iOS 27 Rumored to Drop Support for These iPhone Models

[BSDnostalgia]

Snow Leopard cut all PowerPC Macs. When there’s less devices, there is room to streamline the OS to fix its issues.

The security threat environment has changed "quite a bit" since Snow Leopard. I think it would be ill-advised for any manufacturer to cut off so many working devices from security updates right now. I really hope Apple, and, other companies (e.g. the Wintel World), make a concerted effort to do security releases to address what may be a tidal wave of newly disclosed security bugs in older OS versions.

For example, for Apple, all those iPads out there with, e.g., <= A13 Bionic, <= 3GB RAM, <= 64 GB Flash.

 

[Populus]

So it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s a time when iPhone 16 support is dropped, but iPhone 16 pro is supported.

Indeed, there’s the possibility that Apple starts dropping the regular iPhone one year early than the Pro iPhone. I have the feeling that this will start with the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro. The iPhone 13 Pro has 6GB of RAM instead of just 4GB, so this could be the beginning.

I’ve always thought that M_ Pro Macs will retain at least one year extra of macOS updates relative to the regular M powered Macs.

 

[dustin.haley]

The security threat environment has changed "quite a bit" since Snow Leopard. I think it would be ill-advised for any manufacturer to cut off so many working devices from security updates right now. I really hope Apple, and, other companies (e.g. the Wintel World), make a concerted effort to do security releases to address what may be a tidal wave of newly disclosed security bugs in older OS versions.

For example, for Apple, all those iPads out there with, e.g., <= A13 Bionic, <= 3GB RAM, <= 64 GB Flash.

They aren’t cutting off those devices from security updates though, just from major releases.

They will still get at least 2 years of security updates.

 

[BSDnostalgia]

I'm not sure anyone will be upset of iOS 27 never makes it to the older, slower devices, let alone iOS 28 etc.
"Dropping" could be a good thing. As long as they don't drop patching (security holes).

(Note edit).

 

[Populus]

I'm not sure anyone will be upset of iOS 27 never makes it to the older, slower devices, let alone iOS 28 etc.
"Dropping" could be a good thing. As long as they drop patching (security holes).

The thing is, iOS 27 is expected to be a snow leopard-like update, and those who are going to be left stuck with iOS 26 would like, at least, a more polished version of Liquid Glass and a more performant system…

However, part of this optimization will be thanks to dropping old code from older devices, such as A13 devices, and especially on the macOS side, Intel machines.

 

[BSDnostalgia]

However, part of this optimization will be thanks to dropping old code from older devices, such as A13 devices, and especially on the macOS side, Intel machines.

Well, I guess I have my limits, too. I'm sure someone out there is still running Windows XP, and, it would probably waste billions of dollars to patch all the security holes that still exist in the XP code base. But, I think, based on my own usage history, that 6 years is a better target for patching security holes for the benefit of old hardware. I still used a couple of devices that were 8 years old at the time. They are in my museum now. ;-)

 

[Ctrlos]

Theory: server side Siri will work with all supported devices.

 

[turbineseaplane]

That ship may have sailed, unfortunately...

I certainly hope not and I’m optimistic because they are still going to be making various different screen sizes and they need to have the OS adapt better to that then it currently does

This could be immediately useful for the fold device

 

[switz]

Saving my iPhone 13 mini 512gb for this fall when we go to the UK and Europe in general. I will re-acquire a UK SIM card on a pay as you go plan because of my wife's UK extended family. eSIMs are not on offer for monthly plans yet.

Just want to point out that if a user initializes the old model with the last hurrah operating system and does NOT add any apps, then one could probably get a few more years of service until the battery replace option is gone. Just use it as a cellphone, not a web browser or any other activity that requires the web to operate. Just have cell data on would help with security..... No texting either....

 

[Homme]

It’ll be interesting to see what happens when it comes to iPhone 15 support in the future. The iPhone 15 has a chip that’s one year older than the 15 Pro. And then with the iPhone 16, the chip is only barely marginally faster than the iPhone 15 Pro’s A17. So it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s a time when iPhone 16 support is dropped, but iPhone 16 pro is supported.

Incorrect 16/16 Pro/16e all have the same CPU and exact RAM ( which is rare to see amongst a Pro/Normal/E type of phone). So all the 16 phones will get the exact same support I reckon

 

[lotones]

a little sad to see my 11 pro riding off into the sunset... one of the best Apple products I've ever owned. I'm rocking a 16 Pro now, but the 11 Pro never let me down.

long live Midnight Green

 

[seanmcbay]

Looks like I'm sticking with my 13 Mini yet another year if it runs decently enough.

