If you have one of these iPhones or iPads you won't get iOS 11

iPhone 5c
Apple is dropping updates for the iPhone 5c Credit: Reuters

Apple quietly spelt the end of two of its most popular devices at its Worldwide Developer's Conference on Monday night. 

The company announced the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 11, at the annual event, introducing a new phone-to-phone payment method and a safe driving mode. It also features a tweaked design for the iPad that looks more like the Mac operating system. 

But iOS 11 comes with a caveat. It only works on 64-bit devices, meaning that older Apple products will not be able to upgrade to the new system, rendering them obsolete.

Affected devices include the iPhone 5, released in 2012, and the iPhone 5c, released in 2013. These phones won't receive security updates and some apps and games will stop working on them.

The iPad 4, released in 2012, is also excluded from the list of devices that can upgrade to the new software when it is released in the Autumn.

In addition to the four-year-old products becoming obsolete, the change means some older apps and games that are only 32-bit will stop working on devices running iOS 11.

Users can check which of their installed apps are compatible with the new operating system by going to Settings > General > About > Applications. Apple will prompt users to upgrade apps built on the old system where there is an update available.  

Apple regularly drops support for its older devices in this way, encouraging customers to download its latest software and buy newer products. 

At last year's WWDC, the company discontinued the iPhone 4s, iPad 2 and 3, the original iPad Mini and the fifth-generation iPod Touch. 

The company released the iPhone SE as a cheaper alternative, negating the need for the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5. 

Other news from this year's WWDC included a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro and a $4,999 iMac Pro. Apple also unveiled the HomePod, an intelligent speaker designed to rival Amazon's Echo and Google's Home. 

License this content