Apple advising iPhone 5 owners to update to iOS 10.3.4 by November 3
Apple is advising iPhone 5 owners to update to iOS 10.3.4 by November 3 to avoid loosing access to iCloud, the App Store, email, and more key functions.
iOS 10.3.4 was first released in July as a rare update to a selection of now-discontinued iPhone and iPad models, such as the iPhone 5 and fourth-generation iPad. The update, which was made available to devices which aren’t able to upgrade to iOS 11 and above, fixes issues that could impact GPS location performance and lead to the system date and time being incorrect.
The GPS time rollover issue isn’t limited to just Apple hardware. GPS-enabled products from other manufacturers began receiving updates after April 6, 2019 when the issue kicked in, but Apple’s hardware won’t be hit until November 3, 2019, hence the push by Apple to get all remaining iPhone 5 users onto iOS 10.3.4.
Anyone who misses the November 3 deadline will still be able to update to iOS 10.3.4, although they will need to plug in their device to a PC or Mac to perform a wired update as web access will be cut.
Starting just before 12:00 a.m. UTC on November 3, 2019, iPhone 5 will require an iOS update to maintain accurate GPS location and to continue to use functions that rely on correct date and time including App Store, iCloud, email, and web browsing. This is due to the GPS time rollover issue that began affecting GPS-enabled products from other manufacturers on April 6, 2019. Affected Apple devices are not impacted until just before 12:00 a.m. UTC on November 3, 2019.