If You Own an Older iPhone or iPad, You Need To Update Your Phone Before Sunday
Apple is warning iPhone 5 users to bring their phones up to date before Sunday in order to keep them fully useful as a technology update looms that will impact other older devices as well.
“If you’re still using your 2012-era iPhone, it’s going to turn into even more of a paperweight than it might already feel like come Sunday, November 3,” the website Lifehacker said in its reporting on Apple’s latest warning.
“Unless you download and install a critical update from Apple, you’ll lose access to your iPhone’s core functionality and, as we’ll get to in a bit, you won’t be able to update your iPhone the easy way anymore,” the site reported.
Got an iPhone 5? Update it urgently if you want to stay online #iPhone5 #Apple #GPS https://t.co/XwEnIF6fdZ pic.twitter.com/2dEicKJirw
— Tech Lapse (@techlapsenews) October 27, 2019
Apple phrased things a little differently.
“Starting just before 12:00 a.m. UTC on November 3, 2019,* iPhone 5 will require an iOS update to maintain accurate GPS location and to continue to use functions that rely on correct date and time including App Store, iCloud, email, and web browsing,” Apple said in a statement.
“This is due to the GPS time rollover issue that began affecting GPS-enabled products from other manufacturers on April 6, 2019. Affected Apple devices are not impacted until just before 12:00 a.m. UTC on November 3, 2019,” Apple added.
For those who live in the United States, the devices must be updated by Saturday night (8 p.m. if you live in the Eastern Time Zone), since Coordinated Universal Time is several hours ahead of the U.S. time zones.
After offering the admonition that “it’s always a good idea to keep the operating system on your iPhone updated,” Apple explained why this update was particularly important.
“If you have an iPhone 5, it’s especially important to update your device’s software wirelessly or using your computer before November 3 to maintain accurate GPS location and to continue to use functions that rely on correct date and time including App Store, iCloud, email, and web browsing,” Apple said.
Hate doing updates?
Apple said there will be a price to pay this time.
“If the update to iPhone 5 is not completed by November 3, 2019, you will be required to back up and restore using a Mac or PC in order to update because over-the-air software updates and iCloud Backup will not work,” Apple warned.
The company said users who are not sure if they need the update should “1) Open the Settings app. 2) Tap General, then tap About. 3) Look for the number next to Software Version. The updated software version number should be 10.3.4.”
“If the iPhone 5 is not updated in time, it will be unable to connect to the internet entirely, including web browsing in Safari, email, iCloud and App Store services,” according to 9to5Mac.com.
Although the GPS issue hits the iPhone 5 the hardest, it will impact other Apple devices as well.
Apple said the number of the software update for those devices varies by the device being updated
The iPhone 4s, iPad 2, iPad mini (first generation), and the third- and fourth-generation iPads will also be impacted, but only if they have cellular capabilities.
For owners of those devices, the change simply means that the GPS will not function properly without the update.
“For the iPhone 5, the consequences are much more severe,” 9to5Mac.com warned.
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