Questionable report claims iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s won't support iOS 13

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iOS edited May 2019
The next major version of iOS won't work with the iPhone SE, the iPhone 6, nor older models, a supposed list of devices compatible with iOS 13 claims, but while two models of iPad apparently won't be supported with the release, the sixth generation iPod touch will receive the operating system update.




Apple periodically updates the list of devices that are compatible with iOS, removing older models and reducing the number of devices the company has to support with the software. For example, with iOS 10's release, Apple left the original iPad and the iPhone 4S in the cold while still allowing those using the A6 SoC and later versions to be updated.

According to a list from iPhoneSoft, reportedly sourced from a senior engineer at Apple who works on one of the teams associated with iOS 13, the newest version will not work with the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, nor the iPhone SE. On the compatible side, iPhone models from the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus and later will work with it.

For iPads, iOS 13 is said to not work with the iPad mini 2, but will be compatible with the iPad mini 3 and later. The original iPad Air reportedly won't be compatible, but the second-generation Air and all later iPad releases, including iPad Pro models, are slated to work fine.

The sixth-generation iPod touch with A8 processor will still reportedly be usable with iOS 13, with the belief that it is the last representative of the range, at least until a new model like the rumored seventh-generation version is released.

While the list is supposedly sourced from an Apple engineer, beyond just the iPod touch being supported and iPhones with the A8 cut off, there are other suggestions that it isn't accurate. For example, the iPhone SE is allegedly cut off from the OS, but it is still being manufactured in India, and has the same A9 processor as the iPhone 6s. The sixth-generation iPad from 2017 has the A9 as well. The iPhone 6s and the sixth-generation iPad are listed as being supported, something that is unusual considering Apple typically excludes devices based on processor generation.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 37
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,979member
    This mirrors a report I heard a few weeks back. Not that it makes it any more or less likely to be true mind you. But this isn't the first time the SE and the 6 have been mentioned as not getting 13.
  • Reply 2 of 37
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Well, then I’m glad we upgraded our iPhone 6’s to iPhone 8’s last year.
  • Reply 3 of 37
    ArianneFeldryArianneFeldry Posts: 62member
    I have my doubts. The SE gets support cut off, but not the 6S. This indicates it's not an issue with the SoC, because the 6S has the same SoC. Same with RAM. The SE has 2GB, as does the 6S series. It's definitely not an issue with screen size, because the 6 wouldn't be included either.

    Shitty report from a unverifiable source. Nothing more than that.
    chiachasmtyler82pscooter63netmage
  • Reply 4 of 37
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,979member
    The 5s is probable and I would not be surprised by the 6 and the 6Plus. The SE though, seems doubtful. As others have pointed out they are still making and selling the SE. Seems odd to have big sales on the SE in March and April and then cut off updates in September. 
    cornchipmuthuk_vanalingamcaladanianfirelocktyler82pscooter63netmagemattinozcrosslad
  • Reply 5 of 37
    frantisekfrantisek Posts: 761member
    iPhone SE would be surprising. As some noted it is still produced in India. There should be radical shift in iOS that would need cut both A8 and small screens. Hard to guess whether new rumored homescreen needs bugger display. Anyway we will see soon so it is good to postpone purchases or speed up sale of old gear.
  • Reply 6 of 37
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,412member
    frantisek said:
    iPhone SE would be surprising. As some noted it is still produced in India. There should be radical shift in iOS that would need cut both A8 and small screens. Hard to guess whether new rumored homescreen needs bugger display. Anyway we will see soon so it is good to postpone purchases or speed up sale of old gear.
    In addition, it was only recently discontinued in the US. They've never not supported a device that recent.
    cornchipnetmage
  • Reply 7 of 37
    frantisekfrantisek Posts: 761member
    It will be also interesting what models will Apple keep in offer after September. 3 new phones, XR, Xs XS Max, X, 8, Plus 8. Or they may cut 8 Plus?
  • Reply 8 of 37
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,924member
    The way it should work is once Apple stop selling A model, after one to two years, new IOS upgrade for that model stops. Keep it consistent so everyone knows when IOS upgrade stops for the models dropped from Apple's retail.
    edited May 2019 cornchipwilliamlondontyler82
  • Reply 9 of 37
    jcs2305jcs2305 Posts: 1,339member
    Rayer said:
    lkrupp said:
    Well, then I’m glad we upgraded our iPhone 6’s to iPhone 8’s last year.
    That right there (bold text) is enough evidence Apple's naming convention is stupid. Because the "small capital S" is just a lowercase "S" in appearance, you can't use proper grammar when referring to multiple iPhone 6 models without saying/writing like I just did because there is no way to know if I am referring to a single iPhone 6S (the correct way to spell it) or multiple iPhone 6s.
    I took it as they upgraded their phones from iPhone 6 to iPhone 8. As in more than one ( we upgraded )  iPhone 6 replaced by more than one iPhone 8.
  • Reply 10 of 37
    seanismorrisseanismorris Posts: 1,624member
    The report draws the line in the correct place (processor generation) but I’d be shocked if it happens with iOS 13.  Probably iOS 14...

