Which Devices Will iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 Support?

[Realityck]

Just to be clear, I was ignoring the other devices like Apple TV for the sake of the discussion.

Perhaps but tvOS is closely related to iOS/iPadOS software family. The App Store is separate, along with the apps used.

 

[alchemistmuffin]

I'm surprised we have not seen any major leaks of iOS 16 and iPad OS 16. WWDC is right around the corner. We will find out soon.

Apple tightened up the security around the campus. And if there is leak, Apple lawyer support team is basically read to go. Hence Gurman and other Forbes people really haven’t gotten straight source recently. Only from industrial rumors around tech industry. (Suppliers, etc)

No. A lot of A10 devices will continue to be supported in iOS 17, based on Apple's previous support practices.

Nope. A10 series is mostly finished at this point. Like Jobs said, “technology moves fast” Plans change from time to time and from looks of it, A10 and A9 series may get the axe from looks of it.

 

[EugW]

Nope. A10 series is mostly finished at this point. Like Jobs said, “technology moves fast” Plans change from time to time and from looks of it, A10 and A9 series may get the axe from looks of it.

Not a chance. A10 per se definitely won't get axed with iOS 16. Anyone that thinks it will hasn't followed Apple's previous OS support patterns closely. Or are you talking about iOS 17?

 

[klasma]

getting rid of the original SE allows them to stop optimizing the operating system for the 4 inch display

That’s actually not the case because the 4" resolution corresponds to the 4.7" iPhones with Display Zoom (and the 4" themselves don’t have Display Zoom). So dropping the 4" size makes only sense when also dropping the 4.7” size.

 

[EugW]

That’s actually not the case because the 4" resolution corresponds to the 4.7" iPhones with Display Zoom (and the 4" themselves don’t have Display Zoom). So dropping the 4" size makes only sense when also dropping the 4.7” size.

You're right, but it may be a moot point. They stopped truly fully optimizing for the 4" resolution / 4.7" with Zoomed Display a long time ago already. Default settings with certain native apps just don't look right at that resolution, and that's been true for years.

 

[Mr. Dee]

My wife still uses her series one Apple Watch everyday despite not being supported for a few years now. Does what she needs it to do and has no plans to upgrade.

I just might follow in her foot steps.

 

[klasma]

Oh, ditto with Windows. I won't update to a new major version of Windows until I just get a new PC.

This is a tangent, but the problem with Windows is that nowadays PCs tend to last longer than a given Windows version is getting updates. I.e. Windows 10 will become EOL in 2025 while most PCs running it now will still be fine by then.

 

[klasma]

I don’t think Apple is ready to throw the Intel version of iTunes version under the bus yet but that day is coming soon.

You can use alternative software like iMazing, so that wouldn’t necessarily be a showstopper.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

It’s great, a company dropping security updates for devices in the middle of a chip shortage and economic crisis. Devices that people need to participate in modern society. Maybe we shouldn’t give one corporation so much reverence and control over our lives?

To start with, this article is literally nothing but speculation. Apple hasn’t announced anything.
For all we know, there is no iOS 16. We really don’t know until Apple says so.
But moving back to realism for a second, even if Apple did the worst case scenario and cut off everything until, say, the A12, they still provide security updates for the previous versions of their operating systems for years to come.
iOS 12 still gets security updates to this day. They are not very frequent but they do happen. Even iOS 10 got a security update a couple years ago over three years after it was superseded.
macOS is a little different, but generally they usually support the previous two versions of the operating system with security updates, while every once in a while giving very old versions updates if absolutely necessary.

 

[klasma]

I wish they would, though. I have the mini 4 and it’s already sluggish on iOS 15. Don’t really see the value of “supporting” older devices if all it does is make them less useable.

The cynical take would be that’s by design, but I’d like to believe apple is not malicious enough to intentionally slow down older devices. And yet that’s exactly what happens when they support 5+ year old devices with the latest version of iOS.

