Apple Support Community Deserved a Proper Goodbye

On Tuesday, Apple abruptly transformed the Apple Support Community into a read-only state and declared its permanent closure on November 20. Members, some of whom had contributed for over two decades, were caught off guard and lacked the opportunity to post farewell messages. Despite the forum's perceived flaws, such as generic or unhelpful answers, the volunteers who contributed their time still deserved a proper send-off.

Among those affected were Jeff Donald from Florida, who had been a member since November 2000 when the forums were known as Apple Discussions. Apple acknowledged his efforts by inviting him to the Apple Community+ program in 2022. Leroy Douglas, a member since July 2009, expressed shock at the sudden announcement but anticipated the closure.

Tobias Steen, based in Germany, noted the presence of Apple Support Communities in multiple languages, including Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. However, the French and German forums did not receive closure notices. Nobel Prize winner Sir Tim Hunt, who contributed from England, found the forums helpful, despite some answers being subpar.

John Daniel, a Canadian developer of macOS diagnostic tool EtreCheck, had been an active member for more than two decades. He highlighted the community's value in solving problems, identifying significant issues, and learning new things. John lamented the loss of in-person meetups at Apple Park, which were occasionally held for Support Community members prior to 2020.

Elías Rojano Núñez from Chile praised the satisfaction of helping others in the Spanish forums and expressed sadness over the abrupt closure without prior notice. He shared a photo of anniversary pins received from Apple, ranging from 5 to 20 years. The Apple Support Community, while not without its shortcomings, served as a place of belonging for many. The article concludes by expressing gratitude to the contributors and stating that it is not a goodbye but a proper farewell.