A gadget rarely dies on the day its maker stops caring for it, which is why support cutoffs are easy to miss. Apple, Google and Microsoft each draw the line in a different place, covering repairs, security patches or firmware. Here are twelve older devices that have crossed one of those lines, with the type of cutoff spelled out for each.
1. iPhone 4: Obsolete on Apple’s List
The iPhone 4 sits on Apple’s obsolete products list, and Apple lists this model as obsolete worldwide, ending its normal hardware service and parts ordering. The cutoff concerns repair, not whether the phone still powers on.
For a collector or someone with a drawer phone, the practical meaning is that official repair and replacement parts are no longer part of the picture. This is a hardware-service cutoff only, separate from software or security update policy, and the device itself does not stop working.
2. iPhone 5: Past Apple Repair Support
The iPhone 5 appears in Apple’s obsolescence documentation, where Apple lists the model as obsolete worldwide and ends normal hardware service and parts ordering. It is an Apple repair decision rather than a statement about function.
Owners hoping for an official battery or screen fix should expect that route to be closed. The cutoff covers hardware service alone, and it should not be read as meaning every kind of support ended at the same moment.
3. iPhone 6: Service Window Closed
Apple lists the iPhone 6 as obsolete worldwide in its vintage and obsolete list, ending normal hardware service and parts ordering. A popular model from its era, it now sits firmly in the retired category.
Anyone still holding one may find that independent repair is the remaining option. The label describes Apple’s repair and parts policy specifically, not whether the phone can still be used or whether other forms of support exist.
4. iPad Air 2: Tablet Beyond Repair Support
The iPad Air 2 joins the phones on Apple’s obsolete product page, where the company lists it as obsolete worldwide and ends normal hardware service and parts ordering. It shows the cutoff applies to tablets as well.
Households with an older iPad tucked away should know that official hardware repair is off the table. The designation is about service and parts, and it does not mean the tablet stops working or that every support channel ended together.
5. Google Pixel: Original Pixel Retired
Google lists the original Pixel generation among phones that no longer receive Android version or security updates, as shown on Google’s Pixel update page. This is a software cutoff, different in kind from Apple’s repair rules.
A phone without security updates deserves caution for banking, email and other sensitive tasks. The hardware may run fine, but the missing patches are the reason the entry belongs on this list. Software support, rather than repair, is what separates this generation from the Apple entries above.
6. Google Pixel 2: Pixel 2 Update Cutoff
Google lists the Pixel 2 generation among phones no longer receiving Android version or security updates, according to its Pixel update schedule. The phone is retired from Google’s patching, not from daily use.
Anyone still carrying one should weigh the risk of running software that no longer gets new security fixes. The cutoff is specific to Android updates and says nothing about repair availability. Treating update status as a buying and keeping criterion helps avoid surprises later.
7. Google Pixel 3a: Pixel 3a Left Behind
The Pixel 3a is on the list of phones that Google says no longer receive Android version or security updates, per Google’s Pixel support listing. As a budget-friendly model, it reached the end of software care like its siblings.
Secondhand buyers and anyone handed an old phone are the ones most likely to overlook this. Checking the update status before using a phone for anything sensitive is a sensible habit, and the hardware itself may still function normally.
8. Google Pixel 5: Pixel 5 Out of Updates
Google includes the Pixel 5 generation among phones that no longer receive Android version or security updates, as stated on the Pixel update page. It is the newest of the four Pixel entries here, yet it has crossed the same line.
Newer-feeling hardware does not guarantee ongoing patches, which is the lesson for shoppers. This cutoff concerns Android and security updates only, so it should not be mistaken for a hardware failure or an end to every type of support.
9. Surface Pro 3: Surface Pro 3 Firmware Ends
Microsoft ended driver and firmware servicing for the Surface Pro 3 on November 13, 2021, according to its Surface lifecycle documentation. Windows operating-system updates follow a separate policy.
Owners may still receive some form of Windows servicing, but new firmware and driver fixes are no longer coming. Keeping the two policies apart avoids the mistake of assuming that everything stopped at once. The distinction matters when deciding whether an aging tablet is still worth relying on for daily work.
10. Surface 3: Surface 3 Driver Cutoff
Microsoft ended driver and firmware servicing for the Surface 3 on November 13, 2021, as laid out in its Surface support lifecycle page. That cutoff is distinct from how Windows itself is updated.
People relying on this compact tablet should understand that new low-level fixes are no longer expected. Windows OS updates follow their own policy, so this entry describes only the firmware and driver side of support. It is a narrow cutoff, which is why the wording around it matters.
11. Surface Book: Surface Book Support Line
The Surface Book also saw Microsoft end driver and firmware servicing on November 13, 2021, per the Surface firmware lifecycle policy. Windows OS updates are handled under a separate policy.
For a laptop-tablet hybrid still on someone’s desk, the change means no further firmware or driver servicing from the maker. The machine does not stop working, and the separate Windows update policy should be checked on its own terms. Reading each manufacturer’s notice closely is the surest way to learn which kind of support has ended.
12. Surface RT: The Earliest Surface Cutoff
Surface RT reached its driver and firmware servicing end on April 11, 2017, earlier than the other Surface entries, according to Microsoft’s lifecycle guidance. OS servicing is a separate policy.
The date shows that Microsoft’s cutoffs arrived at different times across the lineup. Owners of this early tablet should treat the entry as a firmware and driver milestone only, not proof that the device is unusable. Setting that date beside the later ones highlights how unevenly support windows close.
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