The majority of Apple's services will soon be unavailable to owners of devices running an older version of iOS, macOS, watchOS, or tvOS. A recent report claims that Apple is about to disable all services on devices running software older than five years, aside from iCloud.

The warning was published today and was backed up by iSoftware Updates. It was issued by Twitter user Stella Fudge, who is well known for publishing somewhat accurate Apple leaks under a different account before reportedly retiring a few years ago. According to Fudge, the adjustment will occur in the first few days of May and be announced by a notification asking the user to update to a newer OS version. The five- to six-year-old software versions that are about to lose support.

We are inclined to believe this prediction given how specific it is. It appears that Fudge is only referring to iOS 11 versions 11 through 11.2, not that iOS 11 as a whole won't be supported. 6; 11.4 was the operating system's last iteration. 1. Similar to macOS High Sierra, which reached version 10.13. The support level for 6 is only expected to drop to 10.13. 3. It follows that users should be able to update to a supported version of the same OS and that nobody will likely be required to purchase a new device as a result.

Fudge doesn't specify which components of the Apple ecosystem are considered services in this context, but they probably include Siri, Maps, Find My, Family Sharing, Apple Pay, Apple Books, the different app stores, and the paid-for subscription services like Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness, and Apple TV. More seriously, it might contain FaceTime and iMessage, two of the most well-liked services offered by the company.

Additionally, it's unclear from whom the information originates—there isn't even a vague "according to people familiar with the company's plans"—or whether this denotes a return of Fudge to the game that was leaked. However, as MacRumors points out, the assertion seems to be at least partially supported by a support document that warns of such a possibility without specifying which software versions will no longer receive support for the company's services. Even though the document only specifically mentions "the App Store, Siri, and Maps," it seems to imply that other services will also be removed.