Foreflight Discontinuing Operating System Support for Older Apple Products

[1980Mooney]

I got an email from ForeFlight stating that they will soon discontinue operating system support for any Apple products with operating systems less than Apple iOS/iPadOS 18.  Those are products that were sold through Fall 2019 and discontinued like the iPad 6.  Apple is also ending support for those products (including security updates) and the operating systems are frozen in the iOS 17 range.

If you are running ForeFlight on an old iPhone or iPad, you will still be able to download data updates but your ForeFlight operating system version will be frozen.  Apple will not be updating security either.  So you may be able to continue to run for a while.  But if you have a security issue or have to wipe your device you will not be able to reload ForeFlight.

I have an iPad Pro 2nd Generation (2018) running Foreflight.  In my opinion it runs as well or even better than my latest (and current) generation iPad Mini 7.  But the old iPad Pro Gen 2 is stuck on iPadOS 17.7.  It's days are numbered....

 

[Jackk]

You can still restore old versions of foreflight to older iPhones and even from iPhone to iPad 

 

 

 

[midlifeflyer]

1 hour ago, WolverineM20 said:

no guarantee you can reinstall if the device is wiped.

Not completely sure about this but I think the App Store is set up to download the last compatible version. I bought an ancient iPhone 7 a few years ago as a FF backup (my regular phone was Android) and I think that’s what happened, 

Took a quick look. Yep, here’s FF’s description of the process 

https://support.foreflight.com/hc/en-us/articles/10542283782295-How-can-ForeFlight-Mobile-be-installed-on-an-older-device

 

[Jackk]

2 hours ago, WolverineM20 said:

Agreed this is OS support, not hardware performance.
ForeFlight dropping iOS/iPadOS < 18 follows Apple ending updates for those devices. Older iPads will keep running ForeFlight for now, but with no security updates and no guarantee you can reinstall if the device is wiped.
My 2018 iPad Pro still runs ForeFlight great, but it’s stuck on iPadOS 17 and clearly on borrowed time. Fine short-term or as a backup, but worth planning to upgrade.

 

 Why borrowed time?

 

 If you’re just using it as a EFB the what little security issues are a nothing burger, and improvements to FF have been few and far between.  Being stuck with a current, or even a few updates back version of FF wouldn’t really make any difference as long as you can update nav data and plates, which you can 

[00-Negative]

It will eventually stop running the software, probably sooner rather than later. Eventually the foreflight chart database update will require an updated security version in the OS which will not be possible d/t Apple stopped the support. This is an industry-wide practice. Google does this with their chrome OS devices. Because chrome os based on Linux open source code, people smarter than me colluded to create a mirrored operating system that updates just like chrome for free. So I can wipe my device and reflash it with the open source version and continue updating which allows me to continue using it. Funny thing is, Google then bought the Chromium project. It's still available and still free for now. 

-David

[Schllc]

Forced obsolescence of perfectly good electronics is not very green!

I personally loathe upgrades to the software 90% of the time.  they change things that were working well, rearrange where things are, and generally just frustrate me for little added value.  I am pretty sure that most of the "upgrades" are merely improvements upon what they can skim from us to target advertising.  It is the business model, so all of my whining won't matter.  Just saying that forcing all of these things into a landfill when they have years of utility left is somewhat hypocritical of all the people who want me to drive an electric car.  

Government anathema is efficacy.

[dkkim73]

1 minute ago, Schllc said:

Forced obsolescence of perfectly good electronics is not very green!

Green? Apple green? As someone once said with perfect inflection, that's just maaarketing. 

 

[Fly Boomer]

2 minutes ago, Schllc said:

I personally loathe upgrades to the software 90% of the time.  they change things that were working well, rearrange where things are, and generally just frustrate me for little added value.

Agree.  They (some worse than others) screw up things that worked in favor of stupid little UI tweaks that I don't need or want.

And, get off my lawn.

[1980Mooney]

3 hours ago, midlifeflyer said:

Not completely sure about this but I think the App Store is set up to download the last compatible version. I bought an ancient iPhone 7 a few years ago as a FF backup (my regular phone was Android) and I think that’s what happened, 

Took a quick look. Yep, here’s FF’s description of the process 

https://support.foreflight.com/hc/en-us/articles/10542283782295-How-can-ForeFlight-Mobile-be-installed-on-an-older-device

 

It might work.  Per ForeFlight

"NOTE: To install ForeFlight Mobile on an older device, the app must have been downloaded previously using the same Apple ID or recently downloaded on a newer iPad that can install the latest version of ForeFlight Mobile."

