Apple issues security update for the almost 10-year-old iPhone 5S

The iPhone 5S got its last OS upgrade in 2018 with the release of iOS 12, but it’s not totally down for the count. As AppleInsider points out, the 2013-vintage device got a security update this week: a bump to iOS 12.5.7, to be precise. Even if you don’t have an iPhone 5S, that’s good news for anyone who’s a fan of getting the most out of their device.

There’s not much to iOS 12.5.7, but it’s an important update if you own one of the phones it supports. It closes a nasty-sounding security loophole in which “processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution.” Apple’s support documentation also says it “may have been actively exploited” in devices running iOS versions earlier than 15.1. Sounds like a real bad time. The 5S is the oldest phone to get the update, but the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are eligible, too. If you happen to own one of those devices, then you should probably go ahead and download that update. We’re begging you to, actually.

Apple already has a good track record of providing updates for its devices well into their twilight years. But even taking that into consideration, an update for a phone that’s more than 9 years old is basically unheard of. While they’re not on quite the same level, Android OEMs also seem committed to extending the software life cycle of their devices — Samsung, Google, and most recently, OnePlus have all promised five years of security updates for certain phones. It’s a trend that we love to see and hopefully one that will continue in 2023.