Apple is officially lagging behind on iPhone software monitoring
With The new smartphone sustainability indexeach manufacturer must now provide a mountain of technical information on each of its smartphones. Among these, we find in particular the minimum duration of updates that the manufacturer undertakes to offer on each mobile.
Surprisingly, Apple is no longer among the best students in the mobile world, now being officially style at the post by Google, Samsung and even Motorola. But the situation is not as clear as one might believe in reality.
Security updates only
On The durability of the iPhone of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max We can indeed notice that Apple only engages on 5 years of updates. A duration not completely chosen at random, since This is the minimum required by the new European eco -design guidelines. Obviously, this is a minimum duration that does not prevent the manufacturer from making efforts if desired, but the competition is still more ambitious.
Samsung has signed 7 years of updatesAll as google. Even Motorola on certain models makes an additional effort on its obligations By offering 6 years of follow -up. From first to class on the subject of software follow -up, Apple is now in the tail of the peloton by ensuring the minimum effort.
However, it is good to specify a few points. The compulsory duration imposed by Brussels only concerns security updates. A manufacturer could be regular by never providing new versions of Android, but by committing to deploy the monthly Android safety fixes. Apple does not really make a difference between security updates and updates of features, the 5 years of Apple most often result in 5 major versions of iOS. The commitment is not exactly the same.
A risky strategy
In a long document detailing its grievances against the new European measurementApple explains that it still deploys updates to “Critical security“For iPhone which are no longer eligible to receive new versions of iOS. As in March 2025, where the firm has deployed a correction for all iPhones from the 6S.
Unfortunately, resting on Apple’s goodwill is a risky strategy. For the moment, the firm offers most of the time 6 or 7 years of effective follow -up, but, the day when the firm wants to abandon one of these products after 5 years, it will not be held by any obligation. To resume its crown, the company will have to make efforts.
