Iphone 7 running IOS 15.8.2 paying for apps i cannot access because they work on ios 16 and above

stacnelson wrote:

Actually no...not an acceptable option as I have been paying for these apps.

I had the same issue with the NYT app on my ipad. ipad works fine even though i know it is "old" NYT updated their app to require iOS 16 and did not give me an option to either opt out, not upgrade or go back to the previous version. Now I can't open it at all.

I'm a sw developer....this is a backward compatibility issue where there was no notification of EOL. not acceptable at all.

If the New York Times abandoned iOS 15 – and getting an device that can run a later version of iOS is "not an acceptable option" – then that implies that you will not be using the New York Times app.

The remaining issue (for you) would be whether to continue with your New York Times subscription, accessing that paper through a Web browser; or to cancel the subscription. That's between you and the New York Times.

Boobookittysuck wrote:

I’ve been using my i7 for a long time now.

I’ve replaced the screen a couple times now and gone thru 2 otter cases.

ive got a newer iPhone aswell that my son uses more than my biz.

the point is that I like the smaller cell.

I have a laptop

don’t need a cell the size one.

Help us peeps that just don’t want to move on.

If you don't move on, then you will have to accept living with the limitations of what you have now, one of which is that the iPhone 7 will never be able to run iOS 16 or later. Letting you know that is all the help we can offer. There is no magic wand we can wave to give you iOS 16 on your iPhone 7. We are not Apple and do not control iOS.

One of the differences between your iPhone 7 and all of the iPhones that can run later versions of iOS is that they have processors with Neural Engines. Your iPhone 7 doesn't. The first Neural Engine was in the Apple A11 Bionic processor shared by the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X. That processor only had 2 Neural Engine cores and while those phones can update to iOS 16, they can update no further.

If you like a small phone, you could consider replacing your iPhone 7 with an iPhone SE (3rd generation) or with an Apple Certified Refurbished iPhone 13 mini. Either can run iOS 17 or iOS 18 . I do not expect them to get as many future updates beyond iOS 18 as an iPhone 15-series or 16-series phone would – and since they only have 4 GB of RAM, I would not hold my breath waiting for them to get Apple Intelligence features.

Apple – Compare iPhone models – iPhone 7 vs. iPhone SE (3rd generation) vs. iPhone 13 mini

Read it on Safari or another browser, the app won’t work

The phone may work fine, but it will not support any iOS version above 15.8.2. It will NOT run iOS 16 so the apps that are not allowing you to update due to the fact that you don't have iOS 16 are going to fade out. The only option you have is to purchase a new phone with newer and more powerful hardware that can run the OS version that you need.

Note that Apple requires App Store developers to use modern versions of Xcode and the iOS SDK.

Submit your iOS apps to the App Store - Apple Developer

"All iOS and iPadOS apps uploaded to App Store Connect must be built with a minimum of Xcode 15 and the iOS 17 SDK. Starting April 2025, all iOS and iPadOS apps uploaded to App Store Connect must be built with the iOS 18 SDK."

My understanding is that building with the iOS 17 SDK does not force your app to run on iOS 17 or later. You can set a lower version of iOS as the minimum deployment target.

However, even if a new version of your app supports old versions of iOS, Apple wants you to build that app using recent versions of Xcode and the SDK. If you are an iPhone developer, and your development system is an older Mac, this might force you to go out and buy a newer Mac if you want to keep developing for the App Store.

The Times customer service either lied to you or did not have a real answer. If an app in the App Store claims to require iOS 16 or iOS 17, then the app developer, not Apple, specifically and consciously made a decision to only support those versions.

There are many apps in the App Store that work with the latest iOS as well as older versions. Because their app developers decided to put in the extra effort and development costs to do so.

Actually no...not an acceptable option as I have been paying for these apps.

I had the same issue with the NYT app on my ipad. ipad works fine even though i know it is "old" NYT updated their app to require iOS 16 and did not give me an option to either opt out, not upgrade or go back to the previous version. Now I can't open it at all.

I'm a sw developer....this is a backward compatibility issue where there was no notification of EOL. not acceptable at all.

sister75 wrote:

Same problem here. Need to uninstall and reinstall app every day cuz it won’t upgrade. Will eventually get tired of it. NYT ought to know some of their readership isn’t keen on consumerism and buying latest models.

It is the app developer's decision NOT to continue to support lower iOS versions. This was not Apple's decision.

75gator wrote:

You [Bob Timmons] cannot possibly believe what you wrote in your reply. APPLE dictates ALL terms for developers to sell their APPS on the APPSTORE. One of those terms is quit making your APP backward supportable below iOS16 or Apple will not sell your APP!

I just looked up the App Store descriptions for a couple of the largest U.S. banks. Their apps require iOS 15.0 or later. Then I looked up a scientific calculator emulator. It only required iOS 12.0 or later.

You were saying?

Let's see. What changed?

Did Apple make a change that suddenly locks you out of using an app? None of the apps that you mention are Apple apps, so it is the developers at the apps that you are using that have decided to no longer support your iPhone.

If you do not want to upgrade your phone......then you won't be able to use the apps that have decided to no longer support your phone.

jonico61 wrote:

You may be right, but I'm old enough to smell a rat... and all these answers telling me to "upgrade" my phone (ie., go spend another $1500 on a new iphone when the old one isn't broken) just to read the newspaper point loud and clear to one beneficiary, and it sure isn't the New York Times...

The New York Times apparently believes that they do benefit by cutting off support for your phone.

• They benefit by not having to spend resources maintaining, testing, and debugging code to make sure that it runs properly on older versions of iOS.
• They might also benefit by being able to use new features that do not exist in older versions of iOS – without having to provide any fallback code for those old versions of iOS.

The perceived benefit may not be to the tune of $1,500 (per customer) in their pockets, but that is not what drives the decision. They are weighing whether the benefit to them to support older phones, outweighs the cost to them to support older phones. Their conclusion, apparently, is that it is not.

The fact that someone (Apple or a competitor) might get a new phone sale out of it is incidental to the New York Times' calculations.

Your phone can’t run the required version of iOS.

So your options are buy a newer iPhone that can run the required version of iOS or do without the apps.

As of May 24, that is no longer an option, at least for my iPhone 7 plus. It will no longer open the NYT on any of the browsers. I get a message saying that the webpage is unavailable. I can still access the website on my laptop but not at all on my phone starting this morning. It is a tremendous loss of utility and a seeming giant "F--- You!" by the NYT to its subscribers. We should not have to buy a new phone to access the content for which we have already paid a hefty price. I am contemplating canceling my subscription.

Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

• If you have an iPhone 5S or 6/6plus, the highest you can update to is 12.5.7

• If you have an iPhone 6S through 7, or SE 1st generation, you can update to 15.8.2

• If you have an iPhone 8 or X, you can update to 16.7.7

• If you have an iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), or XR through 15, you can update to 17.5.1

Go to Settings > General > Software Update.

This link will show you how to update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using WiFi -

Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

This link will show you how to update using your computer -

Update iOS on iPhone - Apple Support

Same problem here. Need to uninstall and reinstall app every day cuz it won’t upgrade. Will eventually get tired of it. NYT ought to know some of their readership isn’t keen on consumerism and buying latest models.