13 Years After Its Release, Apple Just Released An iPhone 5s Software Update

Apple has released a new software update for devices that are unable to install iOS 26. The new software is for devices running iOS 12 and comes eight years after that software was first made available to the public.

MacRumors reports that Apple released iOS 12.5.8 for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 6, with both devices having been released 13 and 12 years ago, respectively.

Those hoping for new features will, understandably, be left disappointed. The new update has extended the certificate that is required by features like iMessage and FaceTime, as well as device activation.

Devices that are not updated to iOS 12.5.8 or later will not be able to use those services or be activated after January 2027, when the previous certificate will expire.

The report points out that the iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 last received a software update in January 2023, which itself included security fixes rather than new or tweaked features.

Apple says that it offers a minimum of five years of security updates for all iPhones. However, the company does release regular vulnerability fixes when the need arises beyond that timeframe.

If you own either an iPhone 5s or an iPhone 6, we recommend installing this new iOS 12.5.8 software update to ensure that it continues to work as expected. We would also suggest that it might be time to consider upgrading to a new model, too.