If you are thinking of buying an older generation or used/refurbished iPhone, or wondering whether it’s worth upgrading your current iPhone to a new one, one important factor to consider is how long Apple will continue to offer support for that handset. The good news is that Apple supports iPhones for a long time. In general, you can get seven to eight years of security-related software updates, while battery and other repairs are often available on five to seven-year-old handsets, according to Apple’s own Vintage and Obsolete categorizations.
Read on to find out which iPhones are supported with the latest operating systems, and which are supported for servicing and repairs.
Macworld says: the iPhone XS and iPhone 11, and any older iPhone should be avoided as can’t run the 2025 iOS update: iOS 26.
How long does Apple support iOS?
As a general rule, Apple doesn’t guarantee that an iOS update will support devices for a particular length of time. However, buyers can expect at least five years of iOS updates, though Apple regularly goes beyond that.
With the arrival of iOS 26 the list of supported iPhones changes again. The iPhone XS and XR, which were introduced in 2018, will not be able to install iOS 26.
That doesn’t mean that those iPhones will no longer be supported by Apple though. From time to time, Apple issues important security updates for the current version of iOS as well as some preceding versions.
For this reason, Apple will continue to provide security updates for iPhones running iOS 18. In this case it is unlikely that Apple will issue updates to iOS 17 because when iOS 18 arrived in late 2024 it was compatible with the same iPhones as iOS 17 had been (the iPhone XS onwards) Apple may also end support for iOS 17 in favour of iOS 18.. The last update to iOS 17 was 17.7.2 in November 2024.
We don’t expect that Apple will continue to support iOS 16 or earlier, but a security update to iOS 16 (iOS 16.7.12) and iOS 15 (iOS 15.8.5) was issued on September 15, 2025, the same day as iOS 26 arrived, so it is possible that Apple will continue to support those versions for a little while longer. While iOS 15 is supported the 2014 iPhone 6s gets security updates. So that’s more than a decade of support!
You should be very cautious if using an iPhone that won’t receive these security fixes for what could be dangerous vulnerabilities. Since we can only guarantee that iOS 18 support will continue we would recommend that you should replace your iPhone if it can’t run iOS 18, which includes the iPhones X, 8 and 8 Plus and iPhones 7, 6S, 6S Plus and 1st gen SE.
Which iPhones run each version of iOS?
The chart below shows each version of iOS and the iPhones it ran on. As you can see, in recent years support for new iOS versions has stretched back for around six years, while, if you include the versions that Apple supports with security updates, the cover goes back a further year.
Find your iPhone here and check which versions of iOS it can run.
Foundry
iPhone OS history
The first iPhone, which launched in 2007, was able to run iPhone OS 3, which was supported by Apple up until 2010. The iPhone is considered obsolete by Apple.
The iPhone 3G, which launched in 2008, was able to run iOS 4.0, which was itself supported until 2011. The iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS are considered obsolete by Apple.
The length of support increased with the launch of the iPhone 4s in 2011. That phone was able to run operating systems all the way up to iOS 9. Apple was still supporting iOS 9 in 2019 when it issued a GPS-related update that July. The iPhones 4 and 4s are considered obsolete by Apple.
The iPhone 5c runs iOS 10, which also received the GPS-related update in July 2019. The iPhones 5 and 5c are considered obsolete by Apple.
The iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 both run iOS 12, for which Apple issued a security update in January 2023. This update was issued for those few devices that don’t support iOS 15. Apple is unlikely to continue support for iOS 12. These phones are considered vintage by Apple.
iOS 15, which arrived in September 2021, supports all iPhones from iPhone 6s onwards, just as with iOS 14 and iOS 13. Both iOS 14 and 13 are considered obsolete by Apple because the same phones can run iOS 15. The iPhone 6s is already considered ‘vintage’ by Apple.
iOS 16, which arrived in September 2022 runs on all iPhones from the iPhone 8 onwards – but do note that not all features are available on the older handsets.
iOS 17 arrived in September 2023 and runs on all iPhones from the iPhone XS onwards – meaning the iPhone X and iPhone 8 are stuck with iOS 16.
iOS 18 arrived on September 16, 2024, and, like iOS 17, runs on all iPhones from the iPhone XS onwards. (The same phones as iOS 17).
iOS 26 arrived in September 2025 and will run on all iPhones from the iPhone 11 onwards. Leaving the iPhone Xs and iPhone XR out in the cold.
What is the oldest iPhone still supported by Apple?
At the time of writing, the oldest version of iOS supported with security updates is iOS 15, thanks to the iOS 15 update in August 2025, that means the oldest iPhones ‘supported’ by Apple is the iPhone 6s. However, that handset is already considered ‘vintage’ by Apple.
