Quick Summary
Apple will reportedly drop support for older iPhones when iOS 19 is released later this year.
The iPhone XR, XS and XS Max handsets are said to be the devices at risk.
A new rumour says that owners of three older iPhone models are going to be disappointed with the launch of iOS 19 this year.
It claims that Apple will remove software support for the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max.
That won't render your iPhone obsolete overnight, because Apple continues to deliver security updates even when phones don't run the latest OS, but it might mean your phone isn't invited to the iOS 19 party. The same may apply to the 7th generation iPad from 2019, which the same leak (via 9to5Mac) says won't be getting iPadOS 19.
We're a few months away from the iOS 19 reveal, which as always will happen at Apple's WWDC conference in June, so none of this is official yet. And another report contradicts this one, so there's still a little confusion.
What iPhones will be able to get iOS 19?
9to5Mac states that the source of the latest information is a private, anonymous account on X. But it has previously leaked details of incoming software updates, and correctly reported the iOS 18 compatibility details before they were officially announced in 2024.
However, in December 2024, a different leaker said that all iPhone models currently capable of running iOS 18 would also be able to get iOS 19.
That leaker also has a good track record – although they did get it wrong when they predicted Apple would drop support for the iPhone 6S and iPhone SE in iOS 15.
So right now we have two different rumours saying two different things.
If 9to5Mac's source is indeed correct, then the oldest iPhone models to get iOS 19 will be the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, all of which were launched in 2019. Higher numbered iPhones, and the second and third generation iPhone SE, will also get the update.
We'll find out for sure this summer, with WWDC 2025 kicking off with the traditional opening keynote on 9 June.
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