Official iOS 17 news is still a few months out, with Apple expected to talk up the next major version of its phone software at WWDC 2023. However, as excitement builds for that iOS 17 preview, a lot of us have started to wonder what iPhones Apple will support going forward.
As is typical with Apple, we don't have confirmation on which iPhones will get iOS 17, but we can take a good guess. The iPhone 7 got cut off at iOS 15 and it was the last handset on the chopping block. The iPhone 8, released in 2017, was the oldest phone to still be able to run iOS 16.
Let's start with the obvious iPhones that are likely to support iOS 17.
iPhones sure to get iOS 17
The following iPhones are a no-brainer for iOS 17. Obviously, the models released in the last few years are sure to retain support, as will as the rumored iPhone 15 models.
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XR
- iPhone SE (2022)
- iPhone SE (2020)
Which iPhones may not make the cut?
Apple tends to keep iPhones around for about five years before dropping them off the list. For iOS 17, that would means the models released in 2017 are in danger of not being included among this year's supported devices.
It may seem like longer than five years and a half years, but the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X all launched in 2017. We strongly believe that these phones will not get iOS 17 due to their older chipsets likely not supporting the new features. They can't even use all of the goodies in iOS 16. (For instance, you need at least an iPhone XR to take advantage of features like Live Text in the latest iOS.)
iOS 17 outlook
Apple typically doesn't divulge which iPhones get dropped from the list of supported devices until it previews the new iOS version at its Worldwide Developers Conference; as of this writing, that's still about three months away.
But we feel pretty confident in saying that the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X will likely get axed this year. We don't expect to see the iPhone XS or iPhone XR face the chopping block just yet, since they support Live Text and Visual Look Up, two of the more advanced features in recent versions of iOS.
WWDC 2023 will likely happen this summer, possibly in June, and that's where we'll hear all about iOS 17 and its feature set. At that point, we'll know for certain which iPhones are in — and which ones will need an upgrade to a newer model.
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