iOS 13 might work on a lot fewer iPhones than iOS 12. An Israeli site claims that Apple will only support the devices from the iPhone 6S or iPhone 7 and newer.
‘iOS 13 support falls away for iPhone 5S, SE and 6’
According to The Verifier, Apple plans not to provide the iPhone 5S, iPhone SE, 6, 6 Plus and possibly even the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus with an iOS 13 update. A remarkable rumor, because all these iPhones are currently running on iOS 12.
It is unclear how or via whom the Israeli source came to this information, so it is to be seen to what extent this is correct. The site does state that it is ‘doubtful’ whether the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are also excluded from iOS 13.
Yet Apple would then put off three generations of iPhones in one blow. That is at odds with Tim Cook’s statements that people are doing their iPhone for longer now, and Apple supports this by offering long software updates.
A more logical step from Apple would, therefore, be to only exclude the iPhone 5S from iOS 13. The company from Cupertino has known for years that the older iPhones still provide software updates for years.
Not only would Apple no longer support multiple devices, but some iOS 13 features would also be exclusive to the newer iPhones. This would enable Apple to ‘upgrade as many users as possible to the latest models’. This could simply mean improvements to, for example, the Portrait mode, which is only available on iPhones with a dual camera and the iPhone XR.
More iPads may also lose support
In addition to the various iPhones that no longer receive updates according to the sources of the website, several iPads would also have to pay for it. The iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad Air, iPad Air 2 and maybe even the iPad mini 4 would not get an iOS 13 update.
Even though these iPads are currently still running on iOS 12, again it would be a surprisingly long list for Apple to stop supporting. The latest generation iPod touch also loses software support, but this year we expect a new iPod touch and iPad mini 2019.
Apple traditionally presents iOS 13 at the WWDC in June. Until then, there will undoubtedly be more rumors about iOS 13 features and support, but it remains to be seen what Apple actually intends.
