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Apple is shutting down its large help forum. Since Wednesday night, the Apple Support Community has stopped accepting new posts, and it will be permanently closed on November 20th.
The Apple Support Community is Apple's official forum where users help each other with problems related to iPhones, Macs, and other Apple products. Apple actively encouraged participation there until recently: in 2022, a global program called Community+ was introduced for the most active members, and profiles still carry the „Community+ 2026“ badge.
A notice announcing the end now appears on the community's homepage. Apple has also provided further explanation to MacRumors.
Key Facts at a Glance
- The Apple Support Community will permanently close on November 20, 2026.
- Since the night of November 11th, it is only readable; new questions and answers are no longer possible.
- Apple refers to the official support website.
What Apple announces
The notice at the top of the community page is brief. Apple writes:
The Apple Support Community will permanently close on November 20, 2026. Starting today, the site will no longer accept new posts and is available in a read-only state.
For assistance, Apple refers users to the official support website and thanks all members who have contributed their time and expertise to help others with their Apple products. The last post was apparently received at 5:49 PM Pacific Time on November 10th, which was already 2:49 AM on November 11th in Germany.
Apple told MacRumors that the decision was made after a „careful review of strategy and customer needs.“ The company provided no further details.
A forum with a long history
The forum is older than the iPhone. It started in 1998 as the Apple Tech Exchange and was called Apple Discussions from 2000 onwards, before Apple revamped it in 2011 and relaunched it as Apple Support Communities. Later, this became the singular Apple Support Community.
Over the years, a huge archive of solutions has accumulated there, often for problems not covered in any support document. Many search results for error messages or quirks of older devices lead directly to this site. These posts will remain accessible until November 20th. Apple explicitly states in its notice that the site will be permanently closed.
Apple relies on its own channels
For official support, Apple refers users to Apple Support with its guides and the contact page for chat, phone, repairs, or scheduling an appointment at the Genius Bar. There's also the Apple Support app. In the US version, Apple expanded its AI-powered support assistant in early 2026, which guides users step-by-step through solutions.
Why the archive is the real loss
I consider its demise a real loss. The value of the community never lay in quick answers to new questions, but in its archive: decades of experience from users who had already encountered the exact same problem. Support documents and an AI assistant don't replace that, because they only reflect what Apple itself documents.
Anyone in the community who has found a solution they rely on should save it before November 20th, for example as a PDF or in Notes. After that date, Apple will refer users to its own channels for any further questions.
Have you ever solved a problem that neither Apple nor a support document could answer, but only a community thread could? Tell us what it was in the comments.
