Owners of iPhones running on iOS 10 or Macs stlll running macOS Sierra will not be able to access iCloud, with Apple pulling support for the older operating systems as it releases its newest operating systems.
Introducing major operating system releases like iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe are often the perfect time for Apple to clean up some of its other services. As demonstrated with iCloud on Monday, this can involve the loss of support for some older OS versions.
The system requirements for iCloud support page was updated on September 15 to include the new operating systems in the 26 generation. However, as spotted by MacRumors, it has also removed listings of support for iOS 10 and for macOS Sierra.
At a bare minimum, an iPhone must be on iOS 11 or macOS High Sierra to be able to use iCloud services. This includes iCloud Drive, iCloud Photos, iCloud Tabs, iMessage, and the Keychain, among other features.
Users of devices running those older operating systems must update to newer versions in order to retain iCloud support. However, it's not possible in all cases.
The iOS 10 release was the last one supported by the iPhone 5, the iPhone 5c, and the fourth-generation iPad, meaning they will not work with iCloud anymore. On the Mac side, all hardware that supports macOS Sierra can be upgraded to macOS High Sierra.
Apple does periodically adjust what devices and operating systems are supported by its services. In December 2024, it ended iCloud Backup support for devices running iOS 8 and earlier versions, unless they were updated to iOS 9 or later.