    It feels like that generation might not get the “full” update, but security updates for years to come.  Apple really needs to keep support for 4 years after the phones are sold.  

    “The locally manufactured iPhone 6S will be exclusively sold in India. Just like its first locally produced iPhone SE, which is only available in India, the Made in India iPhone 6S handsets will be made available in the country only.”

    I don’t see Apple burning bridges in the India market.  I do think the vast majority of the phones still being made are iPhones 6S and later...

    With most of the iOS releases being performance related it shouldn’t be that difficult to keep the older models updated.  The things that won’t get support is Apple Arcade, but the people buying those older models probably don’t care.

    tyler82
  • Reply 11 of 37
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,954member
    Damn! I just upgraded wife & I to SE thinking it'd keep us current for a couple years. Hope this intel's incorrect!


    Rayer said:
    lkrupp said:
    Well, then I’m glad we upgraded our iPhone 6’s to iPhone 8’s last year.
    That right there (bold text) is enough evidence Apple's naming convention is stupid. Because the "small capital S" is just a lowercase "S" in appearance, you can't use proper grammar when referring to multiple iPhone 6 models without saying/writing like I just did because there is no way to know if I am referring to a single iPhone 6S (the correct way to spell it) or multiple iPhone 6s.


    This was figured out years ago. AFAIK it's "Two iPhones 6S".


    edited May 2019 n2itivguytyler82pscooter63
  • Reply 12 of 37
    tcphoto1@mac.com[email protected] Posts: 2unconfirmed, member
    I will gladly keep my iPhone 6 which is clean and runs well instead of spending $750-$1K on a new phone. After spending $300 on my mid tier model, I feel like I've got my monies worth but can't see paying 3x more for another iPhone.
    williamlondontyler82
  • Reply 13 of 37
    MetriacanthosaurusMetriacanthosaurus Posts: 880member
    cornchip said:
    Damn! I just upgraded wife & I to SE thinking it'd keep us current for a couple years. Hope this intel's incorrect!

    That's not an upgrade. You should have known better.
    n2itivguy
  • Reply 14 of 37
    MisterKitMisterKit Posts: 511member
    Even if older fringe models are technically supported they are often rendered useless after updating to the latest iOS version. It’s almost as if Apple realized iOS 12 would be EOL for some devices and this time decided not to leave us with a brick. I will certainly wait it out before updating some of my borderline devices to see how they are working in the field.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 15 of 37
    cincyteecincytee Posts: 419member
    cornchip said:
    Damn! I just upgraded wife & I to SE thinking it'd keep us current for a couple years. Hope this intel's incorrect!

    That's not an upgrade. You should have known better.
    Disagree. Wife got an SE when they were discontinued because she wanted a phone in a size she could actually hold. It came with iOS 12 in the box, and it would be exceptionally callous (and unusual) of Apple not to allow a single OS upgrade on it.
    edited May 2019 caladaniantyler82netmage
  • Reply 16 of 37
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    MisterKit said:
    Even if older fringe models are technically supported they are often rendered useless after updating to the latest iOS version. It’s almost as if Apple realized iOS 12 would be EOL for some devices and this time decided not to leave us with a brick. I will certainly wait it out before updating some of my borderline devices to see how they are working in the field.
    My 5s runs just fine on iOS 12. It’s slow, but it runs fine. Each update the 5s has received has perceptively slowed it down slightly from the previous version. I don’t think another update will render it unusable, but definitely much less desirable.

    That would not be the case of the SE. My SE perceptively runs no worse than it did new out of the box the month it was introduced. If an update slowed it down even as much as the 5s is currently running (and that would be a huge change), it wouldn’t begin to make the SE unusable.
    chiawilliamlondontyler82pscooter63netmage
  • Reply 17 of 37
    FatmanFatman Posts: 513member
    Phasing out the latest iOS support for products over 5 years is actually beneficial to the platform. Developers will push the boundaries using the latest software with less compromises and restrictions if the installed base has a certain minimum spec. The SE and 5s screen resolution is quite low by today's standards. The iphone 6 model is likely excluded due to performance limitations of the processor.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 18 of 37
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,565member
    Metriacanthosaurus said:
    cornchip said:
    Damn! I just upgraded wife & I to SE thinking it'd keep us current for a couple years. Hope this intel's incorrect!

    That's not an upgrade. You should have known better.
    That depends on what they had before. The iPhone SE is a little pocket rocket and punches well above it’s age.
    MisterKittyler82pscooter63netmagecrosslad
  • Reply 19 of 37
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    DAalseth said:
    As others have pointed out they are still making and selling the SE. Seems odd to have big sales on the SE in March and April and then cut off updates in September. 
    Where do they sell those new SEs? 

    Because I don't see any for sale on the Apple site.
  • Reply 20 of 37
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    And just speaking from a totally personal perspective, I hope that they don't cut support for the SE just yet.

    I use an SE, and I find it to be a great phone, and it still works smooth, fast and great. I could see myself using it for a few more years, especially if it's kept up to date with iOS 13.

    I can see them cutting off the 5S, that would make sense, but the SE is another story. I used to have a 5S and the SE is way more powerful and better suited for any new updates.
    edited May 2019 tyler82pscooter63netmage
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