Apple has announced that its long-running Apple Support Community forums will permanently close on Friday, 20 November 2026. The site has already stopped accepting new posts and is now in a read-only state, meaning users can still browse and search existing discussions but can no longer ask a question or reply to one.

A notice posted on the forums on 10 November reads: “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.” The notice directs users to Apple’s official support website for further help and thanks community members who contributed their time and expertise.

Forums already read-only as closure takes effect

According to MacRumors, the final message posted to the site appears to have been submitted at 5:49 p.m. Pacific Time on 10 November, shortly before new submissions were switched off. The site still shows a sign-in button, but it now leads to an internal Apple employee login page, so regular members can no longer sign in to their accounts.

Users can still browse existing threads, search for answers and use the “Me too” and voting buttons on posts, 9to5Mac reports, but they cannot submit new questions or replies. 9to5Mac said it had contacted Apple for comment and clarification on the scope of the shutdown.

Nearly three decades of user-to-user support

The closure ends almost 28 years of Apple-run user forums. Apple first launched an online discussion forum for user-to-user technical support in 1998, when it was known as the Apple Tech Exchange. It was renamed Apple Discussions in 2000, became the Apple Support Communities in 2011 and took its current name, the Apple Support Community, in 2022.

Over that time the forums became a well-known first stop for people troubleshooting iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and iCloud problems, with experienced users answering questions and sharing fixes alongside Apple’s own support pages.

Apple gives no detailed reason for the shutdown

Apple has not publicly explained the decision beyond telling MacRumors that it decided to close the community after “a careful evaluation of strategy and customer needs”. The company has also not said what will happen to the existing archive of discussions after 20 November, and it is not yet clear whether the threads will remain visible as a reference or be removed entirely.

MacRumors suggests its own forums and Reddit as alternatives for users seeking peer help, and customers can continue to contact Apple Support directly. For anyone who has relied on the community’s archive, the message is clear: the threads worth keeping should be saved before the forums close on 20 November.