 

[switz]

Cell 3G is retired and 4G is the next service to go away. Lots of the current gear can not see 5G and it's variations.

So the availability of a compatible cell service will become ever more important for the "vintage"cell phones and iPads.

Even the progress in WiFi will cause older gear to become mute.

Electronics will not become obsolete because they don't power up, they will become obsolete when there is nothing out there for them to connect to.....

 

[Populus]

Cell 3G is retired and 4G is the next service to go away. Lots of the current gear can not see 5G and it's variations.

So the availability of a compatible cell service will become ever more important for the "vintage"cell phones and iPads.

Even the progress in WiFi will cause older gear to become mute.

Electronics will not become obsolete because they don't power up, they will become obsolete when there is nothing out there for them to connect to.....

WiFi? How so? The 802.11 standard is backwards compatible, and a WiFi 7 router should work with older b/g/n technologies…

 

[coolfactor]

Packing an iPhone 13 Pro, and still have no urgent need to replace it. Still going strong. Any replacement would be based on wants, not needs. I want the Dynamic Island. I want more Apple Intelligence. But I don't need them.

 

[phuklok1]

i'm on a new phone, but even so, I still feel there is no reason to drop that model. It doesn't optimize any software as someone claimed, they are all running arm64 for a looong time now. we are at the point with phones as we were with laptops 15 years ago. unless you're doing something very intense, these things work fine for most peoples needs even a decade later.

It costs close to nothing to continue to provide OS kernel and Safari/Webkit/imessage updates for these devices - not talking about new features. they are updating that software anyway, but are locking out the older devices on purpose it is not that they can't actually run newer safari or imessage (again, not talking about new features). These old devices can make calls, do email, message, browse the web, watch 4k videos, etc fine with power to spare. All this behavior does is either create tons of toxic waste to the environment or put people who can least afford it at security risk, or simply not be able to run apps that work fine today to stop functioning for those people. it seems like a lot of people here don't care about those things, but it is a shame.

 

[Jack Neill]

26 made my 14 pro noticeably slower, even if it supports 27 I may not upgrade for fear of it being even worse.

 

[longofest]

ya’ll do remember that Snow Leopard was the release that dropped support for all PPC macs, right? So Apple dropping support for a bunch of phones is not out of the question at all.

 

[switz]

As an operating seems to "mature" it is like a human and the weight just piles on with each new feature until it becomes so bloated it takes the latest model equipment to move through the mass (and mess) of the programming. While the older device could run the software, like a roman galley, there comes a point when there are not enough oars in the water to move the boat.

 

[Frantisekj]

Probably for the best. However, this seems to contradict Gurman's claims that this Snow Leopard OS was going to clean up all the code and make it lean to maximize battery life and performance. If that were true, no reason to cut any devices, right?

Exactly. Typical Apple behavior. Buggy release but fix is coming in next release that cuts off number of devices. This should be forbidden lol

 

[Xp_Master]

iOS 27 will be compatible with the iPhone 12 series and newer, according to Instant Digital, a known Apple leaker on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.

If this rumor is accurate, iOS 27 will drop support for the following iPhone models:

• iPhone 11
  
• iPhone 11 Pro
  
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
  
• iPhone SE (2nd generation)

However, these devices will continue to receive iOS 26 security updates for at least a few years.

iOS 27 will be compatible with the following iPhone models, according to the leaker:

• iPhone 17e
• iPhone 17
  
• iPhone 17 Pro
  
• iPhone 17 Pro Max
  
• iPhone Air
  
• iPhone 16e
  
• iPhone 16
  
• iPhone 16 Plus
  
• iPhone 16 Pro
  
• iPhone 16 Pro Max
  
• iPhone 15
  
• iPhone 15 Plus
  
• iPhone 15 Pro
  
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
  
• iPhone 14
  
• iPhone 14 Plus
  
• iPhone 14 Pro
  
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
  
• iPhone 13
  
• iPhone 13 mini
  
• iPhone 13 Pro
  
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
  
• iPhone 12
  
• iPhone 12 mini
  
• iPhone 12 Pro
  
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
  
• iPhone SE (3rd generation)

Any new Apple Intelligence features introduced in iOS 27 will require an iPhone 15 Pro or newer.

Apple will unveil iOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on Monday, June 8, and the first developer beta should be released later that day. A public beta typically follows in July, ahead of a final release to all users in September.

iOS 27 been likened to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is reportedly focused on bug fixes and stability improvements. A handful of new features are still expected, including a dedicated Siri app, a system-wide slider for finely adjusting the opacity of Liquid Glass, improved keyboard autocorrection, and more.

