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AIBU?

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Original poster

Has anyone had an iPhone actually last 3 years?

187 replies

OnlyCans · 27/07/2021 21:32

I've always had Samsung but 2.5 years ago I had my head turned by the Apple Watch and purchased an XR. In the last month, My phone screen freezes, the battery is shit and it only charges when it wants.

I didn't mind spending loads (if I remember it was £5/6/700) on it because i figured I would keep it for years. At the time, they were advertising three year contracts so I also thought that would be a minimum time.

I thought they had been banned from affecting performance so I don't know why this is happening. I paid the contract off early so maybe o2 are doing something to me 😂

Is it just me or is it common?

I still prefer Samsung but I don't want to waste the money selling my Apple stuff and replacing.

OP posts:
tallduckandhandsome · 27/07/2021 23:27

@Riverrushing21

I had an iPhone 5s for 10 years! It still worked perfectly at 10 years but the iOS was too old to download the apps I wanted, that was the only reason I finally upgraded.
You bought it in 2011?
Justanotherlurker · 27/07/2021 23:28

Yes offloading 43 Gb of storage will be good for your phone and help with the screen freezes general performance.

tallduckandhandsome · 27/07/2021 23:29

@Riverrushing21

I had an iPhone 5s for 10 years! It still worked perfectly at 10 years but the iOS was too old to download the apps I wanted, that was the only reason I finally upgraded.
IPhone 5s was released in Sep 2013, are you sure you’ve had it 10 years?
PattyPan · 27/07/2021 23:29

I’m typing this on an SE I bought in autumn 2017. The battery life has degraded a bit but still lasts a whole day.
Before this one I had a 5c which I bought around Jan 2014 and I only had to get a new one because of accidental (water) damage, not because anything had gone wrong with the actual phone.
I’m extremely clumsy and I’ve never broken the screen either (touch wood). I actually dropped the 5c down two flights of stairs onto a hard floor and it was completely unscathed!
My iPad mini from 2012 or 2013 is still working fine too but a lot of the apps aren’t compatible with it anymore.

Nat6999 · 27/07/2021 23:34

No they always start slowing down by 18 months. I've had Samsung phones since 2015 & never had a problem, my S10+ still performs like new, I only had a new one because it worked out cheaper than I was paying for the S10+, I'm trying to persuade my mum to have the old one. It isn't only the high spec Samsung phones, ds A70 is still working like new as well & he has kept it in case his new S21 Ultra ever gets lost or damaged.

tallduckandhandsome · 27/07/2021 23:34

Yep my iPhone 5 has never been out of its rock solid case since 2012 and it looks great, not a scratch. The case is looking worse for wear though.

Justanotherlurker · 27/07/2021 23:35

I had an iPhone 5s for 10 years! It still worked perfectly at 10 years but the iOS was too old to download the apps I wanted, that was the only reason I finally upgraded.

That is a forced upgrade that will happen due to security fixes that your phone hardware couldn't handle, it isn't down to your iphone being superior (I'm not suggesting you are saying this), it is that you was browsing online on an unsecure system

YankeeDad · 27/07/2021 23:36

iPhone and iPad are both well over 5 years old and still working work.

It is important to occasionally doing a full power-off, not just making the screen go dark but until you see the apple logo when you restart. That seems to slow down the rate of battery drain. Also it is important not to have too many apps open at the same time.

Original poster
OnlyCans · 27/07/2021 23:37

@tallduckandhandsome @Riverrushing21

I'm sure I had a 5s when DD was born 10 years ago. It was white with rose gold metal on the side. It might have been a 4 but I don't think so. It didn't last long either.

OP posts:
ResIpsaLoquiturInterAlia · 27/07/2021 23:38

Wow respect to all these vintage iPhones still operational though I suspect without access to current Apps and software updates for security and functionality. Probably problematic for mobile banking etc.

I used to own an Apple iPhone 7 Plus 256 and that was a solid performer and still I believe compatible with latest iOS software releases but obviously a bit outdated for photography especially as no dark evening capability unlike most recent models. The home button was a good feature as more dependable if a bit old school. My three year old XS Max 512 is still fine though and will hopefully be included in future software updates.

SteppinOutwithMyBaby · 27/07/2021 23:41

@OnlyCans

"the battery is shit and it only charges when it wants."

