It's Sad, First Generation iPhone 6S, 7, and SE Can't Upgrade to iOS 16 - EMAK NEWS

As is tradition, Apple will always leave some of its old devices behind when it starts rolling out its newest operating system. But this news comes as a surprise to iPhone 7 users.

On June 6, 2022, Apple released details about iOS 16 at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), including which phones were eligible for the update and which were not.

To download iOS 16, users need at least iPhone 8 or later. This means that Apple has ended support for the first-generation iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, and iPhone SE. Initially, rumors circulated that the end of support for iOS 16 was only on the first generation iPhone 6s and SE and that it would still include the iPhone 7.

The iPhone 7 and SE were released in 2016, while the 6S was released in 2015, meaning they received nearly six and seven years of iOS software support, respectively. Receipt of upgrades over the past few years is considered quite impressive and a lot.

That's also longer than Android devices have access to software updates, although Samsung and Google have recently made significant strides in that regard. Their mid-range and flagship devices are now getting security updates for up to five years.

When iPadOS 16 releases, Apple will discontinue support for some devices, the iPad Mini 4 and iPad Air 2.

The iPad Mini 4 debuted in 2015 and the Air 2 was released in 2014. So the age of the two devices is also no longer young. However, Apple is still providing support up to iPadOS 15 for those two models.

Meanwhile, to use watchOS 9, users need an Apple Watch Series 4 or later. Apple Watch Series 3 users can still install watchOS 7 and watchOS 8, but some features aren't available.