Apple is warning owners of the iPhone 5 to update their devices to iOS 10.3.4 by November 3 or lose the use of the App Store and iCloud. After that date, iPhone users that haven’t updated by then will be limited to updating by performing a backup and restore by using their Mac or PC.
Apple in July issued an update to iOS 10.3.4 for some older models of the iPhone and iPad. The iPhone 5 was included in that update, providing a fix for an issue with GPS. A GPS time rollover issue began affecting GPS-equipped products from some manufacturers on April 6. However, Apple’s affected devices are affected by the issue until just before Midnight UTC on November 3, 2019.
9to5Mac reports Apple sent alerts out to iPhone 5 owners warning them of the need to update to iOS 10.3.4 before the cutoff date to allow them to “continue using App Store, iCloud, email, web, and other services.” If the update isn’t performed before November 3, users “will be required to back up and restore using a Mac or PC in order to update because over-the-air software updates and iCloud Backup will not work.”
An update to Apple’s support website published on Saturday explains how the GPS time rollover issue affects multiple products, which prompted the release of the update.
Check your device’s iOS version
After you update your iPhone or iPad, you can check to make sure that your device has updated successfully:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General, then tap About.
- Look for the number next to Software Version.
The updated software version number should be 10.3.4 or 9.3.6, depending on your device. If you’re not sure which device you have, you can identify your iPhone model or identify your iPad model.
Updated iOS version Device iOS 10.3.4 iPhone 5
iPad (4th generation) Wi-Fi + CellulariOS 9.3.6 iPhone 4s
iPad mini (1st generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular
iPad 2 Wi-Fi + Cellular (CDMA models only)
iPad (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + CellularThis issue does not affect iPod touch or any iPad models that have Wi-Fi only. It also doesn’t affect iOS devices newer than those listed above.
While multiple devices are affected by the issue, Apple explains that the iPhone 5 is the only device it is really an issue for, as it need the update to “maintain an accurate GPS location and to continue to use functions that rely on the correct date and time.”