iOS 17 is coming later this year, and the first developer beta has already dropped at WWDC 2023. With that comes news of which devices will actually support the software update, and which ones will be left to wallow with iOS 16 for the remainder of their existence.
Despite rumors that every device running iOS 16 would support iOS 17, this isn’t going to be the case. In fact other rumors were right on the money, with Apple dropping the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus from the update cycle. These devices will continue to get iOS 16 updates, but they will be missing out on all the updates and features iOS 17 has to offer.
All three phones are almost six years old at this point, having launched back in 2017. That occasion marked 10 years since the release of the original iPhone, and the iPhone X marked a massive change in the phone’s design — with a full screen, Face ID, display notch and more expensive price tag.
Both iPhone 8 models were not such substantial upgrades, but they did offer an upgrade without the $999 starting price. Which is always helpful for those that need to upgrade and can’t afford to spend such a large amount on a smartphone.
We suspect there aren’t a lot of people rocking one of these three phones in 2023. But for those that are, it’s not like your devices are suddenly obsolete. Apple will still roll out security updates and bug fixes as and when they’re needed. You just won’t be getting the same regular updates as you would if you had, say, an iPhone Xs or iPhone SE 2020.
What iPhones will have iOS 17?
If you have an iPhone that launched in 2018 or later, then you will be getting iOS 17 when it arrives in a few months time. While we don’t know exactly when the new software will launch, just that it will arrive this fall. The new software usually arrives around the same time as a new iPhone.
There’s been no word on a specific date, but Apple is nothing if not predictable. Expect the iPhone 15 to launch in early to mid September, and IOS 17 to arrive soon after. The iPhone 15 series will, of course, come running iOS 17 right out of the box. But the following phones are confirmed to be getting the update:
These devices should all support the iOS beta when it’s available. That’ll be some time over the Summer for the public, though anyone with a developer account can update one of these devices to the beta right now.