A leak by an Apple insider has revealed which devices will be able to access the latest software updates – and it could be disappointing for some iPhone and iPad users.
The good news, according to a usually-reliable report from iPhoneSoft, is that any device which already has iOS 18 should be able to update to iOS 19 when it is unveiled next year.
That means anyone with an iPhone XS, iPhone XR or newer will still be able to access most of the new features alongside vital security updates.
Meanwhile, anybody still using an iPhone X and iPhone 8 will miss out as Apple drops support for these popular devices.
And even Apple fans with more recent devices might no longer have access to some of the most exciting developments.
Thanks to the huge computing demands of Apple Intelligence, Apple’s AI software, iPhones older than the iPhone 15 Pro won’t receive everything the update has to offer.
But it will be iPad users who are set for the biggest disappointment, as Apple pulls support for an extremely recent model.
According to the leak, the seventh-generation iPad won’t be upgraded to iOS 19 despite only being released in 2019.
After Apple products are released, they typically only receive software updates for a set number of years.
In the past, iPhone models have been able to use the most recent version of iOS for up to seven years after they are discontinued.
However, Apple has been gradually increasing the number of years it continues to offer support, making it harder to predict when a product will be dropped.
Although Apple has remained cagey with the details, the tech giant is expected to release iOS 19 around September 2025 following the yearly Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
According to this latest leak, the oldest iPhone model to be compatible with that update will now be the iPhone XS and XR, both released in 2018.
This shakes up earlier expert predictions which suggested that Apple wouldn’t keep supporting these older devices with the latest software.
Tech analysts from CCS Insight previously told MailOnline they expected iOS 18 to be the last major update for these models, with support ending in 2025.
However, this leak does confirm expectations that the older iPhone X and iPhone 8, both released in 2017, would lose software support.
Seven years after Apple discontinues a product it becomes officially regarded as obsolete which means that anyone still using these devices won’t be able to get them serviced or repaired.
Having been discontinued in 2018, both the iPhone X and iPhone 8 are on schedule to become obsolete next year, making it very unlikely that Apple will continue to support these devices.
Similarly, this leak suggests that all iPads currently able to run iPadOS 18 will be compatible with iOS19, with the exception of the seventh-generation iPad.
This iPad model, which was released in 2019, was the last version to use Apple’s A10 chip.
Due to the increased demands of new software features, it is believed that the minimum requirement to run iPadOS 19 is the A12 chip which wasn’t featured in an iPad until the eighth generation model in 2020.
Luckily, this means that every other iPad model should be able to run the latest operating system.
With iOS18 still receiving regular updates, Apple hasn’t hinted at much of what we can expect from iOS19.
If the company follows the same pattern as in previous years, we can expect to see developer previews of the software released in June 2025 with a public release to follow in September.
However, rumours already suggest that Apple might not have too many new features in store.
As reported by iPhoneSoft, one Apple insider claims they have ‘not started the slightest feature for the next operating system, which is a first for him.’
Likewise, veteran Apple analyst Mark Gurman has suggested that overrunning work on iOS18 hasn’t left enough time to get next year’s software ready.
Writing on X, Mr Gurman said: ‘I continue to hear that the gradual rollout of features across iOS 18 to iOS 18.4 is leading to delays of some features scheduled for iOS 19.
‘That will lead to a long term rollout of features next cycle as well. Engineers are stuck working on iOS 18 projects when they’d usually already be on to the following OS.’
That certainly seems to be likely given that a number of iOS18’s flagship features, such as on-screen awareness and personal context for Siri or personalised notifications on the lock screen, are still yet to be released.
But with almost a year until the expected launch of iOS19, it is still too early to predict what Apple could be preparing.
Apple has been contacted for comment.
