How to use a late 2009 iPod Touch in 2017
September 23, 2017 7:17 PM   Subscribe

My wife has an iPod Touch 3rd Gen 32 GB, but is having trouble finding anything that will run on iOS 5.1.1. What can she do with a late 2009 iPod Touch in late 2017? Music, check. Accessing email, check. Anything else? Bonus points for something to use in the classroom for high school math. Also, no rooting.

The iPod is from her school, so she can't treat it like she owns it, but it's her device to use as she sees fit, within reason.
posted by filthy light thief to Technology (6 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
There’s a nifty app for making quick charts and graphs called Viz. The last update was 3+ years ago, unfortunately, and it won’t work with iOS 11. So maybe it will work for her.
posted by chimpsonfilm at 10:35 PM on September 23, 2017


iOS 5 has not received security updates in many years and has numerous known vulnerabilities. I wouldn't access anything personal on it, including email.
posted by zachlipton at 12:22 AM on September 24, 2017 [5 favorites]


Zach's right. I have a super old ipad mini that was acquired via Amex points and the only things I use it for are displaying photos, watching Netflix, and playing un-updated games. Not worth the security risks. Sorry.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 4:18 AM on September 24, 2017


I use my old iTouch as a classroom jukebox that I don't have to worry about getting messed up by kids. iPod sound docks from that era are all over thrift stores now for dirt cheap and can sound better than the usual computer speakers.
posted by Wulfhere at 8:26 AM on September 24, 2017 [2 favorites]


Seconding Wulfhere. My first gen iPod and $5 ihome clock from goodwill is now a permanent music player/alarm clock in the bedroom, and we have a similar system in the kitchen, too.
posted by holyrood at 9:43 AM on September 24, 2017


There are lots of graphing calculator apps and some will have older versions available. When you go to download an app, it will tell you that the current version is not compatible with your OS. If there is an older compatible version, it will then prompt you to download it. Apple explains here. (via Jessamyn in a related question)
posted by soelo at 8:42 AM on September 25, 2017


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