[EricJ]

47 minutes ago, Schllc said:

Forced obsolescence of perfectly good electronics is not very green!

It is often due to increasing security/encryption requirements.   Some of the newer and better techniques that are becoming common or standardized require hardware that just isn't in the older devices and would be impractical or self-defeating to emulate in software.   You can still run the older stuff and use existing apps, it just may not meet the requirements for security/encryption in newer OS's or apps.

 

[1980Mooney]

2 hours ago, Jackk said:

 Why borrowed time?   If you’re just using it as a EFB the what little security issues are a nothing burger, and improvements to FF have been few and far between.  Being stuck with a current, or even a few updates back version of FF wouldn’t really make any difference as long as you can update nav data and plates, which you can 

Just an EFB?  Many (most?) use it to connect online, access weather, NOTAMS, etc, plan flights, File plans online, upload to panel, etc.  You have your account information on the app which may include access to your credit card information.  

You say security issues are a "nothing burger" and apparently arenot worried that the continued advances in AI will make it easier for undesirable actors to break into our online accounts.  Roll the dice...you may be right.

Apple iPhone security warning: Users urged to update to ios 26 after ‘sophisticated attack’ | The Independent

[1980Mooney]

15 minutes ago, 1980Mooney said:

Just an EFB?  Many (most?) use it to connect online, access weather, NOTAMS, etc, plan flights, File plans online, upload to panel, etc.  You have your account information on the app which may include access to your credit card information.  

You say security issues are a "nothing burger" and apparently arenot worried that the continued advances in AI will make it easier for undesirable actors to break into our online accounts.  Roll the dice...you may be right.

Apple iPhone security warning: Users urged to update to ios 26 after ‘sophisticated attack’ | The Independent

Three days ago

Apple Confirms iPhone Attacks—No Fix For Most Users   (You can read without a subscription - just click "no")

"As I reported last month, data suggests 50% of all eligible iPhone users have yet to upgrade from iOS 18 to iOS 26. And that surprisingly slow momentum is now driving more coverage. Yes, it’s disappointing for Apple that so many users are not embracing its latest OS, but more critically, those users have no fix for these new attacks."

Edited January 14 by 1980Mooney

[Jackk]

27 minutes ago, 1980Mooney said:

Just an EFB?  Many (most?) use it to connect online, access weather, NOTAMS, etc, plan flights, File plans online, upload to panel, etc.  You have your account information on the app which may include access to your credit card information.  

You say security issues are a "nothing burger" and apparently arenot worried that the continued advances in AI will make it easier for undesirable actors to break into our online accounts.  Roll the dice...you may be right.

Apple iPhone security warning: Users urged to update to ios 26 after ‘sophisticated attack’ | The Independent

 Yeah, that wouldn’t concern me if I’m just using it to do EFB things, then turn off data and put it in the plane.

 I you’re not doing emails, text, random sites, tons of random “apps”, you’re a pretty tiny blip on the radar

 

 You can’t access a credit card if it’s not saved, you might get a FF password which is pretty useless to a Indian trying to buy gift cards, and you shouldn’t be using the same password for everything anyways.

 
 Legit there is nothing of value on a EFB only used for EFBing

 

 That’s a level of paranoia I couldn’t live with 

 

 If compromised they maybe get what? a screen capture of a metar? lo

 

 Also fear is a time honored sales tactic, pushing to upgrade iOS that eventually means now overpriced devices, no bias there at all 

Edited January 14 by Jackk

[Ragsf15e]

Embarrassed to say that I have been using the same ipad mini since ~2014 and it still works just fine.  It’s been years since I could load the newest FF, however, it still gets updated maps/charts, syncs flights with my phone, displays traffic/weather in flight and even pushes/receives flight plans with my G3x.

A year or two ago I wiped it and reloaded only FF.  It worked just fine as it loaded the same old version.

