iPhones That Lost Support With iOS 16

When Apple introduced iOS 16, it officially discontinued software support for several older smartphone generations, establishing a new hardware baseline for the operating system. This article details the specific iPhone models that were dropped with the release of iOS 16, explains why Apple ended support for these devices, and outlines what this cutoff means for owners of affected hardware.

iPhone Models Dropped by iOS 16

With the rollout of iOS 16 in September 2022, Apple discontinued major operating system upgrades for five iPhone models:

  • iPhone 6s (Released September 2015)
  • iPhone 6s Plus (Released September 2015)
  • iPhone SE (1st generation) (Released March 2016)
  • iPhone 7 (Released September 2016)
  • iPhone 7 Plus (Released September 2016)

While the iPhone 6s line and the original iPhone SE had already received an unusually long lifespan of nearly seven years of major updates, the exclusion of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus came as a surprise to many users, as it ended support after six years.

The Hardware Cutoff

iOS 16 set its minimum requirement at the Apple A11 Bionic chip. Devices powered by the A9 chip (iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, and original SE) and the A10 Fusion chip (iPhone 7 and 7 Plus) were excluded.

Apple cited hardware demands as the reason for dropping these devices. Features such as advanced lock screen customization, on-device machine learning capabilities (like Live Text in video), and background photo cutout tools required modern Neural Engine capabilities and higher processing power that the older chips could not reliably handle without degrading system performance and battery health.

Minimum Supported Devices for iOS 16

To install iOS 16, users required an iPhone 8 or later. The oldest supported devices for this release included:

  • iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
  • iPhone X
  • iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max
  • iPhone SE (2nd generation and later)

What This Means for Dropped Devices

The dropped models remain permanently capped at iOS 15. While these phones can no longer access new features introduced in iOS 16 or later operating systems, Apple has continued to provide occasional security updates to patch critical vulnerabilities on iOS 15. Over time, however, third-party app developers gradually deprecate support for iOS 15, meaning users with these devices will eventually face app incompatibility issues.