When Apple stops supporting older iPhones and iPads with the latest version of iOS or iPadOS, it usually isn’t the end of the line—Apple keeps releasing new security-only patches for those devices for another year or two, keeping them usable while their hardware is still reasonably capable.

Apple released urgent iOS updates, including iOS 12.5.8 for older iPhones, after emergency-call issues in Australia and a 2027 certificate deadline.

Apple releases iOS 26.2.1 for the AirTag 2 support and a surprise iOS 12.5.8 update for the 13-year-old iPhone 5s to keep legacy services alive through 2027.

Apple has solved two of its critical cyber vulnerabilities through iOS 26.2. Working against iPhone spyware attacks, the update blocks known exploitation paths,

iOS 26.2 patches these zero-day bugs and more Apple writes online that iOS 26.2 patches more than two dozen bugs on your iPhone. And the company wrote that two of those bugs could be used in "extremely sophisticated attack [s] against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 26."

Though routine support for these models ended years ago, Apple's update is meant to preserve the cryptographic system that keeps older devices securely linked to its services.

The update also upgrades the music, podcast and news apps, and it gives your iPhone more Liquid Glass options.