In case you are pondering of shopping for an older technology or used iPhone, or questioning whether or not it’s price upgrading your present iPhone to a brand new one, one necessary issue to contemplate is how lengthy Apple will proceed to supply assist for that handset. The excellent news is that Apple helps iPhones for a very long time. Typically, you’ll get seven to eight years of software program updates, whereas battery and different repairs are sometimes obtainable on 5 to seven-year-old handsets, in line with Apple’s Classic and Out of date categorizations.
Learn on to search out out which iPhones are supported with the newest working techniques, and that are supported for servicing and repairs. We even have guides for getting a damaged iPhone mounted and how a lot Apple product repairs price.
How lengthy does Apple assist iOS?
As a normal rule, Apple doesn’t assure any size of time for updates. Nevertheless, consumers can anticipate not less than 5 years of iOS updates and 6 years of safety updates, although Apple recurrently goes past that. For instance, we anticipate the iPhone XS and XR to be dropped from assist when iOS 19 arrives in 2025, giving these telephones seven years of OS and safety updates.
The chart under exhibits every model of iOS and the iPhones it ran on. As you may see, lately assist for brand spanking new iOS variations has stretched again for round six years, whereas in case you embody the previous three variations, safety assist goes again an extra yr.
Foundry
Apple points safety updates for the present model of iOS and, normally, the 2 previous variations. For the reason that arrival of iOS 18 on September 16, 2024, we will anticipate safety updates for iOS 18, iOS 17 and iOS 16. Certainly, iOS 17 acquired a safety replace on the day iOS 18 was launched. (Notice: It’s doable Apple received’t proceed to replace iOS 17 as a result of iOS 18 is suitable with the identical telephones.) iOS 16 was final up to date on Augsut 7, 2024.
Occasionally Apple points necessary safety updates for iOS. It doesn’t concern an replace for each model of iOS although, which implies that some iPhones won’t get this repair for what could possibly be harmful vulnerabilities.
iPhone OS historical past
The primary iPhone, which launched in 2007, was in a position to run iPhone OS 3, which was supported by Apple up till 2010. The iPhone is taken into account out of date by Apple.
The iPhone 3G, which launched in 2008, was in a position to run iOS 4.0, which was itself supported till 2011. The iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS are thought-about out of date by Apple.
The size of assist elevated with the launch of the iPhone 4s in 2011. That cellphone was in a position to run working techniques all the way in which as much as iOS 9. Apple was nonetheless supporting iOS 9 in 2019 when it issued a GPS-related replace that July. The iPhones 4 and 4s are thought-about out of date by Apple.
The iPhone 5c runs iOS 10, which additionally acquired the GPS-related replace in July 2019. The iPhones 5 and 5c are thought-about out of date by Apple.
The iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 each run iOS 12, for which Apple issued a safety replace in January 2023. This replace was issued for these few units that don’t assist iOS 15. Apple is unlikely to proceed assist for iOS 12. These telephones are thought-about classic by Apple.
iOS 15, which arrived in September 2021, helps all iPhones from iPhone 6s onwards, simply as with iOS 14 and iOS 13. Each iOS 14 and 13 are thought-about out of date by Apple as a result of the identical telephones can run iOS 15. The iPhone 6s is already thought-about classic by Apple.
iOS 16, which arrived in September 2022 runs on all iPhones from the iPhone 8 onwards – however do observe that not all options can be found on the older handsets.
iOS 17 arrived in September 2023 and runs on all iPhones from the iPhone XS onwards – which means the iPhone X and iPhone 8 might be caught with iOS 16.
iOS 18 arrives on September 16, 2024, and, like iOS 17, will run on all iPhones from the iPhone XS onwards.
What’s the oldest iPhone nonetheless supported?
If the oldest model of iOS supported with common safety updates is iOS 17, the oldest iPhones supported by Apple would be the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. These telephones had been all launched six years in the past in 2018.
