Netflix is Dropping Support for iOS 16

Netflix is about to drop support for iOS 16, the version of the iPhone operating system Apple released two years ago. The streaming service has started sending alerts to iOS 16 users to warn them that they should update to iOS 17 to keep watching Netflix.

“We’ve updated the Netflix app! To use the latest version, install iOS 17 or later,” the alert says to Netflix users still on iOS 16, as reported by 9to5Mac. Netflix didn’t indicate when the app will stop working on iOS 16, however.

According to Statcounter, approximately 6.19% of iOS users were still using iOS 16 in August 2024. Unfortunately, some old devices including the iPhone 8/8 Plus and the iPhone X can’t update to iOS 17, which was released in September of last year. If you’re using one of these models, you’ll soon need to upgrade to a newer iPhone to continue using Netflix.

On Monday, Apple will release iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. If you’re worried about your iPhone being left behind, all iPhone models that were compatible with iOS 17 will be eligible for a free upgrade to iOS 18. However, the new Apple Intelligence features that will be coming with iOS 18.1 in October will only work on the new iPhone 16 models as well as last year’s iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.