Leak: iOS 19 probably available on fewer devices
iOS 19 hasn't been officially unveiled, but details are already out about which devices can use it — and which cannot. We're likely talking about three iPhones.
iPhone 16e: The device released in 2025 will of course get iOS 19.
(Image: Apple)
Most recently, Apple made it easy for iPhone users to switch operating systems: iOS 18, which was released in September 2024, also ran on all devices that supported iOS 17. With the transition to iOS 19, compatibility will apparently no longer be quite as broad. At least three iPhones that still “can” run iOS 18 will no longer be supported. At least that's what a leaker on X, who has been correct in the past, claims.
Three models plus one iPad
The anonymous person, whose information was reported by the Apple blog 9to5Mac this week, writes that the 2018 devices will not be iOS 19-capable. This means that Apple would have provided them with updates for a total of seven years. Accordingly, iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are affected. These are the successors to the iPhone X series from 2017, the first models with a full-size display and “notch” for the selfie camera and Face ID facial recognition.
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All three devices ran the A12 Bionic SoC. The XS and XS Max were the standard models, while the XR was the entry-level model (“budget flagship”) of the 12th iPhone generation. All iPhones from generation 11 onwards are supposedly still supported, plus the entry-level SE 2 and SE 3 models from 2020 and 2022. There are also said to be changes to iPadOS – The iPad 7 (September 2019) is supposedly no longer supported. It had the even older A10 Fusion chip.
Security updates last longer
It is unclear why Apple would cut the A10 Fusion or A12 Bionic. The company may believe that the devices are no longer fast enough for the expected iOS 19 redesign, aka “Solarium”.
However, there had previously been rumors to the contrary from the French Apple website iPhoneSoft. It said that iOS 19 would remain compatible with all devices that support iOS 18 – including XS, XS Max and XR. However, 9to5Mac points out that the X source was more often correct than iPhoneSoft. They had wrongly predicted the support of iOS 15 – two models did not lose support after all, despite claims to that effect. Apple is still releasing security updates for older iPhone models. However, these usually do not cover all existing gaps – these are only ever patched in the latest version.
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