While I’m not a fan of the sluggishness either, it at least gives people the choice between sluggishness and not getting security updates. They should allow OS downgrades for a longer period on performance-challenged devices though.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Nope. A10 series is mostly finished at this point. Like Jobs said, “technology moves fast” Plans change from time to time and from looks of it, A10 and A9 series may get the axe from looks of it.

you said “from looks of it” twice. But my question is, from looks of what?
This article?
This article knows nothing, it’s pure speculation.
Now as for A10 and 2GB of ram, let’s look at this logically.
The A10 was used in…
iPhone 7 and 7+: introduced September 2016
iPad 6th generation: introduced March 2018
iPod Touch 7th generation: introduced May 2019
iPad 7th generation: introduced September 2019.
Piling these devices on top of the list of A8 and A9 Devices that might be getting the cut, keeping in mind that the iPhone 8 also only had 2 GB of RAM, and you have one ginormous list of products that would be losing support.
iPad Air2, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S+, iPad Mini 4, iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone SE1, iPhone 7, iPhone 7+, iPad 5, iPhone 8, iPad 6, iPod Touch 7 and iPad 7
Now just think about that for a second. Would Apple really, really drop 13 devices from a support list all at the same time? When one of those devices (iPad 7) was introduced literally right before the pandemic, so got tons of purchases during the pandemic from tons of different educational and workplace related institutions and organizations for at home use?
Of course not, let’s think realistic.
A8 and A9 Devices will likely get cut. The iPod touch, which has a dramatically underclocked A10, could also easily be cut due to how underclocked it is (only 1.64ghz) vs every other A10 device above 2.3.
That cuts down the cut off list to:
iPad Air2, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S+, iPad Mini 4, iPhone SE, iPad 5, iPod Touch 7.
That’s seven devices. A lot more realistic than 13

 

[0924487]

iPhone 8 has 2GB RAM and it is suffering badly on iOS 15.

iPad Pro 10.5 has 4GB RAM and it is not holding up to what is required for iOS 15.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Another example is the Apple TV HD (A8), been wondering how long that will hang on.

The Apple TV isn’t like an iPhone or iPad.
It has a lot less things to do, there’s less multitasking and app switching, apps are not the same as iOS, the interface is different, so it really doesn’t need to be cut off.
It’s always been that way, the old A4 and A5 Apple TV’s were cut off from software support long after their iPhone and iPad counterparts.
Also important to remember that the HomePod mini also runs tvOS, and it doesn’t even have an “A” series processor.

 

[Realityck]

The Apple TV isn’t like an iPhone or iPad.
It has a lot less things to do, there’s less multitasking and app switching, apps are not the same as iOS, the interface is different, so it really doesn’t need to be cut off.
It’s always been that way, the old A4 and A5 Apple TV’s were cut off from software support long after their iPhone and iPad counterparts.
Also important to remember that the HomePod mini also runs tvOS, and it doesn’t even have an “A” series processor.

I'm just saying if they cut the A8 support with iOS/IPadOS for iOS/iPadOS 16 then its likely it will copy to tvOS 16 also.

 

[EugW]

iPad Pro 10.5 has 4GB RAM and it is not holding up to what is required for iOS 15.

? iPad Pro 10.5 performance is totally fine IMO for basic mainstream usage.

The main reason I'd upgrade from my iPP 10.5 is to get an OLED display. That means I'll likely have this machine for a couple more years at least, which is totally fine by me from a performance standpoint. Maybe if I was running Adobe apps and other pro creative apps off it, I wouldn't be so happy with it, but that's a different discussion.

 

[ackmondual]

This is a tangent, but the problem with Windows is that nowadays PCs tend to last longer than a given Windows version is getting updates. I.e. Windows 10 will become EOL in 2025 while most PCs running it now will still be fine by then.

Yeah, I got a new PC in 2021. When that moment comes, I'll have to deal with that and see what my options are then. Otherwise, if it was purchased earlier, it was more likely to reach its natural lifespan anyways

 

[EugW]

I was looking through the iPhone list again, and while I think the iPhone 6s/6s+ along with iPhone SE (1st gen) could get cut, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple just decides to support all of them for another year. These three phones were all available for sale from Apple until 2018.

As mentioned, there is no chance the iPhone 7 will get cut. 2 GB simply doesn't make sense as a cutoff. As mentioned by others in this thread, iPhone 8 with A11 also only has 2 GB.

 

[Homme]

To the OP, They won’t get rid of 2GB of RAM devices if the Apple TV HD Dosent get discontinued before WWDC. Don’t forget that that device is still being sold with a A8 processor and the last device to be sold with 2GB RAM. And despite that running tvOS, it’s pretty much derived from iOS as a whole

And also both iPad Mini 4 and Apple TV HD share the same SoC so if the tv hd is still in production post WWDC there is no denying all iOS/iPadOS devices will get the next update

But of course people are forgetting that device is still in production and sold

 

[Homme]

I wonder what will happen with the 4th gen Apple TV? It's still being sold and as an appliance you'd expect it to have a long support lifecycle. The continued support of the 4th gen Apple TV with it's A8 and 2GB of RAM and the commonality between tvOS and iOS/iPadOS is likely part of the reason why other A8 devices with 2GB of RAM, namely the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4, have hung around so long. If Apple continues to support the still selling 4th gen Apple TV in tvOS 16, they may be willing to continue putting in the incremental work needed to support the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4 in iPadOS, which means no devices will be dropped.

