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Apple has recently begun notifying users about a crucial change that will occur next month, December. 

The iPhone company is dropping the hammer on users running iOS 8 or older, letting them know that their iCloud backups will stop working or may even be deleted, pushing users to move on to a newer version of iOS or opt for alternate storage methods. 

The change will take place starting December 18, 2024. 

Devices running iOS 8 or older will lose iCloud backup support

The report comes through a recently published support document describing the significant change Apple is about to drop. 

According to the document, backing up your device will require iOS 9 or later starting December 18, 2024. 

However, before that day, the service will continue as usual. However, there’s not much time left, roughly a month, so it’s about time you update to a newer version of iOS if your iPhone is stuck at iOS 8 or look for alternatives. 

If your iPhone/iPad runs iOS 8 or older, your iCloud backups will be a no-go starting mid-December. You won’t be able to create an iCloud backup, and the existing ones will be erased. 

The cleanest solution is to update to iOS 9 or newer. However, if you don’t want to update, don’t worry. Apple isn’t leaving you totally hanging. The company has outlined an alternative in the document. 

According to the document, you can do manual backups through Macs or PCs.

To back up your iPhone or iPad via Finder, you must connect it to a Mac running macOS Catalina or newer.

Meanwhile, if you have a PC or an older macOS version, you need to run the backup through Apple Devices or the iTunes app. 

iOS 8 is a decade old, and no wonder Apple has decided to take this drastic step. So, if you have an old iPhone or iPad still running the older software, buddy, it’s time to move on. 

Do you have an older iPhone you’re still using with iCloud? Will this change affect you? Tell us more down below in the comments section, or ping us via our Twitter or Facebook.

Saurav loves writing and tech. So, after engineering, he didn’t look back and embarked on a journey to become a tech writer. Saurav has worked for various tech websites across the globe. Saurav has recently joined Know Techie and is proud to be a part of it.