iOS 16 Compatibility: Not Every iPhone Will Get It. Will Yours?

When Apple launches the iPhone 14 on Wednesday at its “Far Out” event (CNET’s live blog of the iPhone 14 reveal is already rolling), the new phone will undoubtedly come with Apple’s fresh iOS 16 software upgrade already installed. Following Apple’s yearly cycle, iOS 16 for compatible iPhones will also shortly roll out.

I’ve been playing with iOS 16 beta for months, and can tell you right now that features like unsending text messages and automatically removing people and objects from photos are early highlights. Apple is expected to reveal even more as it launches the iPhone 14.

Alas, not every existing iPhone will be compatible with Apple’s latest software — some owners simply won’t be able to install iOS 16, especially on older devices you may be hanging onto or have repurposed to use in other ways to give your old iPhone new life. We’ll walk you through what we know right now about iOS 16 compatibility for your iPhone once Apple makes the new software available to the general public. Also, here’s every new iPhone feature iOS 16 hints at so far, and how to bring back the battery percentage to your iPhone status bar using iOS 16.

Every iPhone model that will support iOS 16

The following iPhones will be compatible with iOS 16 after Apple makes the new software available for you to download.

• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone X
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 Mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 Mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (second generation and later)

It’s also expected that every model in the iPhone 14 series will run iOS 16 when it arrives.

Find out which iPhone model you have

Not sure which iPhone you own? You can easily figure out the model from within your settings to check if it will run iOS 16.

To find your iPhone model, launch the Settings app and go to General About. Next to Model Name, you should see what type of iPhone you own. Underneath that, you’ll see a Model Number, which you can use to find out more specifics about your model, such as capacity and year introduced, but that’s not necessary (only for iPhone SE) for checking whether your phone will support iOS 16 or not.

What happens to older iPhones like the iPhone 7 Plus?

Unfortunately, any iPhone older than the iPhone 8 will not support iOS 16, including the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Many people on Twitter were surprised by this, because many expected at least the iPhone 7 Plus to support iOS 16. Instead, the iPhone 7 series and some older models will only support up to iOS 15.

Will my iPad work with iOS 16?

Yes, the iPad has its own version of iOS 16 that’s known as iPadOS 16. This newest operating system will be supported on the following iPad models:

• iPad Mini (fifth generation and later)
• ‌iPad‌ (fifth generation and later)
• iPad Air (third generation and later)
• iPad Pro (all models)

Whether you’re going to keep your current iPhone or buy a new iPhone 14, here are 22 little known iPhone settings you should know about to make their phones faster, safer and more fun to use.