Apple Adds 2 Popular IPhones To Obsolete List: Here's What It Means For Users

Apple Adds 2 Popular iPhones to Obsolete List: Here’s What It Means for Users

Last updated: 2026/03/17 at 5:24 AM

News Room Published 17 March 2026

If you have an iPhone 4 or iPhone 5, you may want to take special care of them, as Apple no longer offers hardware parts or services to repair these devices.

As spotted by MacRumors, Apple has added the 8GB iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 to its obsolete list. It’s one of the two lists the company maintains to manage repairs and spare parts for its products.

A device is typically added to the vintage list five years after Apple stops selling it, and it moves to the obsolete list seven years after the company stops selling the product through its own online or offline stores. The service for vintage products depends on the availability of parts, whereas products on the obsolete list no longer receive parts or repairs from Apple.

The 8GB iPhone 4 was launched in 2011 and removed from Apple’s distribution channels in 2013. While most other iPhone 4 variants had moved to Apple’s obsolete list, the 8GB iPhone 4 remained on the vintage list until the recent shift.

The iPhone 5, on the other hand, was launched in 2012, discontinued in 2013, and added to the vintage list in 2018. It was notably the first-ever iPhone to feature a Lightning port and was also the world’s best-selling smartphone for a brief period after launch.

Recommended by Our Editors

Though the two devices are now on Apple’s obsolete list, some third-party service providers may still be able to repair them. The only caveat is that they may not have genuine parts.

March has been a busy month for Apple so far. The company launched six new products at the start of the month, and discontinued 15 related products almost immediately after. The Cupertino giant also announced the AirPods Max 2 earlier this week.