Apple had an array of iOS releases recently. The tech giant first released iOS 15.2 and iPad OS 15.2 last Monday, featuring a few bug fixes, enhancements and new features such as Apple Music Voice Plan, App Privacy report, Apple Music using Siri and Hide My Email in the mail app for iCloud users. Within a few days, Apple also released iOS 15.3. Now reports suggest that Apple is gearing up for the iOS 16 release. Moreover, the new iOS may not support many old iPhones and some iPad models.
According to a blog by iPhonesoft, iPhones like iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and first-generation iPhone SE will not be compatible with the new iOS 16. Among iPads, the OS will not be compatible with iPad mini-4, iPad Air 2, 5th gen iPad, and 2015 iPad Pro.
New Apple iOS may release in June 2022
Apple is likely to announce the decision at the next WWDC conference, which usually happens in June every year when it unveils the new OS. Dropping support for older devices is not new for Apple. The company did the same in 2019 when it introduced iOS 13 when it dropped support for the iPhone 6 series and other older iPhone and iPad models.
The new iOS 16 is expected to feature VR capabilities, and the older Apple devices may not have the backend to support those applications. The iPhones with an A10 chip could be the minimum build to run iOS 16.
On the other hand, Apple releases occasional updates for older devices. After a month of launching iOS 15, Apple released iOS 14.8.1. and iPad OS 14.8.1. Such minor updates continue to fix bugs and patch vulnerabilities.
Meanwhile, Apple will not allow users to downgrade to Apple iOS 15.1.1. for the new iPhone 13 models. For other older iPhone models, including the iPhone 12 and iPhone 11 series, Apple has stopped signing iOS 15.1. Users who have not updated their OS yet have no direct impact with this restriction. However, users who have updated to the iOS 15.2 on eligible iPhones and are facing any issues with the new version of the iOS might have to wait for a fix to the release of the next version.
