Apple gives some older iPhones OS updates, going back to iPhone 5s
Apple has provided iOS 12.5.7, macOS 11.7.3, and other updates for older devices that can't be updated to the latest releases.

Apple continues providing updates for old devices
The new updates are for users still using older devices and operating systems and address similar bugs and security patches available in the recent iOS 16.3 and macOS Ventura releases. The security patch notes list at least 14 different systems affected by security issues that have been patched.
The new update versions are:
The oldest device supported by iOS 12.5.7, for example, is the iPhone 5s, which was released in September 2013. The oldest Macs supported by macOS Big Sur are the 2013 MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and MacBook Pro.
Anyone capable of updating these new updates to the older operating systems should do so as soon as possible. The update addresses known security issues that could put the user at risk.
The following systems were addressed via this update: AppleMobileFileIntegrity, curl, dcerpc, DiskArbitration, DriverKit, Intel Graphics Driver, PackageKit, Kernel, Mail Exchange, Maps, Screen Time, Weather, WebKit, and Windows Installer.
Learn about the patches and view the CVE numbers via Apple's support page for the update.
Those with automatic updates enabled won't have to do anything -- the update will likely install overnight. Those who would like to install the update manually can do so via the Settings app. Just select "General" then "Software Update."
Read on AppleInsider

Apple continues providing updates for old devices
The new updates are for users still using older devices and operating systems and address similar bugs and security patches available in the recent iOS 16.3 and macOS Ventura releases. The security patch notes list at least 14 different systems affected by security issues that have been patched.
The new update versions are:
- iOS 12.5.7
- iOS 15.7.3
- iPadOS 15.7.3
- macOS Big Sur 11.7.3
- macOS Monterey 12.6.3
The oldest device supported by iOS 12.5.7, for example, is the iPhone 5s, which was released in September 2013. The oldest Macs supported by macOS Big Sur are the 2013 MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and MacBook Pro.
Anyone capable of updating these new updates to the older operating systems should do so as soon as possible. The update addresses known security issues that could put the user at risk.
The following systems were addressed via this update: AppleMobileFileIntegrity, curl, dcerpc, DiskArbitration, DriverKit, Intel Graphics Driver, PackageKit, Kernel, Mail Exchange, Maps, Screen Time, Weather, WebKit, and Windows Installer.
Learn about the patches and view the CVE numbers via Apple's support page for the update.
Those with automatic updates enabled won't have to do anything -- the update will likely install overnight. Those who would like to install the update manually can do so via the Settings app. Just select "General" then "Software Update."
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Yep. Everyone who complains about "forced obsolescence" should take note of this level of support.
You seem to have been asleep for twenty years; this must all be very confusing for you.
We're currently in the third decade of the twenty-first century. We have these little things — we call them "phones", but they're really hand-held computers, and most people replace them every two or three years. Yeah, it's a little disconcerting, I know.
I'm sure someone will be around presently to help you orientate yourself.
In what country is a company not required to fully support a product that is still in production? And in 1983 (when introduced) the Apple ll e was running Apple DOS 3.3 and in 1993 (when retired) it was still running Apple DOS 3.3. It seems Apple DOS 3.3 was the last version of Apple DOS. Even after 11 years.
System 7 came out in 1991. Sure System 7 supported a 1986 Mac Plus, but it would cost you about $100 to upgrade. Unless system 7 came pre-installed on your Mac, you had to pay for the upgrade. (There was also a $30 cost to update to System 7.1. ) So why wouldn't Apple try to have their newest OS software, that they were selling, be backward compatible on as many Macs as possible? One also had to pay about $130 to upgrade to System 7.5, even if you were already running System 7.1.
So a 1990 Mac Plus would have System 6 at the latest. But could run System 7 with a $100 upgrade in 1991 and System 7.5 with another $130 upgrade in 1995.
Here, we are commenting about updates and upgrades to older Apple hardware, that Apple is now providing for free.
