Apple iPhone 12 gets iOS 16. But not all iPhones do.
June 8 update below. This post was first published on June 6, 2022.
Apple today announced the next iPhone operating software. Unsurprisingly, it’s called iOS 16. Surprisingly, it’ll work with fewer iPhones than many had predicted.
The current software, iOS 15, is compatible with every iPhone from the iPhone 6s onwards. Intriguingly, that’s the exact same group of phones that ran iOS 14 and even iOS 15. In other words, Apple hasn’t dropped any iPhone for three years.
June 8 update. That sense of disappointment for iPhone users excluded from iOS 16, seems to apply, in one specific way, to millions of other Apple users, too, it now transpires.
When Apple releases new software, its new features are designed to be so irresistible that you simply must have them. Hence the importance of compatibility with the iPhone you have. But where some of the new features, such as the cool-looking Lock screen enhancements, seem to need the extra power that more recent iPhones have, others like Apple Pay Later sound like they should be available to any Apple Pay-compatible iPhone.
This time around there are so many new features that I imagine many customers will feel now is the time to upgrade their hardware to ensure they don’t miss out. And the gadgets that can’t get the latest update aren’t just restricted to the iPhone. Apple Watch Series 3 won’t work with watchOS 9, for instance, which leads me to believe that this current entry-level Watch may be retired later this year. Similarly, Apple has also revealed which iPads will drop out of support this fall when the new software arrives. And when iPadOS 16 lands, there’s an extra-sharp sting awaiting iPad users, which continues the theme of potential disappointment for Apple customers.
We already knew the list of compatible devices after the keynote. They are iPad from 5th generation onwards, iPad mini, also 5th-generation models and later, iPad Air from 3rd generation on and all iPad Pro models.
Fair enough. Except what is arguably the most exciting feature for iPad is the introduction of Stage Manager, an innovative multi-tasking system that could revolutionize how the iPad is used, especially when it is teamed with a keyboard.
And that’s not available for all the iPads for which iPadOS 16 is compatible.
Well, it might not be that surprising that you need to have the iPad Air and iPad Pro to get Stage Manager. After all, the iPad mini is not a great fit with a keyboard.
So, while many were expecting that iOS 16 wouldn’t work with the oldest of those phones, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, both released in September 2015, there are three other iPhones that will no longer update to the latest software.
First, that’s the iPhone SE (first generation) announced on March 20, 2016, which is more than six years old, so maybe that’s not a complete revelation.
But it also sees the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, from September 2016 losing support as well. Altogether, millions of people still use those phones and they won’t be able to update to iOS 16 with its cool new lock screen and myriad of other new features.
Let’s put this in context. It means that every iPhone from iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, launched in September 2017, and more recent, will work with the new OS. By the time it goes live, that’s phones first launched a full five years ago. Few Android phones offer that length of upgradeability in terms of software.
And there’s a balance to be found here. If you want to add a bunch of powerful upgraded features, you need a level of power from the processor. On the other hand, if you want long-term, complete compatibility, you need to limit the upgrades so they’ll work with older processors.
The fact that so many phones have been left out this time is a clear indication that the updates need more power and, therefore, are probably pretty advanced.
Of course, and you know this, I know, all those earlier iPhones don’t just stop working. They carry on exactly as they do today. They just can’t get the eye-catching updates that have just been announced.
And some of those updates are so keen, they may be enough to tickle some users into buying a new iPhone.
