Which iPhones are still running iOS 16? When does support end? Our analysis shows how long Apple is likely to provide updates for old iPhones.
With the iPhone, Apple is the absolute pioneer when it comes to long-term support for its own smartphones. No other manufacturer also provides its older smartphones with updates for so long and reliably. The current iOS 16 from 2022 still runs on iPhone 8 and X from 2017.
Apple: Exemplary with updates for the iPhone
Apple primarily benefits from two factors here: On the one hand, the manufacturer produces its A chipset itself and is therefore not dependent on the support of external partners. On the other hand, Apple has comparatively few smartphone models on offer, so that the effort for the development departments can be better managed.
This effort is worth it: the long-term supply of updates supports the value of iPhones on the used market. While many older Android models have no updates or only very late updates, iPhones promise security in this regard.
But there is no official update guarantee from Apple. Especially when it comes to buying older second-hand iPhones, many users are concerned with the question: How long will models like the iPhone 8, iPhone X or iPhone SE 2 continue to receive iOS updates?
iPhone: Up to six updates to new iOS generations
Since Apple has not officially made any detailed update promises like Samsung has, only a look into the past remains. Various conclusions can be drawn about the future from the update supply for previous iPhone models.
The following Statista graphic shows the historical overview of how long Apple has been providing older iPhone models with iOS updates. It becomes clear that Apple has repeatedly expanded its support over the years. Apple gives its smartphones up to six of the major annual iOS updates from the release date.
A look at all iPhones that have received the current update to iOS 16 reveals that Apple is currently supplying smartphones from 2017 with the iPhone 8 (Plus) and iPhone X with a new version of the operating system. iPhone 6 (Plus) and iPhone SE are now falling out of the scheme after six update cycles, as are iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, which only received five new iOS versions. A binding rule can still not be derived from Apple.
iPhone: Minor updates and patches even years later
However, this only affects the major feature update. Because Apple still delivers smaller updates after the major version updates – and sometimes even years later.
In 2019, for example, the manufacturer released a patch for iOS 9 to fix GPS problems. iOS 9, on the other hand, still runs on the iPhone 4S from 2011, which received a software update eight years after its launch. There are still patches for iOS 12 for the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6, most recently on iOS 12.5.6 in August 2022. Likewise, iOS 15 will continue to provide support with security updates. Simultaneously with iOS 16, iOS 15.7 was also released in September 2022.
Experience for future iOS updates
Based on the update history shown above, it can be roughly estimated how many updates the current iPhone generations will still receive. Since this information is only based on empirical values and Apple can decide differently at any time (as the example of the iPhone 7 shows), we cannot make any reliable promises. However, the estimates should still be able to help with purchasing decisions, as they show a clear trend with regard to the expected update security.
Our chronologically sorted list includes all iPhone models that currently support iOS 16. In addition, we state the year of publication, the probable year for the last iOS version update and the probable last iOS version counted. Smaller function updates or sub-versions are therefore available for a year longer until the next iOS version is due. All iPhones that are currently officially sold by Apple are shown in bold.
How long will my iPhone be updated?
- iPhone 14 / Plus / Pro / Pro Max: 2022 to ~2027, iOS 21
- iPhone SE (3rd generation): 2022 to ~2026, iOS 20
- iPhone 13 / mini / Pro / Pro Max: 2021 to ~2026, iOS 20
- iPhone 12 / mini / Pro / Pro Max: 2020 to ~2025, iOS 19
- iPhone SE (2nd generation): 2020 to ~2024, iOS 18
- iPhone 11: 2019 to ~2024, iOS 18
- iPhone 11 Pro/Max: 2019 to ~2024, iOS 18
- iPhone XR: 2018 to ~2023, iOS 17
- iPhone XS / XS Max: 2018 to ~2023, iOS 17
- iPhone X: 2017 to ~2022, iOS 16
- iPhone 8 / 8 Plus: 2017~2022, iOS 16
