Apple has stopped accepting new posts on its Apple Support Community forum and plans to shut down the platform on November 20, following nearly three decades of operation.
The forum has been in read-only mode since November 10, according to a notice displayed on its homepage, preventing users from submitting new questions or responses.
The notice directed users to the company’s official support website for assistance, stating, “You can continue to find trusted guidance and support on the official Apple Support site.”
9to5Mac’s Marcus Mendes first spotted the notice on the evening of November 10.
The final post on the platform appears to have been published at 5:49pm Pacific time on the same day, according to Joe Rossignol of MacRumors.
Apple told MacRumors that the decision followed a careful evaluation of its strategy and customer needs.
The forum was launched in 1998 as Apple Tech Exchange, according to MacRumors, providing a platform where users could share solutions, ask questions and receive technical assistance from other Apple customers.
The platform was renamed Apple Discussions in 2000, before becoming Apple Support Communities in 2011 and later Apple Support Community in 2022.
However, Apple has not clarified what will happen to the forum’s archive of previous discussions and answers after the shutdown.
AppleInsider reported that the company confirmed the forums would be taken completely offline, according to William Gallagher’s November 11 report.
Sources cited by AppleInsider also indicated that Apple had not actively monitored the forums for at least five years.
Meanwhile, the sign-in button on the platform now redirects users to an internal portal for Apple’s corporate employees, MacRumors reported.