[Jackk]

Yup, like I said, if you’re just using it for EFB stuff and not a sketchy link surfer, this is a nothing burger 

 

“WebKit vulnerabilities CVE-2025-43529 (use after free) and CVE-2025-14174 (memory corruption) are exploited via malicious web content, allowing arbitrary code execution. Attackers gain access by luring targets to visit booby trapped websites, often delivered through phishing emails, messages, or links”

[N201MKTurbo]

1 hour ago, Schllc said:

Forced obsolescence of perfectly good electronics is not very green!

I personally loathe upgrades to the software 90% of the time.  they change things that were working well, rearrange where things are, and generally just frustrate me for little added value.  I am pretty sure that most of the "upgrades" are merely improvements upon what they can skim from us to target advertising.  It is the business model, so all of my whining won't matter.  Just saying that forcing all of these things into a landfill when they have years of utility left is somewhat hypocritical of all the people who want me to drive an electric car.  

Government anathema is efficacy.

It is just like Microsoft. They had a near perfect OS 10 years ago. All they do is keep changing it for the sake of change, not improvement. It is a make work program for all of their developers. I personally think the new versions are confusing and harder to understand than the old versions. But I’m dragged kicking and screaming into this new stinking pile of crap.

[Utah20Gflyer]

I just checked my I phone 11 max that I use as a flight display and was able to download the latest operating system update.   So not an issue for me yet.  

[Schllc]

15 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

But I’m dragged kicking and screaming into this new stinking pile of crap.

The constant changes to the interface and locations of things certainly seems unnecessary. 
all of these security things run in the background anyway, why do things have to be rearranged constantly. 
It is akin to just moving keys around on the keyboard. There is no good reason. 
or do the way windows used to, which was to give you the option to view in the old version format. 
it’s likely just to force more screen time and engagement. 

[GeeBee]

As EricJ alluded to, this is all about security. I had to buy a new MacBook because I could no longer run TurboTax. The old would not run without the advanced high security OS. Here is the nut of it. There is now a requirement by those who demand high security to run an OS that cannot be easily changed at the kernel level. Among these is the FAA. This is the reason why the FAA will not allow airlines to use Android systems to run EFBs because Android can be easily changed at the kernel level. FF is ending support because it serves not just GA but 121 and 135 operators who are required to have this level. It is also the reason why FF never supported Android and why Garmin Pilot which will run on Android goes through third parties such as FlightPlan.com for many functions. If you remember a while back Delta Air Lines had their front end  apps crash due to Crowd Strike security software bug that crashed Delta's computers running older versions of Windows. This is because Crowd Strike software accessed Windows at high kernel level until Windows 10. Then it became more restricted for such access and if you notice Windows 11 quickly followed. Bottom line is the security landscape is constantly changing because the threats evolve. We in GA are on the rump of this elephant and we have to deal with whatever delousing that happens. 

[IvanP]

2 hours ago, Schllc said:

Forced obsolescence of perfectly good electronics is not very green!

It is very green - as in more greenbacks in the pockets of sellers of the new gizmos  .

Not so good for the environment, but who gives a s%$# about that when all all of this is greenwashed by the politicians. Car manufactureres are doing the same thing. after few years, you can no longer get update to the nav systems that the cars came with and, in some cases, the connectivity goes away as well.

It will be interseting when this forced obsolescence will hit the electric car market - one day, the manfufacturer will send out a notice that suport for certain model is ending and users may find themselves with a heap of scrap in their garage that will not turn on.   

Edited January 14 by IvanP

[GeeBee]

Who uses car nav systems? Just today, my wife used the nav system in her 2026 Mercedes. We went to enter the freeway and the on ramp was closed. I said, "This is why you use Apple Car Play and Apple Maps.  I pulled out my phone, put on Car Play, put the destination in maps and yep, it showed the problem 20 minutes before the Mercedes system. I personally wish they would eliminate nav systems from cars and give me the money.

[jamesm]

pretty soon it will be like we rent our IPad's  just like  microsoft's has done with their office applications (Word  Excel Power Point) or it could be the Ink printer scam.

were you think you are buying the printer but in reality your buying the Ink cartridge and they are throwing in the printer at no additional cost. By the time you  have bought 2 or 3 Ink cartridges supply, it probably would have been cheaper to but another Ink cartridge with printer.

 

[Vance Harral]

2 hours ago, GeeBee said:

As EricJ alluded to, this is all about security.

Probably more accurate to say it's "largely" about security.  Long, boring, nerdy post follows...

