iOS 11 signaled the end of support for 32-bit platforms like iPhone 5C. There are now a plethora of used or refurbished iPhone 5C's on eBay and elsewhere online at very good prices, so the idea of buying one is attractive.
If I bought an iPhone 5C what can I practically expect to be able to use it for?
iOS
The phone can still run iOS 10. Does Apple provide downloads for iOS 10? If I get a phone that has iOS 9 running on it, will I be able to upgrade it to iOS 10?
Sync
Can I sync an iPhone 5C with iTunes on my iMac so I can play music and podcasts on it?
Apps
Do most major apps like Lyft, Facebook, and Google provide 32-bit versions of their apps that I can download from the App Store? Could it even provide access to older games and apps that never got upgraded to 64-bit versions?
Phone
Can it make phone calls?
iCloud
Could I still connect to my iCloud account for use in iMessage, Find My Friends, etc?
Best Answer
Yeah, it would still work.
It wouldn't be a bad phone for very simple tasks like the ones you have listed.
You could run apps that support iOS 9(some apps require a certain minimum iOS). This would be assessed on an app-by-app basis. You might get lucky with some, but you should research the requirements of the specific apps you'd like.
You could sync it with iTunes to listen to music and podcasts.
You could still make phone calls.
You can use iCloud for iMessage, Find My Friends/iPhone and syncing contacts etc.
Overall the phone is still very much usable, but it may be frustratingly slow if you're used to newer models and I'd try to get one with at least 16gb if not the 32gb memory version. The 8gb model would have maybe 4gb of usable storage.
As a side note - there is still some stores that sell these phones, although most of them would be pre-owned/refurbished. €189 for a used one in Ireland from a reputable chain of stores. They seem to hold their value reasonably well, which shows that they are definitely a viable option.