Apple Support Community forum to close after 28 years

A 28-year run ends on November 20

Apple will permanently close the Apple Support Community on November 20, 2026, according to Ars Technica. The company announced the decision in a message posted to the forum on Tuesday night, and the site stopped accepting new posts at the same time.

The forum is now read-only, so existing threads remain visible but no one can add replies or start new discussions. In its notice, Apple thanked members who had given their time and expertise to help others with Apple products, and directed users to the official Apple Support site for guidance.

The Apple Support Community has been a place where Apple users could get quick technical advice, usually from fellow customers, though Apple employees occasionally joined in. As with any community forum, the quality and accuracy of that advice varied.

From Apple Tech Exchange to Apple Support Community

The forum dates back to 1998, when it launched under the name Apple Tech Exchange. Two years later Apple renamed it Apple Discussions.

In 2011 the company overhauled the site, adding dedicated spaces for individual devices and a way to track responses to posted questions, and renamed it Apple Support Communities. By 2022 it carried the name Apple Support Community, as MacRumors noted this week.

Why Apple is pulling the plug

Apple reportedly told MacRumors that it evaluated its support strategy and customer needs before deciding to close the forum. Ars Technica notes that the move suggests Apple now wants customers to rely on its own employees for technical help.

The forum may also have lost ground to rival venues, including Reddit and the support communities run by MacRumors and AppleInsider. Apple has not publicly detailed those reasons beyond the statement reported by MacRumors.

What changes for users seeking help

People who relied on the forum for troubleshooting will need to use the official Apple Support site, which Apple recommends in its closure notice. The read-only archive may still be useful for older questions, but it will not grow after November 20.

For those who preferred peer advice, third-party communities remain an option, though their answers carry the same caveats as any user forum. Apple has not said whether the archive will stay online after the closure date.