These iPhones are anticipated to be retired as soon as Apple releases a new version of iOS.
As WWDC 2022 kicks off on Monday (June 6), we may expect to see a preview of the next version of iOS, which will arrive alongside the iPhone 14 this fall.
iOS 16 rumours are few at the present, but rumoured iOS 16 features include enhancements to the lock screen, notifications, AR/VR integration, and more health-tracking tools.
In spite of the fact that each new version of iOS requires more processing power, some devices are unable to take use of it. Even though iOS 15 is compatible with phones that were released in 2015, Apple has a strong track record of supporting smartphones over time. As a result, we predict that the next generation of iPhones will be locked to iOS 15 for the rest of their life.
iPhone 6S and 6S Plus
Back in September 2015 when Barack Obama was still president, there was no such thing as AirPods and the first-generation Apple Watch was just six months old, iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were released.
As these devices have been out of production for nearly four years, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they will no longer be supported by Apple. In the end, the iPhone 6s family had a great run.
iPhone SE (2016)
The original iPhone SE employs the same Apple A9 CPU and 2GB RAM as the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, despite being seven months younger.
Essentially, if the 6s is retired, so is the original SE. The good news is that the two latest models of the iPhone SE, which were released in 2020 and this year, should be safe for some time. The iPhone SE 2022 even has the same A15 Bionic processor as Apple’s more costly iPhone 13 range, so it will be supported for a long time.
Which iPhones will get iOS 16?
If they are the only three iPhones that aren’t getting an iOS 16 upgrade, then all of these devices will be eligible:
- iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
- iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
- iPhone X
- iPhone SE (2020)
- iPhone XS and XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2022)
- iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max
Apple must be confident in the usability of your iPhone if it is qualified to download iOS 16. Nonetheless, if you have an older iPhone, we recommend shopping for one of the finest iPhones to replace your current device or decide whether it makes more sense to wait for the iPhone 14 to come out in the fall.
What about iPads?
Despite the fact that iPads run a different operating system called iPadOS, it is extremely closely related to iOS and will almost probably receive an upgrade to iPadOS 16 in the fall. iPadOS 15 went further further than iOS 15 in its compatibility for the older iPad Air 2 from 2014.
We fear that numerous pills will fail this time around. As well as omitting the iPad Air 2, we’d wager that the 5th generation iPad, 4th generation iPad mini, and even the original 2015 iPad Pro may be too slow to make the cut.
At the Apple Developers Conference next week, we’ll find out if all of these assumptions are right. If you want to watch WWDC 2022 live, here’s how to do it.