Will your devices run Apple’s latest operating systems?

Will your devices run Apple’s latest operating systems?

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Apple is dropping support for several devices with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.
Photo: Apple

Apple announced iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, and macOS Sonoma at the opening keynote of WWDC23. While these OS’s won’t launch anytime soon, when they do land, your old Apple device might be incompatible.

Below is a list of all the iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch, and Macs compatible with iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, and macOS Sonoma.

iOS 17 is coming to these iPhones

In a rare move, Apple is dropping support for older iPhones with iOS 17. This is the first time the company is dropped support for older models for the second year in a row. iOS 17 won’t be coming to the 2017 iPhone X and iPhone 8 series.

iOS 17 is coming to the following iPhones later this year:

• iPhone Xs and XS Max
• iPhone Xr
• iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max
• iPhone 11
• iPhone SE (2020)
• iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max
• iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max
• iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone SE (2022)
• iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max

Do note that while iOS 17 is coming to the 2018 iPhone Xs, some of the features won’t be available on older devices due to their slower Neural engine.

iPadOS 17 will be available for these iPads

With iPadOS 17, Apple will drop support for the fifth-generation iPad 5. However, it will be compatible with the same set of iPad Pro and iPad mini models.

• iPad mini 5 and mini 6
• iPad Air 3 or newer
• iPad (6th generation or later)
• iPad Pro (all models)

iPadOS 17 brings many iOS 16 features like Lock Screen widgets, Health app and interactive widgets to your iPad.

watchOS 10 is coming to these Apple Watch models

watchOS 10 will work with Apple Watch Series 4 and newer.
Photo: Apple

Apple dropped support for the Apple Watch Series 3 with watchOS 9 in 2022. This year, the company is ensuring that watchOS 10 is compatible with the same Apple Watch models as watchOS 9 despite this year’s release being a big upgrade.

The following Apple Watch models are compatible with watchOS 10:

• Apple Watch Series 4
• Apple Watch Series 5
• Apple Watch Series 6
• Apple Watch SE
• Apple Watch Series 7
• Apple Watch SE (2nd gen)
• Apple Watch Series 8
• Apple Watch Ultra

macOS Sonoma-compatible Macs

Apple is dropping support for several Intel-based Macs with macOS Sonoma. Barring the iMac Pro, the upcoming macOS release won’t work with Macs launched in 2017 or earlier.

• iMac (2019 or later)
• iMac Pro (2017)
• Mac Pro (2019 or later)
• MacBook Air (2018 or later)
• MacBook Pro (2018 or later)
• Mac mini (2018 or later)
• Mac Studio (2022 and later)

While macOS Sonoma will work on newer Intel-powered Macs, many AI-based features that rely on the Neural engine won’t be available on them.

macOS Sonoma includes a new Game Mode, interactive widgets for your Mac’s desktop, video screensavers, an enhanced Safari and more.

With the Mac’s lineup transition to Apple silicon finally complete with the debut of the Mac Pro, the company could end support for almost all Intel-based Macs in 2024.

If you have an older device that won’t work with Apple’s next-gen OS, there’s not much you can do. You don’t need to immediately upgrade though, as iOS 17 and other OSes won’t be out to the public before September 2023.