Apple to Disable Payment Source Changes for Older iOS, OS X Devices

Apple has made an effort in recent years to keep its older, legacy and discontinued devices like the iPad 2 and iPhone 5s relevant — and iOS 12, which was built specifically to bring CPU level speed and performance enhancements to these aforementioned devices, is merely the latest indication that the company still cares about its legacy users.

But, the company announced this week, come June 30 it will be disabling the option for these users to alter or update their iTunes payment source without updating to the latest version of iOS or macOS, as well as pre-tvOS builds of Apple’s set-top box software.

The decision was announced via an Apple Support email currently being sent out to customers, alerting them of the looming cutoff which will effectively prevent payment source changes in iOS 4.3.5, OS X 10.8.5, and Apple TV Software 4.4.4 or earlier. 

Customers whose devices run these software builds will still be able to access iTunes and the App Store, make purchases and even download their previously purchased apps and content — but will be limited to using whatever payment method they selected before June 30, 2018, assuming they possess no other Apple devices running newer software to change the information.

Cupertino insists the move was implemented to address “unspecified backend security improvements,” according to Apple Insider. And while the justification certainly makes sense, especially given the sharp rise in identity theft via iPhone scams in recent years, it’s worth noting that the move isn’t likely to affect many current users. 

If you happen to be among the few who still use Apple devices running these older software builds, and you want to update your payment info, your best bet would be to log into the iTunes Store on your device as soon as possible and update your chosen payment source before the end of the month. Or update your devices if possible.

• iOS 4.3.5 was released back in 2011 and the last Apple device to ship without iOS 5 was the company’s second-generation non-Retina iPad 2, which was still supported by subsequent iOS updates up until version 9.3.5.
• OS X 10.8.5 ‘Mountain Lion’ was released back in September, 2013, though it was quickly replaced by OS X 10.9.5 ‘Mavericks’ less than a month later.
• Apple’s pre-tvOS ‘Apple TV Software’ (versions 4.4.4 and 5), meanwhile, was only capable of running on the company’s second- and third-generation Apple TV boxes — the latter of which Apple was still pushing app updates for as recently as December of last year when it delivered the Amazon Prime video app at long last.