While Google, Samsung, and other Android phone makers make grand proclamations about how long their phones will receive operating system updates, Apple doesn’t offer the same guarantees. No matter: a new report claims that iOS 19 will support the same phones as iOS 18, extending the shelf life of the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max by an incredible seven years.
When iOS 17 dropped support for the iPhone X, it looked like subsequent models would follow suit. However, iOS 18 retained support for the same phones (XR/XS and later) despite the launch of spec-demanding Apple Intelligence. Now, a new report claims that iOS 19 will have the same compatibility list, a remarkable two years since the last iPhone model was discontinued.
The rumor comes from the French-speaking site iPhoneSoft, which has a solid history of compatibility predictions. If accurate, that means the iPhone XS/XS/XS Max will get OS updates until at least August 2025, almost eight years after its September 2018 launch. of security updates once full support drops and you’re looking at nearly a decade of updates for a $749 phone.
iPhoneSoft also reports that Apple will drop support for the 7th generation iPad, released in 2019. This model uses an A10 Fusion processor, which is two generations older than the A12 Bionic in the iPhone XR. We don’t expect Apple Intelligence requirements to change with iOS 19.
Apple is expected to preview iOS 19 at WWDC 2025 in June before making the update public in September.
