Traditionally, Apple always releases a new series of iPhones in the fall every year, and this also means that the current product line will gradually decrease. To make way for the new iPhone series, the support for new iOS must also come to an end for some iPhone models.
Recently, there has been information suggesting that iOS 18 will mark the end for iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR.
On the X platform (the new name of Twitter), there have been some posts stating that iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR will no longer receive iOS 17 updates.
The list of supported devices includes iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max; iPhone 12 mini, 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max; iPhone 13 mini, 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max; iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max; iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max; and the expected iPhone 16 series to be released this fall.
According to iMore, when released, iOS 17 supported many older iPhone models, and the same could be expected with iOS 18. However, users can expect some more impressive features of iOS 18 to be reserved for newer iPhone models with more advanced hardware.
With a series of recent leaks indicating that iOS 18 will be integrated with AI, it is highly likely that certain tasks will require newer processors, which means older SoCs will not be able to provide sufficient power for normal operations.
The oldest iPhone chip currently supported is A12 Bionic. If Apple stops supporting this chip this year, iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR will not receive the iOS 18 update. Meanwhile, the Apple iPhone SE 2 and iPhone 11 currently run on the A13 chipset, so there is a possibility that these two iPhone models will be supported with the new iOS for another year.
Last year, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 discontinued support for a range of devices such as iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPad (5th generation), iPad Pro 9.7 inch (1st generation), and iPad Pro 12.9 inch (1st generation). Although they no longer have the capability to upgrade to the new version, devices running iOS 16 still regularly receive security patches, especially for serious vulnerabilities.
Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 at the WWDC 2024 developer conference, which will take place in June this year. At that time, all information will be confirmed.