Now that iOS 25 has arrived we expect that Apple will stop support for iOS 16 and iOS 15, which means the iPhone 8 and iPhone X will no longer receive emergency software updates.
We don’t recommend the following iPhone models because they no longer receive regular updates, though some models may occasionally get a critical security update:
- iPhone 11 (2019)
- iPhone XR (2018)
- iPhone Xs (2018)
- iPhone X (2017)
- iPhone 8/8 Plus (2017)
- iPhone 7/7 Plus (2016)
- iPhone SE (2016)
- iPhone 6s/6s Plus (2014)
- iPhone 6/6 Plus (2014)
- iPhone 5s (2013)
- iPhone 5c (2013)
- iPhone 5 (2012)
- iPhone 4s (2011)
- iPhone 4 (2010)
- iPhone 3GS (2009)
- iPhone 3G (2008)
- iPhone (2007)
For more information, see our list of every version of iOS.
IDG
When will Apple stop supporting each iPhone?
Truth is we don’t know for sure, but on the basis that Apple supports phones for five to seven years after they are removed from sale:
- iPhone XS (2018-2019) – Approx 2024-2026
- iPhone XR (2018-2021) – Approx 2026-2028
- iPhone 11 (2019-2022) – Approx 2027-2029
- iPhone SE2 (2020-2022) – Approx 2027-2029
- iPhone 12 (2020-2023) – Approx 2028-2030
- iPhone 13 (2021) – Approx 2032
- iPhone SE3 (2022) – Approx 2033
- iPhone 14 (2022) – Approx 2034
- iPhone 15 (2023) – Approx 2035
- iPhone 16 (2024) – Approx 2036
- iPhone 17 (2025) – Approx 2037
Apple Intelligence: With the arrival of Apple Intelligence AI features and their hardware requirements, the older iPhones are likely to become obsolete faster.
When does Apple stop fixing iPhones?
When it comes to repairs, Apple supports iPhones (and all devices it makes) for seven years from the last time it sold that particular model. So as long as your iPhone was still being sold by Apple up to seven years ago, the company or a third-party service provider will still service it.
Apple states on its website that “Owners of iPhone, iPad, iPod or Mac products may obtain a service and parts from Apple or Apple service providers for five years after the product is no longer sold.”
The following iPhones are considered Obsolete, which means sales were discontinued more than seven years ago and Apple has now discontinued all hardware servicing.
- iPhone
- iPhone 3G
- iPhone 3GS
- iPhone 4 (not all models are obsolete)
- iPhone 4s
- iPhone 5c (discontinued September 2013, obsolete in 2021)
- iPhone 5S (discontinued in 2016, vintage in 2021, obsolete in 2024)
- iPhone 6 (discontinued in 2016, vintage in 2021, obsolete in 2025)
- iPhone 6 Plus (discontinued in 2016, vintage in 2021, obsolete in 2024)
- iPhone 6s (32GB) (discontinued in 2018, obsolete in 2024)
- iPhone 6s Plus (32GB) (discontinued in 2018, obsolete in 2024)
And the iPhones below are listed as Vintage, which means they have not been sold for more than five years (but less than seven years). Apple will still service these products as long as it has the required parts. So you could say that the oldest iPhone still supported by Apple is the 8GB iPhone 4, but we don’t expect that Apple will have the required parts.
- iPhone 4 8GB (discontinued in 2013, but sold in India until February 2014, likely to be obsolete very soon)
- iPhone 5 (discontinued September 2013, likely to become obsolete soon)
- iPhone 6s (16GB, 64GB, 128GB) (discontinued in 2016, vintage in 2022)
- iPhone 6s Plus (16GB) (discontinued in 2018, vintage in 2022)
- iPhone SE, 2016 (discontinued in 2018, vintage in 2023)
- iPhone 8 (discontinued in 2020, vintage in 2024)
- iPhone 8 Plus (discontinued in 2020, vintage in 2024)
- iPhone X (discontinued in 2018, vintage in 2024)
- iPhone XS Max (discontinued in 2018, vintage in 2024)
All iPhones that followed those handsets should be supported by Apple.
You may also be interested to learn how long Apple supports Macs and how long Apple supports iPads. We also have guides for getting a broken iPhone fixed and how much Apple product repairs cost.
Is your iPhone slipping into obscurity? Find a great deal on a new iPhone here or check the best prices below and take a look at our round-up to choose the Best iPhone for you.
iPhone Air
iPhone 17
iPhone 17 Pro
Author: Karen Haslam, Managing Editor, Macworld
Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld more than two decades ago. Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Having edited the U.K. print and online editions of Macworld for many years, more recently her focus has been on SEO and evergreen content as well as product recommendations and buying advice.