Apple constantly updates its operating system to offer better performance, security, and features to its users. However, with each new update, older devices may start to struggle to keep up. If you’re someone who’s still using an older iOS device, you may wonder what versions of iOS are still usable and supported. In this article, we’ll explore your options.
iOS 14
The latest version of iOS is iOS 14, which was released in September 2020. iOS 14 offers many new features and improvements, but not all devices are eligible to upgrade to this version. If you have an iPhone 6 or older, unfortunately, your device is not compatible with iOS 14.
iOS 13
If you have an iPhone 6S or newer, you can upgrade to iOS 13. This version of iOS was released in September 2019 and continues to receive software updates. iOS 13 offers new features such as Dark Mode, improved photo and video editing tools, and enhanced privacy settings.
Here’s a table that shows which devices are compatible with iOS 13:
| Device | Compatible with iOS 13? |
|---|---|
| iPhone 6S | Yes |
| iPhone SE (1st generation) | Yes |
| iPhone 7 | Yes |
| iPhone 8 | Yes |
| iPhone X | Yes |
| iPhone XR | Yes |
| iPhone XS | Yes |
| iPhone 11 | Yes |
| iPod touch (7th generation) | Yes |
iOS 12
If you have an iPhone 5S or newer, you can upgrade to iOS 12. This version of iOS was released in September 2018 and continues to receive security updates. iOS 12 offers improvements to performance, battery life, and stability.
Here’s a list of devices that are compatible with iOS 12:
- iPhone 5S
- iPhone 6/6 Plus
- iPhone 6S/6S Plus
- iPhone SE (1st generation)
- iPod touch (6th generation)
iOS 11 and Earlier
If you have an iPhone 5 or older, your device is not compatible with iOS 12 or newer. However, you can still use iOS 11 or earlier versions of iOS. These older versions may not receive software updates anymore and may not support all the latest apps and features, but they can still be usable for basic tasks.
Conclusion
Depending on the age of your iOS device, you may be able to upgrade to iOS 13 or 12 to enjoy the latest features and improvements. If your device is too old to support these versions, you can still use iOS 11 or earlier versions, but you may experience limitations. It’s important to stay aware of the compatibility of your device with the latest versions of iOS to make informed decisions about when to upgrade.