Owners of old iPhones and iPads MUST update their software by midnight on Saturday or risk having their devices forced offline, Apple warns
- Issue was triggered by a GPS clock reset in April, which happens every 19 years
- Users have had months to update their software and the deadline is Saturday
- Otherwise the iPhone 5 will be left unable to connect to the internet
- Users also need to update iPhone 4S, iPad 2, iPad Retina Display, 4th gen iPad
People using an iPhone 5 need to update its software or their phone will stop working on Sunday.
Apple has warned that from 12am on Sunday, November 3, iPhone 5 owners won’t be able to connect to the internet unless they have iOS 10.3.4.
Web browsing in Safari, emails, App Store, iCloud and maps will all go offline for people who don’t keep their phone up to date.
Those with the iPhone 4S and various older iterations of the iPad will also need to update the software on their devices.
The problem has stemmed from a GPS issue which only occurs once every 19 years and happened in April, causing some devices to lose track of time.
iPhone 5 hasn’t been sold officially since 2013 but people still use the phones – they will be unable to access the internet from Saturday night unless people have updated their software since July (stock image)
When the GPS rollover happened in April, Apple had to push out a bug fix to stop devices’ location services and clocks becoming confused.
Because of the way weeks are recorded in GPS systems, the date effectively resets to zero every 1,024 weeks – every 19.7 years.
The bug fixes were only applied to Apple software iOS 10.3.4 and iOS 9.3.6 and later, so anyone who hasn’t updated will face serious problems, 9to5Mac reported.
Apple warned users of older devices in July that they had almost four months to update the software before Sunday’s moment of reckoning arrives.
iPhone 5 owners have been receiving pop-up warnings on their phones telling them ‘Action required for iPhone 5’.
Users must also upgrade the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, iPad with Retina Display and the fourth generation iPad.

iPhone 5 owners have been seeing warning messages from Apple, according to tech website 9to5Mac, telling them their online services will stop working at 12am on Sunday, November 3
In a release on its website Apple said: ‘Starting just before 12:00 a.m. UTC on November 3, 2019, iPhone 5 will require an iOS update to maintain accurate GPS location and to continue to use functions that rely on correct date and time including App Store, iCloud, email, and web browsing.
‘This is due to the GPS time rollover issue that began affecting GPS-enabled products from other manufacturers on April 6, 2019.
‘Affected Apple devices are not impacted until just before 12:00 a.m. UTC on November 3, 2019.’
If the software isn’t updated by the 3rd the only option will be to connect the phone to a computer and do it manually through desktop apps.
To update iPhone or iPad software, click Settings>General>Software Update.