Speaking as a grifter er, "development specialist" who works in the software industry, much of the public just doesn't (nor should they be expected to) think about compatibility test matrices and the need to keep them finite.  It's all well and good to say a particular piece of hardware or software is "backward compatible", but no successful software company actually relies on that.  They all employ a Regan-esque "trust but verify" strategy.  Every change to the product must be tested on every combination of supported hardware and software.

Let's use Foreflight as an example.  Latest production Foreflight is 17.11, presumably 17.12 is in the works.  Latest production iOS is 26.2.  Foreflight has a test suite they use to prove functionality, and they're certainly running it on iOS26.2 and Foreflight 17.12.XXX as I write this.

Well, you've got to run the 17.12.XXX testsuite on iOS26.1 too, because not everyone has upgraded to 26.2, and it's not a winning strategy to force everyone to upgrade to the latest iOS on every Foreflight update.  So the verification process has two dimensions: Foreflight version and iOS version.  Fine.

Actually, there's a third dimension because Foreflight's version history is branched rather than linear.  18.XXX versions are co-developed simultaneously with 17.XXX (and 16.XXX and so on), and customers expect all of them to work.

Actually, there's a fourth dimension because iOS version history is also branched rather than linear.  iOS 26.xxx is co-developed with iOS 18.xxx and other iOS 18.xxx releasess.

Actually, there's a fifth dimension because different iPads have slightly different CPUs and other hardware, and sometimes that triggers corner-case problems.

Actually, there's a sixth dimension because Foreflight has to run on iPhones as well as IPads.

Actually... well, you get the idea.  There are surely additional dimensions I don't know about.

Software validation engineers at Foreflight have almost certainly automated test matrix management.  They don't have to write a whole new testsuite or hire a new person to push a particular button every time a new test element or test dimension is added.  But... they do have to buy, set up, install, and maintain the additional test hardware and operating systems.  They also have to hire more (or smarter) people to write the meta-software that reviews test results, identifies all the failing cases, filters "real" failures from nuisance failures (e.g. someone tripped over the power cord of one of the test devices), triages the failures, doles them out to individual developers for debug, etc.  At the modern pace of new hardware, operating system, and software development, this rapidly gets out of control, because there's only so much test budget and manpower to go around.  The obvious solution is to roll supported combinations off the back end more and more frequently.  But since the manufacturers know this is a bitter pill for the public to swallow, they'll happily imply the changes are out of their control.  And "security" is a good fence post to lean on, because it's not really a lie - there are indeed new threats all the time that exploit gaps in older hardware and software.

Having said that, as an decaying engineer with retirement on the horizon, I'm aging out of my enthusiasm for it, and I certainly don't mean to imply anyone should be sympathetic to the test matrix problem I blather about above.  The admittedly impressive technology that allows for continuous updates to everything in the universe has a dark side, which is that dumb updates that do as much harm as good are a lot more likely to make their way to the public than in the "old days".  It also damages the whole concept of documentation, help, and support, because so much of the information about your product applies to a version of the product you are not running.  I've tired of it, and the cynic in me feels like much of modern software development is just a jobs program for wanna-be tech bros who aren't actually very good at their job.

And, uh... stay off my lawn too! 

 

[midlifeflyer]

3 hours ago, EricJ said:

It is often due to increasing security/encryption requirements.   Some of the newer and better techniques that are becoming common or standardized require hardware that just isn't in the older devices and would be impractical or self-defeating to emulate in software.   You can still run the older stuff and use existing apps, it just may not meet the requirements for security/encryption in newer OS's or apps.

 

The security issues tend to be on the iOS end and even my old iPhone 7 gets those. In the case of the app, it's more likely to be features which take advantage of the capabilities of the new OS and the environment in which it's found. 

 

3 hours ago, 1980Mooney said:

NOTE: To install ForeFlight Mobile on an older device, the app must have been downloaded previously using the same Apple ID

 I couldn't resist trying so I installed Foreflight in an old iPhone 5s that was lying in a drawer. iOS 12.5.5. Foreflight 12.9.2. 

OMG! there's an iOS update to 12.5.7. Think it's safe?

[MikeOH]

5 hours ago, Vance Harral said:

Having said that, as an decaying engineer with retirement on the horizon, I'm aging out of my enthusiasm for it

As a decayed and recently retired engineer (hardware) I lost my enthusiasm some time back for all the same reasons. Now, happily retired