Thank god someone who has sense besides me mentions the Apple TV HD part

I also wrote a thread last year on why A8/A8X/A9 devices will get iOS/iPadOS 15 and many people didn’t believe me when I mentioned Apple TV HD.

And yet here we are now

 

[0924487]

? iPad Pro 10.5 performance is totally fine IMO for basic mainstream usage.

The main reason I'd upgrade from my iPP 10.5 is to get an OLED display. That means I'll likely have this machine for a couple more years at least, which is totally fine by me from a performance standpoint. Maybe if I was running Adobe apps and other pro creative apps off it, I wouldn't be so happy with it, but that's a different discussion.

It's not fine if you use GoodNotes, etc., and constantly flipping through different apps or use multiple apps side-by-side. The CPU speed and thermal are the limiting factors here, not RAM in most cases. Considering the M1 equivalent model is more than 3 times faster than this model, it's not a surprise. If you are just using it as a media consumption tablet, then it's obviously going to be fine for at least 3 more years.

 

[EugW]

It's not fine if you use GoodNotes, etc., and constantly flipping through different apps or use multiple apps side-by-side. The CPU speed and thermal are the limiting factors here, not RAM in most cases. Considering the M1 equivalent model is more than 3 times faster than this model, it's not a surprise. If you are just using it as a media consumption tablet, then it's obviously going to be fine for at least 3 more years.

I understand what you mean, but that is a different thing that what we're really discussing here. iOS 16 would run fine on an iPad Pro 10.5 and it would run most mainstream apps fine too. More resource intensive apps like you describe might be too much for it especially for your preferences, but that wouldn't really be a good reason for Apple not to update its OS.

You just need a more powerful machine, regardless if it's running iPadOS 15 or iPadOS 16.

 

[fearless22]

For me this would be the probabilities of devices being dropped:

0. Same compatibility as iOS 15

1.
iPad mini 4 - A8 + 2GB
iPad Air 2 - A8X + 2GB
- This devices would be the first to dropped since they are the only A8-powered ones, and are getting slower each day and the Air has even been declared Vintage

2.
SE (1st gen.) - A9 + 2GB
iPhone 6s - A9 +2 GB
iPhone 6s Plus - A9 + 2GB
iPad (5th gen.) - A9 + 2GB
iPad Pro 9.7-in. - A9X + 2GB
- It wouldn't be surprising if Apple is finally dropping iPhones (since the last time in iOS 13)

3A.
iPad Pro 12.9-in. (1st gen.) - A9X + 4GB
- It's a huge mystery which priority will Apple give to specs, since this model has an old A9X chip compared to the A13 Bionic in current regular iPad. But regular iPad still has just 3GB of RAM, less than this model, so this models faith is (in my opinion) the most unpredictable of the entire lineup

3B.
iPod touch (7th gen.) - A10 Fusion + 2GB
iPhone 7 - A10 Fusion + 2GB
iPad (6th gen.) - A10 Fusion + 2GB
- Here thing become much more less likely. But now that the software needs to improve for a real usage of 5nm processors' power (A14, A15, M1), this devices have anything for sure

4A.
iPhone 7 Plus - A10 Fusion + 3GB
iPad (7th gen.) - A10 Fusion + 3GB
- Less likely to happen, since this iPad model has only received 2 updates.

4B.
iPhone 8 - A11 Bionic + 2GB
- Just if the system is getting a massive revolution and simply 2GB of RAM aren't enough for that.

5A.
iPad Pro 10.5-in. - A10X Fusion + 4GB
iPad Pro 12.9-in. (2nd gen.) - A10X Fusion + 4GB
- Least likely to happen. Would mean the unsupported device main criteria is going to be chip-generation rather than anything else.

5B.
iPhone 8 Plus - A11 Bionic + 3GB
iPhone X - A11 Bionic + 3GB
- This would be the wildest of all. but not unthinkable since his iPhones have already had the same years of support as iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Anyway, almost impossible.

