Apple just released the iPhone 16, as well as their software update iOS 18.
If you’re a bit unclear on what this all means to you as an iPhone owner, you’re not alone.
Read on for an unbelievably clear breakdown of the whole situation.
What are iOS upgrades and why do they matter?
Every September, Apple rolls out a major release of the software that powers your phone. These have new numbers associated with them: iOS 18, iOS 17, iOS 16 … you get the idea. The major versions contain new features designed to make your phone overall easier and more enjoyable to use. They also offer new functionality for app developers to make their apps more capable.
Between major releases, Apple also rolls out a series of minor releases (ie iOS 16.1, iOS 16.2 etc) which primarily fix bugs and patch any newly discovered security gaps.
Will my phone get iOS 18?
Because each major iOS upgrade requires more computing power, Apple usually removes one generation of iPhone to the list of devices that will receive the upgrade. Good news! This year, Apple didn't exclude any iPhones from upgrading to iOS 18.
Older phones already did not receive one of the previous major releases (see below for full breakdown) while the iPhone XR and newer generations will all be eligible to upgrade to iOS 18.
I own an iPhone X or an older generation of phone
As an owner of an older model iPhone, you are already (at least) two major operating systems ‘behind’: the iPhone X did not receive iOS17. One operating system behind is what we call the Goldilocks zone, we'll deep dive into this in the next paragraph but this year no phones are entering the Goldilocks zone.
On the security front, Apple has been (understandably) a bit cagey here, but it appears that they do not patch all security vulnerabilities for phones running operating systems more than one major release old (in this case iOS17).
Secondly, app developers will stop supporting your iOS version. This does not happen all at once, but as app developers release versions that take advantage of IOS17’s new features, they will drop support for older iOS versions. It all depends on the sophistication of the app in question, and developers’ commitment to supporting all potential customers, but many app developers will support iOS18 and iOS 17.
Apps that we expect to drop support for iOS16 in the coming months include: Gmail, Netflix, Chrome, Uber and Outlook.
For these two reasons, if you own an iPhone X or earlier model, we recommend upgrading your phone to an iPhone SE 2nd Gen, iPhone 11 or more recent model as those models will continue to receive software support for another 2 years.
What is the Goldilocks zone?
This is what we usually call phones that are one operating system behind. However, because all phones compatible with iOS 17 (the last iOS) are also compatible with iOS18, no phones have entered the Goldilocks zone this year.
iPhones in the Goldilocks zone don’t get incremental new features but are covered when it comes to the two most important considerations: 1) app compatibility 2) security.
App compatibility refers to the number of apps that still support your major iOS version. Many large app developers have a policy of supporting the current iOS version and the previous iOS release. So if you have an iPhone that's one generation behind, almost all of your apps should work flawlessly … until the new update rolls around next September.
Security refers to whether or not Apple is patching all known security vulnerabilities for your phone. Apple is a bit cagey about this, but our read is that — like the app developers — they are committed to supporting the current and one previous major iOS release. Older iOS versions should get some security updates, but they do not seem to guarantee coverage any further back.
A List of iPhone models and their latest major iOS version
iPhone: iOS3 (3.1.3)
iPhone 3G: iOS4 (4.2.1)
iPhone 3GS: iOS6 (6.16)
iPhone 4: iOS7 (7.1.2)
iPhone 4S: iOS9 (9.3.5)
iPhone 5: iOS10 (10.3.4)
iPhone 5C iOS10 (iOS10.3.4)
iPhone 5S iOS12 (12.5.5)
iPhone 6: iOS12 (12.5.5)
iPhone 6 Plus: iOS12 (12.5.5)
iPhone 6S: iOS15 (15.6)
iPhone 6S Plus: iOS15 (15.6)
iPhone SE 2016: iOS15 (15.6)
iPhone 7: iOS15 (15.6)
iPhone 7 Plus: iOS15 (15.6)
iPhone 8: iOS16
iPhone 8 Plus: iOS 16
iPhone X: iOS16
iPhone XR: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone XS: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone XS Max: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone SE 2020: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 11 Pro: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 11 Pro Max: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 12 Mini: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone SE 2022: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 12: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 12 Pro: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 12 Pro Max: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 13 Mini: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 13: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 13 Pro: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 13 Pro Max: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 14: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 14 Plus: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 14 Pro: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 14 Pro Max: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 15: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 15 Plus: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 15 Pro: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 15 Pro Max: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 16: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 16 Plus: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 16 Pro: iOS18 (latest available version)
iPhone 16 Pro Max: iOS18 (latest available version)
