Original iPhone SE is Now Officially Obsolete

Apple has declared the first-generation iPhone SE obsolete, meaning the 2016 model is no longer eligible for official repairs or part replacements, as spotted by MacRumors.

As of December 1, 2025, the original iPhone SE is no longer eligible for battery replacement, repairs, or part servicing from any Apple Store or authorized service provider anywhere in the world.

The original iPhone SE offered users a compact iPhone form factor paired with relatively powerful internals for its time, a four-inch display, a Touch ID home button, and the same A9 processor found in the iPhone 6s line. The model was discontinued in September 2018, and with seven years now passed since then, it has reached the threshold for Apple’s obsolete classification.

Under Apple’s support policy, devices that stopped being sold more than seven years ago are categorized as obsolete. Once a device is in that category, Apple and its authorized service network stop providing any hardware support i.e. no repairs, no part replacements, no battery swaps.

Owners of the first-gen iPhone SE who run into hardware issues will now have to turn to third-party repair outlets. But even then, there is no guarantee of part availability. The phone itself is not rendered useless by this change, but from the standpoint of official support the door is now closed.

For those still using a first-gen iPhone SE, this change does not mean the device will stop working immediately. It only affects eligibility for official service and support, not the phone’s ability to function.

However, as the hardware ages and third-party parts become scarcer, it may become increasingly difficult, and possibly costly, to keep the device running.