Which means the next iPhone fashions will not obtain common updates, although some fashions might sometimes get a important safety replace:
- iPhone X (2017)
- iPhone 8/8 Plus (2017)
- iPhone 7/7 Plus (2016)
- iPhone SE (2016)
- iPhone 6s/6s Plus (2014)
- iPhone 6/6 Plus (2014)
- iPhone 5s (2013)
- iPhone 5c (2013)
- iPhone 5 (2012)
- iPhone 4s (2011)
- iPhone 4 (2010)
- iPhone 3GS (2009)
- iPhone 3G (2008)
- iPhone (2007)
For extra info, see our record of each model of iOS.
IDG
When will Apple cease supporting every iPhone?
Fact is we don’t know for positive, however on the premise that Apple helps telephones for 5 to seven years after they’re faraway from sale:
- iPhone XS (2018-2019) – Approx 2024-2026
- iPhone XR (2018-2021) – Approx 2026-2028
- iPhone 11 (2019-2022) – Approx 2027-2029
- iPhone SE2 (2020-2022) – Approx 2027-2029
- iPhone 12 (2020-2023) – Approx 2028-2030
- iPhone 13 (2021) – Approx 2032
- iPhone SE3 (2022) – Approx 2033
- iPhone 14 (2022) – Approx 2034
- iPhone 15 (2023) – Approx 2035
- iPhone 16 (2024) – Approx 2036
It’s doable that the arrival of AI options and their requirement will imply that the older iPhones turn out to be out of date sooner.
When does Apple cease fixing iPhones?
Relating to repairs, Apple helps iPhones (and all units it makes) for seven years from the final time it bought that specific mannequin. So so long as your iPhone was nonetheless being bought by Apple as much as seven years in the past, the corporate or a third-party service supplier will nonetheless service it.
Apple states on its web site that “House owners of iPhone, iPad, iPod or Mac merchandise might get hold of a service and components from Apple or Apple service suppliers for 5 years after the product is not bought.” The next iPhones are thought-about Out of date, which implies gross sales had been discontinued greater than seven years in the past and Apple has now discontinued all {hardware} servicing.
- iPhone
- iPhone 3G
- iPhone 3GS
- iPhone 4 (sure fashions at the moment are out of date)
- iPhone 4s
- iPhone 5c (discontinued September 2013, out of date in 2021)
- iPhone 5S (discontinued in 2016, classic in 2021, out of date in 2024)
- iPhone 6 Plus (discontinued in 2016, classic in 2021, out of date in 2024)
- iPhone 6s (32GB) (discontinued in 2018, out of date in 2024)
- iPhone 6s Plus (32 GB) (discontinued in 2018, out of date in 2024)
And the iPhones under are listed as Classic, which implies they haven’t been bought for greater than 5 years (however lower than seven years). Apple will nonetheless service these merchandise so long as it has the required components.
- iPhone 4 8GB (discontinued in 2013, however bought in India till February 2014, more likely to be out of date very quickly)
- iPhone 5 (discontinued September 2013, more likely to turn out to be out of date quickly)
- iPhone 6 (discontinued in 2016, classic in 2021)
- iPhone 6s (16GB) (discontinued in 2016, classic in 2022)
- iPhone 6s Plus (16GB) (discontinued in 2018, classic in 2022)
- iPhone SE, 2016 (discontinued in 2018, classic in 2023)
- iPhone 8 (discontinued in 2020, classic in 2024)
- iPhone 8 Plus (discontinued in 2020, classic in 2024)
- iPhone X (discontinued in 2018, classic in 2024)
All iPhones that adopted these handsets must be supported by Apple.
You may additionally have an interest to study how lengthy Apple helps Macs and how lengthy Apple helps iPads.
Is your iPhone slipping into obscurity? Discover a nice deal on a brand new iPhone right here or verify the perfect costs under and try our round-up to decide on the Finest iPhone for you.