Instant Digital has accurately leaked Apple information before, such as the yellow color for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2's Titanium Milanese Loop. However, the account does not have a perfect track record.

Article Link: iOS 27 Rumored to Drop Support for These iPhone Models

Well I think this is inaccurate because if it's a Snow Leopard type of update, it should still support the iPhone 11 series

 

[svish]

Will be good if devices like the 12 series get the update. But some features might be reserved only for the latest iPhones and hopefully the 17 Pro series gets it too.

 

[SMG4fan7236]

It would be better if SE 2 and 3 were dropped and 11 would stay up

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

The A14 floor makes sense when you think about the M1 is basically just a scaled up A14, same cores, same Neural Engine generation, same architecture. So Apple is having every supported device this year, iPhone, iPad(if iPad also has A14 floor), and Mac, all run on the same silicon family for the first time. That’s the whole point of a Snow Leopard year. Less about new features, more about finally being able to write code for one platform instead of juggling several different ones.

True, but this is unlikely given that the iPad 9 was only introduced in September 2021 and only has the A13.
Apple has given every base iPad within recent years at least five full updates, even if it means it technically gets more support than the same processor generation found in the iPad Pro.
But also speaking of the iPad Pro, would Apple really cut off the entire A12 era at once? Given that the iPad Pro from March 2020 had the A12Z? I certainly don’t think so. That would mean that the 2020 iPad Air gets longer support than the 2020 iPad Pro, and buy a pretty wide margin given that the A14/M1 is likely to be the floor for quite a long time.

I don’t believe this rumor at all given the source, but obviously I don’t know what Apple‘s plans are.
My guess, however, is that all of the 27 operating systems will run on the exact same list of devices that the 26 operating systems run on, with the very possible exception of the A12 iPad Air3 and Mini 5 and the iPad 8.

I don’t think Apple will cut off the 2018 iPad Pro, given that the 2020 iPad Pro uses identical hardware, other than one GPU core. I think those two devices will likely get cut from Support at the same time, probably next year.
The previously mentioned base iPad 9 with A13 will likely get cut from Support next year.
The iPhone 11 series is admittedly tricky, but Apple has kind of created a pattern of iPhones, mostly being only dropped every other year.
iOS 8 and 9 had the same support list, as did iOS 11 and 12, 13 through 15 and 17 and 18.
It makes sense to me that 26 and 27 would have the same support list, iPhone 11 and newer, before next year, where absolutely everything, iPhones, iPads and Macs alike, are A14/M1 Firestorm and Icestorm cores and up.

This would mean:
iOS and iPadOS 26: 2018 iPad Pro and up, 2019 iPad Air 3 and up, 2019 iPad Mini 5 and up, 2019 iPhone 11 and up, 2020 iPhone SE2 and up, 2020 iPad 8 and up.
iOS and iPadOS 27: 2018/2020 iPad Pro and up, 2019 iPhone 11 and up, 2020 iPhone SE2 and up, 2020 iPad Air 4 and up, 2021 iPad 9 and up, 2021 iPad Mini 6 and up.
iOS and iPadOS 28: 2020 iPhone 12 and up, 2020 iPad Air and up, 2021 iPad Pro and up, 2021 iPad Mini 5 and up, 2022 iPhone SE3 and up, 2022 iPad 10 and up.

Not only does this allow apples drop list to be significantly more balanced year over year, but it also gives the iPhone 11 7 full upgrades and eight years of support, not only the longest supported iPhones of all time, but also one year longer than what Google and Samsung have been promising the last couple years

 

[BSDnostalgia]

Just to be clear, the 9th Gen iPad has the A13 Bionic processor, 3 GB RAM, and 64 GB flash.
The SE3, however, has the A15 Bionic, a 16-core Neural Engine and 4 GB of RAM.

My 9th Gen iPad, with 64 GB flash, is struggling with iPadOS 26. I'm sorry I upgraded it. It "should" be supported for a while longer, but, unless they optimize 27 better than 26, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. They were selling them (on clearance) fairly recently at big box stores.

My SE3, with 128 GB flash, is doing fine. The SE3 also works fine with the current cell bands wherever I've used it. They were selling them up until a little more than a year ago. Support shouldn't be an issue for long time.

The iPhone 12, with the A14, seems to be at the inflection point, but, it does have 4 GB RAM and the neural engine. I assume Apple will support it through 2028, but, it sounds like not everyone is happy with iOS 26 on it? Seems like it should work.