 2015, nine years ago.
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Back in November 2020, Apple released an update to resolve important security issues in the iPhone 5S, which was released in 2013. This move came seven years after the device was initially released.
In other words, even though the minimum support period of five years has now been established, users can rest assured, as Apple has a solid track record of maintaining support for older devices for many additional years.
Source: macrumors
