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Apple put its Apple Support Community into read-only mode on November 10, 2026, and said the user-to-user forum will close permanently on November 20, 2026. New posts are no longer accepted, and Apple is pointing users to its official Apple Support site.
Key facts
- Apple announced on November 10, 2026 that the forum will close on November 20, 2026, and that it no longer accepts new posts.
- The forum dates to 1998, when it launched as Apple Tech Exchange, according to MacRumors. It became Apple Discussions in 2000, Apple Support Communities in 2011 and Apple Support Community in 2022.
- Existing threads can still be read, searched and voted on for now, per 9to5Mac.
- Apple told MacRumors it made the call after a careful evaluation of strategy and customer needs.
- The sign-in button now leads to an internal Apple employee portal, MacRumors and 9to5Mac both reported.
What Apple has and has not said
Apple's notice thanks contributors and sends users to the official Apple Support site. It gives no detailed reason. Macworld asked the company and got only the same statement about strategy and customer needs.
The Register reported that Apple has not said whether the archive of threads will stay accessible after November 20, and that the company had not replied to its request for the reasoning. Whether the roughly three decades of accumulated answers disappear is the most practical open question for users.
9to5Mac noted a small discrepancy: the closure message refers to the "AppleCare Support Community," not the Apple Support Community name used on the site.
Why it matters
Forum threads often ranked high in search results for device problems, and users could confirm that others had the same issue. Opinions on their quality differ. A top reader comment on 9to5Mac said the author rarely found a real answer there, and The Register quoted an X user lamenting threads that ended with no solution.
India Today added that Apple stopped having its own employees answer forum questions in 2023, leaving users to help each other. The closure continues a retreat from community support rather than a sudden reversal.
Macworld speculated, and labeled it speculation, that Apple dislikes hosting unofficial discussion of hardware problems it cannot control. It also argued that an in-house support site cannot react as quickly to emerging issues as an open forum. The Register suggested AI tools have made such forums less popular. None of these explanations come from Apple.
What to watch next
- Whether Apple keeps the archive online, redirects it, or removes it after November 20.
- Where displaced users go. MacRumors named its own forums and Reddit as alternatives, and Engadget pointed to social media.
- Whether Apple expands official support channels, which currently include the Apple Support site, phone, chat, stores and the Apple Support app, as Macworld listed.
The nine-day window leaves little time to save useful threads, so users who rely on specific answers may want to note them before the site closes.
