On December 18, Apple will end iCloud backup compatibility with iOS 5, iOS 6, iOS 7, and iOS 8. iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, which are not compatible with the newer version, will also lose the ability to back up their data.
There are still usersiPhone 3GS andiPhone 4 in 2024? Two smartphones launched in 2009 and 2010 have become technological relics. Some collectors have them, a rare few still use them, but it is unlikely that a “connected” user will use them on a daily basis. These two devices are limited to 3G, do not support the latest Wi-Fi standards and cannot run a large number of applications.
On the support pageApple announces that the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 can no longer be backed up to iCloud starting December 18, 2024. The brand is preparing to end compatibility of iCloud backups with iOS versions prior to iOS 9.
The end of backups in iOS 8: the logical conclusion
Apple launched iCloud in 2011, a few months before the iPhone 4S.
The sync service was added for free in iOS 5, an update available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. The iPhone 3GS was later updated to iOS 6.1.6, while the iPhone 4s is stopped at iOS 7.1.2. Its successor, the iPhone 4S, supports iOS 9.3.6.
Among the core features of iCloud at launch: the ability to automatically back up the iPhone using Wi-Fi Apple then solved a major problem, because previously you had to connect your iPhone to a computer for backup. The idea was to use the free 5GB (which hasn’t changed 13 years later) or the paid storage to store the contents of your phone.
On December 18, 2024, you’ll need at least iOS 9 and thus an iPhone 4S to store data on iCloud. This change probably won’t be a problem for the rare iPhone 4 or 3GS user, but it marks the first end of iCloud compatibility with older iPhones. People with an outdated iPhone 4S, 5, 5S or 6 will also need to upgrade to the latest version to continue backing up their data.
What about iPads and iPod touches?
iPhones aren’t the only iOS devices. It also affects the 4th generation iPod touch, which ends at iOS 6.1.6.
As for the iPad, the first generation of the tablet, launched under iOS 3.2, does not go beyond iOS 5.1.1. So they will lose their iCloud backup as well.