iOS 11 Will Not Support 32-bit Processors

It’s not unusual for older iOS devices to get left behind with the introduction of new versions of iOS. This year will be no different. With the anticipated release of iOS 11 this fall, Apple will end iOS support for the iPhone 5, 5c, and iPad 4, which are the last three iOS devices in Apple’s product lineup with 32-bit processors supported under iOS 10. That means iOS 11 will be compatible with the iPhone 5S and newer models, the 6th generation iPod Touch, the iPad mini 2 and newer, the 5th generation iPad and newer, and all iPad Pro models.

The latest change goes hand-in-hand with a compatibility alert added to iOS 10.3 that appears when 32-bit-only apps are launched. Apps that haven’t made the transition to a 64-bit architecture will no longer run under iOS 11. SensorTower, a mobile app analytics company, estimates the move could render approximately 187,000 apps unusable.

Join

Access Extra Content and Perks

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for nearly a decade.

What started with weekly and monthly email newsletters has blossomed into a family of memberships designed every MacStories fan.

Learn more here and from our Club FAQs.

Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with apps, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, early access to the MacStories Unwind podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;

Club MacStories+: Everything that Club MacStories offers, plus an active Discord community, advanced search and custom RSS features for exploring the Club’s entire back catalog, bonus columns, and dozens of app discounts;

Club Premier: All of the above and AppStories+, an extended version of our flagship podcast that’s delivered early, ad-free, and in high-bitrate audio.

John is MacStories’ Managing Editor, has been writing about Apple and apps since joining the team in 2015, and today, runs the site alongside Federico.

John also co-hosts four MacStories podcasts: AppStories, which covers the world of apps, MacStories Unwind, which explores the fun differences between American and Italian culture and recommends media to listeners, Ruminate, a show about the weird web and unusual snacks, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about the games we take with us.

@johnvoorhees
@johnvoorhees
@[email protected]
@johnvoorhees.bsky.social
[email protected]