iOS 16 was released on Monday, September 12, and iPadOS 16 arrived on Monday, October 24, bringing numerous new features on the way. But will your iPhone be able to take advantage of the update?
It’s bad news if your iPhone is older than the iPhone 8—Apple has ended support for the iPhone 7 and older, so you won’t be able to upgrade your iPhone software to iOS 16. But even if you have a newer iPhone, you still may not get the full iOS 16 experience.
Will my iPhone run iOS 16?
As Apple noted in the iOS 16 announcement, the new software is available as a update for iPhone 8 and later. These are the iPhone models that can get iOS 16:
- iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone X
- iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd-generation and later)
- iPhone 14
This means that the following phones that were supported by iOS 15, have now fallen off the list:
- iPhone 7, iPhoner 7 Plus
- iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone SE (1st-generation)
If your iPhone cannot run the latest iOS you should keep in mind that Apple does provide security updates for older versions of iOS. This means that Apple won’t stop support immediately for the iPhone 7 and older handsets, but they will stop receiving updates with the next couple of years, which means devices could be vulnerable to hacking.
We have details of every version of iOS ever, and the latest version of each here: iOS: Every version released so far.
Will my iPad run iPadOS 16?
Apple has announced that many of the same tablets that received iOS 15 will be able to get iOS 16:
- iPad Pro (all models)
- iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
- iPad (5th generation and later)
- iPad mini (5th generation and later)
iPadOS 16 drops support for the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4, which were released in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
What iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 features won’t work on older handsets?
There are a lot of new features that will require the A12 Bionic chip, which arrived with the iPhone XS. So if you have an iPhone 8, 8 Plus, or the iPhone X you’ll be missing out:
- Image editing (lift the subject out of a photo): iPhone XS or later
- Live Text in video: iPhone XS or later
- Live Captions: iPhone 11 or later
- Lock screen’s multilayered photo effect: iPhone XS or later
- Health (ability to track medication with the camera): iPhone XS or later
- Siri enhancements: iPhone XS or later
- Dictation improvements (insert an emoji with your voice): iPhone XS or later
- Detection Mode in Magnifier (ability to locate doors and people): iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro
- Depth-of-field improvements (blur foreground objects in portrait photos): iPhone 13 or later
- Visual Look Up (recognition of birds, insects, and statues): iPhone XS or later
Read more here: Here’s why your iPhone is missing some iOS 16 features.
Additionally, Stage Manager in iPadOS 16 will only run on iPad Pros with the A12X, A12Z, M1, and M2 chip, and the iPad Air with the M1 chip. Full external display support is only supported on the M-Series iPads as well. Plus, Magnifier Detection Mode and Door Detection and virtual memory swap are only available on the M1 iPads and later, and Reference Mode is only supported on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with an M1 processor or later.
This isn’t great news for owners of older handsets, but you’ll still get great features like the new Lock Screen and Messages editing. And besides, you can always use this as an excuse to buy a new iPhone. If you want to do that be sure to check out our best iPhone deals round up.
iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 features that aren’t available yet
If you were expecting a new feature and don’t find it on your iPhone after updating that doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t be coming to your iPhone. There are always a number of features that Apple initially announced that weren’t ready for the September launch day or iOS 16.1. These are the features we’re still waiting to get in a future update:
Emergency SOS via satellite
This is a feature of the iPhone 14 range that will let those phones connect to satellites in an emergency, but Apple says it will be “will be available with an iOS 16 software update coming in November 2022.”
Freeform
This new app that allows for collaborative projects isn’t included in iPadS 16.1.
Author: Karen Haslam, Editor
Macworld editor since 2008, Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld almost two decades ago.
Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple.