Every year, Apple releases a major OS upgrade to its iOS software, bringing some of the biggest changes and new features that amplify the experience of the latest iPhones. At WWDC 2019 this June, Apple will announce iOS 13 and offer a detailed look at the latest mobile OS upgrade along with the list of supported devices, which piques the interest of existing iPhone owners.
Last year's iOS 12 supported every iPhone and iPad that ran iOS 11, which is one of the biggest reasons why Apple's software update policy is widely appreciated. But things could be changing soon as a rumour from iPhonesoft.fr suggests iOS 13 won't support all the iPhones running iOS 12, cutting off several popular models that are still hot sellers in markets like India.
According to the report, iOS 13 won't support iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 5s, iPad Mini 2, and the original iPad Air. This could be a major disappointment for a lot of iPhone users who haven't upgraded over the years. One of the tipping reasons is the mounting prices of the latest iPhones, which has either kept users from upgrading to newer iPhones or buy older iPhones to save cash.
This could be Apple's way of pushing older iPhone users towards newer models. The iPhone 6-series was released back in 2014 and were the biggest sellers of the generation. But it's shocking to see Apple discontinue support for iPhone SE as the handset is only three years old. The reason behind it could be the 4-inch display and iOS 13 might not be optimised for smaller screens anymore.
This also means all the iPhones launched after 2015 will be supported for iOS 13 upgrade. They include iPhone 6s-series, iPhone 7-series, iPhone 8-series, iPhone X-series and iPhone XS-series. Naturally, the upcoming iPhone 11-series launching in September this year will be the first iPhones to support the latest iOS.
Apple iOS 13 is going to enhance the user experience on iPhones and iPads. The biggest changes expected in the upcoming mobile OS upgrade include system-wide dark mode, new volume HUD, redesigned animations and interface changes. There will also be some keyboard gestures for typing and deeper multi-tasking functions for iPads.
Even though this is the first indication of older iPhones being stripped off iOS 13 support, there's still some hope for users as this is not the official word from the maker of iOS. Nothing is concrete until Apple confirms that this indeed is true, so don't upgrade your iPhones just yet if you're not planning to.