--------------------

The devices that for sure are getting the update would be:
iPhone XR - A12 Bionic + 3GB
iPad mini (5th gen.) - A12 Bionic + 3GB
iPad (8th gen.) - A12 Bionic + 3GB
iPad Air (3rd gen.) - A12 Bionic + 3GB
iPhone Xs - A12 Bionic + 4GB
iPhone Xs Max - A12 Bionic + 4GB
iPad Pro 11-in. (1st gen.) - A12X Bionic + 4GB/6GB
iPad Pro 12.9-in (3rd gen.) - A12X Bionic + 4GB/6GB
iPad Pro 11-in. (2nd gen.) - A12Z Bionic + 6GB
iPad Pro 12.9-in (4th gen.) - A12Z Bionic + 6GB
iPhone SE (2nd gen.) - A13 Bionic + 3GB
iPad (9th gen.) - A13 Bionic + 3GB
iPhone 11 - A13 Bionic + 4GB
iPhone 11 Pro - A13 Bionic + 4GB
iPhone 11 Pro Max - A13 Bionic + 4GB
iPhone 12 mini - A14 Bionic + 4GB
iPhone 12 - A14 Bionic + 4GB
iPad Air (4th gen.) - A14 Bionic + 4GB
iPhone 12 Pro - A14 Bionic + 6GB
iPhone 12 Pro Max - A14 Bionic + 6GB
iPhone SE (3rd gen.) - A15 Bionic + 4GB
iPhone 13 mini - A15 Bionic + 4GB
iPhone 13 - A15 Bionic + 4GB
iPad mini (6th gen.) - A15 Bionic + 4GB
iPhone 13 Pro - A15 Bionic + 6GB
iPhone 13 Pro Max - A15 Bionic + 6GB
iPad Air (5th gen.) - M1 + 8GB
iPad Pro 11-in. (3rd gen.) - M1 + 8GB/16GB
iPad Pro 12.9-in. (5th gen.) - M1 + 8GB/16GB

 

[EugW]

For me this would be the probabilities of devices being dropped:

0. Same compatibility as iOS 15

1.
iPad mini 4 - A8 + 2GB
iPad Air 2 - A8X + 2GB
- This devices would be the first to dropped since they are the only A8-powered ones, and are getting slower each day and the Air has even been declared Vintage

2.
SE (1st gen.) - A9 + 2GB
iPhone 6s - A9 +2 GB
iPhone 6s Plus - A9 + 2GB
iPad (5th gen.) - A9 + 2GB
iPad Pro 9.7-in. - A9X + 2GB
- It wouldn't be surprising if Apple is finally dropping iPhones (since the last time in iOS 13)

3A.
iPad Pro 12.9-in. (1st gen.) - A9X + 4GB
- It's a huge mystery which priority will Apple give to specs, since this model has an old A9X chip compared to the A13 Bionic in current regular iPad. But regular iPad still has just 3GB of RAM, less than this model, so this models faith is (in my opinion) the most unpredictable of the entire lineup

3B.
iPod touch (7th gen.) - A10 Bionic + 2GB
iPhone 7 - A10 Bionic + 2GB
iPad (6th gen.) - A10 Bionic + 2GB
- Here thing become much more less likely. But now that the software needs to improve for a real usage of 5nm processors' power (A14, A15, M1), this devices have anything for sure

4A.
iPhone 7 Plus - A10 Bionic + 3GB
iPad (7th gen.)

4B.
iPhone 8 - A11 Bionic + 2GB
- Not likely to happen. Just if the system is getting a massive revolution and simply 2GB of RAM aren't enough for that.

5.
iPad Pro 10.5-in.
iPad Pro 12.9-in. (2nd gen.)

IMO, the iPad Pro 9.7 and the iPad Pro 12.9 (1st gen) would be dropped at the same time. As mentioned, I don't think the 2 GB RAM on the 9.7 is going to be the main factor here.

Similarly, IMO the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be dropped at the same time (and not this year).

 

[0924487]

I understand what you mean, but that is a different thing that what we're really discussing here. iOS 16 would run fine on an iPad Pro 10.5 and it would run most mainstream apps fine too. More resource intensive apps like you describe might be too much for it especially for your preferences, but that wouldn't really be a good reason for Apple not to update its OS.

You just need a more powerful machine, regardless if it's running iPadOS 15 or iPadOS 16.

I think iPadOS 17 would be the last OS this device is going to get full support on.

 

[Bustycat]

iPadOS 15 runs terribly on my iPad (6th generation). If it can get iPadOS 16 or later, that iPad will be really troublesome like Apple Watch Series 3.