Apple is closing the ‘world’s largest community of Apple fans.’ Why shutting it down makes sense
On Tuesday, Apple announced it will permanently shut down one of its oldest online services: the Apple Support Community forum, where users could post questions and get answers about the iPhone, the Mac, and other Apple products they owned. The forum has existed in some form since the late ’90s, but its closure, while abrupt, makes a lot of sense. Here’s what you need to know. What’s happened?…
On Tuesday, Apple announced it will permanently shut down its Apple Support Community forum on November 20, 2026. The forum, which has existed since the late '90s, allows users to post questions and get answers about Apple products. Despite its longevity, the site is being discontinued, and Apple has not disclosed the exact reason.
However, several likely factors have contributed to this decision. Apple has recently appointed a new CEO who often focuses on cleaning up the company's operations. Additionally, users of the forum might have been misled into thinking they were receiving answers from Apple's official support staff, leading to frustration when they couldn't receive satisfactory responses.
The rise of social media, Reddit, and AI chatbots has made Apple Support Communities less relevant. Users now often turn to tech subreddits on Reddit, X, or Threads for quick answers. Furthermore, AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Siri can provide reliable answers to Apple-related queries. Users have a little over a week to browse the site before it is officially closed on November 20.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
