iOS 19 Eligibility: Which iPhones Will Be Supported Next Year?

While Apple is currently rolling out updates for iOS 18 and will continue to do so for several more months, discussions regarding iOS 19 are already underway. Long-time readers of PhoneArena understand that it's never too early to speculate about future software and hardware. For iPhone users, the most pressing question isn't just what new features iOS 19 will bring, but whether their current devices will be compatible with the upcoming update.

According to a report from the French website iPhoneSoft, any iPhone that is eligible for an update to iOS 18 (or is already running iOS 18) will also support iOS 19. In simpler terms, if your iPhone supports iOS 18, it should be able to upgrade to iOS 19 as well. Although some older devices may not support all the new features of iOS 19, this is a common issue with updates.

Should this information hold true, the oldest iPhone models slated to receive iOS 19 by September next year are the iPhone XS, XS Max, and iPhone XR, all of which were released in 2018. Unfortunately for iPad users, older models may not be as fortunate, as reports indicate the seventh-generation iPad, which launched in 2019 and operates on the A10 chip, will not receive an update to iPadOS 19.

Developer previews for both iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 are expected to be unveiled during WWDC 2025 in June, with the stable release of both operating systems set for next September. Earlier insights from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman indicated that iOS 19 may follow a staggered release pattern similar to the updates seen in iOS 18.1, which introduced the first range of new features, and iOS 18.2, which added further enhancements to Siri.

The report from iPhoneSoft suggests that iOS 19 may introduce fewer new features compared to iOS 18, excluding updates related to Apple Intelligence.

For those owning an iPhone XS, XS Max, or XR, you can rest assured that you will have official software support for at least another year. As for the possibility of receiving iOS 20 in 2026, it's still too early to make any predictions.