iOS 19 and it's expected compatibility

 iOS 19 compatible expected iPhones, which could run it

 A recent report has indicated that the next generation of iOS won't be dropping any models and iPad users won't be so lucky also. Owning a phone is generally unavoidable these days, and part of that is making sure your device's software is up to date. However, phone makers can only support a device for so long, and with each subsequent new release, another phone or tablet is left by the wayside. In light of this, a recent report has given us a hint of what to expect from the next generation of Apple's software updates, including what will and won't be supported. As per reports available, iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models. The reports said that iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that is capable of running iOS 18, which would mean the following models:-

iPhone 16

iPhone 16 Plus

iPhone 16 Pro

iPhone 16 Pro Max

iPhone 15

iPhone 15 Plus

iPhone 15 Pro

iPhone 15 Pro Max

iPhone 14

iPhone 14 Plus

iPhone 14 Pro

iPhone 14 Pro Max

iPhone 13

iPhone 13 mini

iPhone 13 Pro

iPhone 13 Pro Max

iPhone 12

iPhone 12 mini

iPhone 12 Pro

iPhone 12 Pro Max

iPhone 11

iPhone 11 Pro

iPhone 11 Pro Max

iPhone XS

iPhone XS Max

iPhone XR

iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)

The oldest devices in that list are the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, all of which were released in Sep, 2018. Of course, some iOS 19 features will be unavailable on older iPhone models. The news comes from French website iPhonesoft, which claim an undisclosed source revealed which Apple devices will be in line for the next set of updates. Firstly, the good news: it appears that iOS 19 will be available for the majority of devices, from the iPhone XS to the iPhone 17 Pro Max. However, older phones likely won't have access to the majority of new features, with most of those likely being saved for at least the iPhone 15 Pro Max. If the report is accurate, it would be the second year in a row in which Apple did not drop support for any iPhone models with its major annual iOS release. iOS 18 is compatible with the same iPhone models as iOS 17 is.

However, it appears that the iPad won't be so lucky with the release of iPadOS 19. According to the report, the future update will supposedly require an A12 chip to function. As such, the iPad 7 and the iPad Pro 2017 (both of which use the A10 chip) will not be able to download the update. The update will only be available to the iPad mini 5, iPad 8th gen, third-gen iPad Airs, the 2018 iPad Pros and later. 17 dropped support for the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. There is slightly worse news for iPadOS 19, as the report said that update will drop support for the iPad 7 from 2019. Fortunately, the report said all other iPad models which can run iPadOS 18 will be compatible with iPadOS 19 next year.

There's still a lot we don't know about the next generation of iOS and iPadOS updates. However, they'll likely include more Apple Intelligence upgrades, hopefully, at a faster rate than the initial launch. However, with the release of iOS 18.2, Apple has made a big step with features like Visual intelligence and Genmoji. Apple Intelligence is also able to create summaries for the user, but that has recently come under fire for different reasons. The first iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 betas should be released during WWDC 2025 next June, and the updates are likely to be released in September. Not many iOS 19 features have been rumored yet, but Siri is expected to become more conversational like ChatGPT in a later iOS 19.4 update, which is likely to be released around March 2026. It should be noted that this news is from an unknown source, but it wouldn't be surprising to see some iPad models dropped. While your device will work without the latest updates, but it is always recommend trying to keep up to date to make sure you have all the relevant security updates.