Older iPhones Left Out in the iOS 13 Upgrade Cycle

Yesterday, Apple unveiled iOS 13 features at their annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC).

iOS 13 comes with new features and tweaks where the most notable one is system wide dark mode. However, not every iPhone owner will enjoy iOS 13 as Apple has specified what iPhones will get the new update.

According to Apple, iOS 13 will be compatible with these devices:

• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XR
• iPhone X
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 6S Plus
• iPhone 6S 
• iPhone SE
• iPod Touch (the new one)

As you can see from the list, there are a number of iPhones that people still use to date that are conspicuously missing from the list. These include the the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. 

These are phones that were announced in 2013 and 2014 respectively and signify that they have reached their end of support lives, which is an impressive 5 years and 4 years respectively. The most surprising is the end of support for the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus which have been supported for the last 4 years, unlike the iPhone 5S which was supported for an impressive 5 years in a row. We would have expected Apple to support the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus for one more year but that is not the case anymore.

Although the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and the iPhone 5S are not getting iOS 13, it is still impressive that Apple manages to update its devices for that long. On the Android side of things, it is rare for devices to get 3 years of updates (Pixel phones come to mind) so Apple is doing a good job updating its older phones.