How about this for a more fairer comparison. A 1986 Mac Plus came with System 3 and could be upgraded to System 4, 5, 6, 7 and 7.5. But at a cost. A 2014 iPhone 6 came with iOS 8 and could be upgraded to iOS 9,10,11 and 12, at no cost. That's 6 OS upgrades for the Mac Plus over 11 year and 5 OS upgrades for the iPhone 6 over 5 years. (One could argue that System 4 and System 5 were relatively minor upgrades, rather full upgrades.) But the average useful life span of a new iPhone for its original owner, is less than 5 years. So the original owner of a new iPhone not only have the latest iOS for every year they own it, but get an upgraded iOS about every year. And even if you are not the original owner, you still get the original iOS and all the updates and upgrades, for free. If you bought a used Mac Plus, without the latest System OS disk, you had to hope you can get a hold of them for free or otherwise pay for it.
That said, you can’t ignore legacy - at least to the point because it can hold you back and compromise the quality, functionality, and security of your latest and greatest products. Apple has less of a legacy burden than say the Windows or Linux ecosystems because Apple has a more constrained ecosystem to contend with so they can be more precise. Apple’s hardware in particular is tightly constrained, and in most cases, sealed up pretty tight. This helps Apple identify exactly what they can and cannot do.
But at the end of the day Apple has to make the hard decisions to leave some older systems behind. They do it every year with their OS upgrades and they do it with the incremental updates as well. Despite this latest round of updates that are aligned with the iOS 16.3 release, many of the features and fixes that are associated with 16.3 aren’t included in the updates made available to older devices identified in this article. The ones that Apple included for legacy devices were put out there are because Apple found a way to make them work. They can’t always do so.
There are also less obvious exclusions to the support of legacy devices that don’t get a lot of attention. Apple doesn’t hide them, they are in Apple’s support pages, but the tech media may only mention the limitations in passing or not at all. For example, support for Apple’s Advanced Data Protection that rolled out in iOS 16 and support for hardware security keys that showed up in iOS 16.3 are only supported if ALL of your Apple devices, iPhones, iPads, etc., that use your iCloud account and features are at a minimum OS version. This means that even devices that support the installation of iOS 16.3 and Ventura may not be able to utilize all of the new features unless you upgrade, i.e., replace, all of your older devices. Apple mentions the presence of limitations at a very high level on the download page for the OS upgrades.
It looks like Apple does its best to support as much of its customer base as long as they can. Sometimes they can and sometimes they can’t. But at some point they are going to drop support for something you own because they have to keep moving forward. Don’t take it personally.
Imagine if everyone used their device until it was no longer useful. How will the consumers that can't afford a new iPhone, ever going to own one? With a 2 or 3 and even 5 year old used iPhone, those consumer might be able to own an iPhone that might be still useful for another 5 years and maybe still run the latest OS for another year or two. There's a whole economy built around selling used devices, that are still useful.
Five to seven years ago, there was no 5G. Mobile providers didn't start implementing 5g networks until 2019. Consumers with 5 year old smartphones will need to buy a new phone in order to use 5G. No software update or being able to run the latest OS is going to make that 5 year old phone work on a 5G network. This is also true with better camera technology, newest Bluetooth, higher resolution screen, bigger screen, fingerprint scanner, more storage, satellite communication and many other features that consumers might want, that are hardware oriented. Even if their 2 to 3 year phone can run the newest OS, it might never have these hardware oriented features.
Apple still support an iPhone 6 because the carriers still support an iPhone 6. An iPhone 6 can still be used, as originally purchased when new, even though it's not running the latest iOS. On the other hand, there's no longer a reason for Apple to support the iPhone 5s. Since 2022, mobile carriers no longer activated an iPhone 5s because it doesn't support VoLTE (HD voice). After 7 years (since being retired), a iPhone 5s is no longer useful as a mobile phone, no matter what cutting edge technology Apple said it had 7 years ago. But its iOS 12 is still being updated because it's also the last iOS that the still useful iPhone 6 can use.