Large companies like Netflix have to make choices in the development of their applications, either offer updates for many iOS versions or on the contrary focus the work around the latest iOS versions in order to optimize the user experience to its maximum. The interest in supporting old iOS updates is not very interesting, because there are few users on it and it requires a lot of work. Netflix has just made a decision, that of no longer offering updates for iOS 16 users!
Netflix is discontinuing iPhones running iOS 16
Netflix is set to announce that it will permanently end support for its iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 updates. From now on, users will need to be running iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 or later to continue enjoying the latest updates, new features, and bug fixes for the app. While the Netflix app will still be available on devices running iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, there will be no new features or improvements.
This means that, over time, the user experience is likely to deteriorate, especially as unfixed bugs accumulate and newer features become incompatible. Eventually, this could make the app nearly unusable.
Devices that cannot upgrade to iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 include:
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone X
- iPad Pro (1st generation)
- iPad (5th generation)
For owners of these models, however, access to Netflix will remain possible via a browser, even if the application becomes obsolete over time.
The discovery of this change was revealed by Aaron Perris via the media Macrumorsby analyzing code strings. According to the available information, this major Netflix update, ending compatibility with iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, should be deployed before the end of the year.
Netflix’s choice is not an isolated case. Thousands of companies regularly adopt this type of strategy, it aims to reduce the workload for developers by limiting support to the most recent versions of operating systems, where the majority of users are. It also allows efforts to be focused on newer technologies while offering a better user experience to the most modern devices.