I looked up videos on YouTube on how to clean the charging socket on my iPhone. Easy to do, and has made a great deal of difference to charging

Neves7 · 27/07/2021 23:41

Mines a 5s and I think about 7 years old. Been eyeing upgrades lately though. It still works mostly but reception seems worse and it’s slow.

Neves7 · 27/07/2021 23:42

Oh also battery life is terrible now - I just carry battery

NumberTheory · 27/07/2021 23:58

[quote OnlyCans]@NumberTheory I got really excited when I read this but unfortunately, it's already ticked. 😓 mine is 128gb which I thought would be fine. [/quote]
I just reread and see you said you're using 8k in photos - which is nothing! Probably because you're already storing on iCloud.

Before you go through deleting stuff from your phone, how much memory do you have free? You can check this in "Settings" > "General" > "About" under "Capacity" (that should be the 128gb) and "Available" (that should tell you how much you haven't used yet).

NumberTheory · 28/07/2021 00:00

@OnlyCans

It could be this. Does offload app mean the songs are only downloaded in the cloud?
No. Offload app will only get rid of the 12.8MB that the app itself takes up. The 43.86 documents and data. There may be other ways to store some of that music on iCloud, but I don't use that App so not sure.
beingsunny · 28/07/2021 00:02

Have had my iPhone 8+ for four years now, keep waiting for it to go wrong so I can upgrade but it's still going strong Grin

stevalnamechanger · 28/07/2021 00:38

Just buried one that lasted hmm what maybe 4-5 years with only a screen replacement or so in that time !

It was an iPhone 8 pro

EwwwCoffee · 28/07/2021 02:54

I’ve got an iPhone SE that I bought in 2016 (when it was already an older model then) that’s still absolutely fine. It looks pretty immaculate as I use a case and screen protector, and the battery life is still good. I’ve only just replaced it a couple of months ago because I was finding the small screen a bit tough on my middle-aged eyes Grin

HollaHolla · 28/07/2021 02:59

[quote plodalong12]@finzi
Did you replace it with an SE 2020?[/quote]
I’ve got an SE 2020. I think it’s my 5th iPhone (from what I can remember). They have all lasted between 2-4 years. I never buy the absolute newest model, and at about 18/20 months the battery life has variably degraded. I am lazy I’m not wanting to set everything up, and learn a new system, so I continue with the iPhones....

Furries · 28/07/2021 03:19

I’ve had mine 8 years. Battery definitely needs charging more frequently, but other than that it’s doing ok so far!

tallduckandhandsome · 28/07/2021 06:44

[quote OnlyCans]**@tallduckandhandsome* @Riverrushing21*

I'm sure I had a 5s when DD was born 10 years ago. It was white with rose gold metal on the side. It might have been a 4 but I don't think so. It didn't last long either. [/quote]
Could it have been the iPhone 5? Wiki and other websites say iPhone 5scame out in Sep 2013.

miltonj · 28/07/2021 07:08

I had a second hand one for over 7 years, and my current one is second hand too and have had it 2 years so far.

AtomicBronde · 28/07/2021 07:11

Had my 5C for 3 years but then decided I need a bigger screen so now have the 8plus.

My contract is up for renewal in November but phone still as good as new and works perfectly so I’m going to opt for sim only once the time comes. Might get another 1-2 years.

AlternativePerspective · 28/07/2021 07:22

My iPhones cycle down to my ex MIL, so the 5SE which DS had when it came out went to her until last year when she had my 8 which was already 2nd hand as my DP had upgraded his. Before that I had an iPhone 6s for around 3 years and my dad inherited it but it did need a new battery.

I now have an SE2020 and have no intentions of getting rid of it ever because I can’t abide the idea of having to use Face ID and I still love my home button.

It’s always worth seeing what apps you have running and if you look at your battery percentage it will tell you how much battery which apps are using.

Clear your app switcher regularly, and reboot the phone periodically as well. To reboot press the volume up, followed by the volume down, and then hold in the power button until the apple logo comes back up.

DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou · 28/07/2021 07:39

God yeah! I have mine for 2 years, I pass it down to my son, after two years he passes it down to my middle son.

My youngest son has to communicate with others through smoke signals though.