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According to a new report from French site iPhoneSoft, iOS 16 will not support the iPhone 6S or first-gen iPhone SE when it is released in the fall of 2022. The site claims its source is a developer within Apple, and while you should always take these reports with a grain of salt, the change does seem probable. By the fall of 2022, Apple will have gone three years without changing hardware requirements for iOS, and such a move would be long overdue.
It’s not uncommon for Apple to enable certain iOS and application features only on newer iPhones, where hardware support is necessary. But the last three iOS releases have all supported the same devices, which is quite a long time and basically unheard of with Android devices.
Apple leads the industry in support for older mobile devices. With iOS 15, Apple supports iPhones all the way back to the iPhone 6S, introduced in 2015. By the fall of 2022 when iOS 16 is released, that model will be seven years old. Cutting off support for it and the first-generation iPhone SE will still mean that iOS 16 supports devices up to six years old, which is about twice what you can expect from most Android phones.
Apple is rumored to release a new iPhone SE in the spring with the same design as the current model, so it you’re clinging to your iPhone 6 because you love the size and the home button, you’ll be able to replace it with a much better model that will receive updates for years to come.
I have written about technology for my entire adult professional life - over 25 years. I enjoy learning about how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.
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After nearly seven years of software updates, Apple is putting the iPhone 6S, 6S Plus and first generation iPhone SE out to pasture when iOS 16 launches this Autumn. Apple launched the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus in 2015 as its pair of flagship devices, bringing features such as 3D Touch and the ever-stylish Rose Gold [definitely not pink] colour option to the iPhone.
It spawned a spin-off in the form of the first generation iPhone SE, which took the guts of the iPhone 6S and the body of the iPhone 5S to form a more compact iPhone that didn’t compromise on power. The SE line is still going strong today, with the 2020 iPhone SE and 2022 spec bump carrying on the spirit of the original SE.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are also being cut loose by Apple after almost six years of software support. The iPhone 7 launched to some controversy after dropping the 3.5mm headphone jack in a move that Apple called “brave” and everyone else called “irritating”. However, the iPhone 7 Plus did sport the first dual camera system on an Apple smartphone, as well as water resistance and the static home button that utilised haptic feedback to simulate a click.
This means that the iPhone 6S, SE and 7 won’t enjoy the new features that iOS 16 will have to offer, including customisable lock screens, shared iCloud photo libraries, iMessage editing and undo sending, customisable spatial audio and Apple Pay’s new pay later scheme.
If you’re using one of these devices then it may be time to upgrade, but fear not if you want to hang on to your iPhone for now, as it will still work perfectly fine on iOS 15 for the foreseeable future. However if you are looking for a new iPhone, rumours of this year’s 14 series are heating up with a reveal expected in September.
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Staff Writer Lewis is the newest addition to the What Hi-Fi? editorial team. Previously Gaming and Digital editor for Cardiff University's 'Quench Magazine', Lewis graduated in 2021 and has since worked on a selection of lifestyle magazines and regional newspapers. In his down time he enjoys gaming and regular cinema trips.