Apple’s second biggest event, WWDC 2024, is just a few months away, and as always, everyone is curious about what the Cupertino-based tech giant will offer in the upcoming iOS 18. And more importantly, which iPhones will get the latest Apple update.
According to a fresh rumor originally reported by MacRumors, Apple may delay software support for older iPhones this year, with all devices running iOS 17 being upgraded to iOS 18.
According to this report, the following iPhone models are eligible for iOS 18:
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 SE (2022)
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 SE (2020)
iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR
What does this mean for your iPhone?
Updating to iOS 18 doesn’t necessarily guarantee that your iPhone will get all the latest features. Anyway, the oldest iPhone that could get an update is from 2018, and users were no longer expecting all the latest software options.
Apple may follow Samsung, OnePlus and Google, which means they are expected to invest more in AI improvements to bring new AI features and functions.
The American tech giant is most likely to take over the AI function from the Samsung unit to improve privacy, speed and availability of features.
These are the types of features that owners of older iPhones can probably check off their wish lists.
While Apple introduced its first Neural Engine (Apple’s marketing name for its NPU) with the iPhone X in 2017, these early generations lack the power needed to support these modern use cases.
A potential fix is that older smartphones will rely on off-device processing. However, this could be a trade-off that Apple doesn’t want to make, and it could also be a tactic to convince you to upgrade even though your iPhone is still officially supported.
We only have a few months until we know for sure, but the frequency and veracity of these rumors are increasing as the event approaches, so stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted on everything related to WWDC 2024.
In the meantime, we’ll have to wait to find out what’s sure to come. As WWDC 2024 approaches, the rumors will increase.