Apple drops unexpected iOS update, including older models—full device list

Apple surprises users with unexpected update, quietly reviving older iPhones and iPads.

Apple’s Crucial iPhone Update Decision Means Hundreds Of Millions Must Update Now

If your iPhone is one of the ones listed, you need to make sure you’re on the latest iOS software as soon as you can.

Apple patches ancient iOS versions to keep iMessage, FaceTime, other services working

When Apple stops supporting older iPhones and iPads with the latest version of iOS or iPadOS, it usually isn’t the end of the line—Apple keeps releasing new security-only patches for those devices for another year or two, keeping them usable while their hardware is still reasonably capable.

New iPhone Update Recommended With Latest Security Fixes

Apple’s iOS 26.2 and iOS 18.7.3 include security updates intended to protect device hardware, software, and data. The iPhone update to iOS 26.2 is recommended for newer models, while iOS 18.7.3 delivers an Apple security update for earlier devices.

If you have this iPhone model, you will no longer be able to run 1 critical update — and that’s a big problem

Apple's latest software update might be frustratingly inconvenient but unfortunately, it’s also necessary.

iOS 26.2.1 Addresses Emergency Call Problems on Older iPhones in Australia

The iOS 26.2.1 update that Apple released today further addresses an issue preventing some older mobile phones from being able to make emergency calls. In an updated support document, Apple says that iPhone users with an iPhone 12 or earlier should install the latest software updates to ensure that their mobile devices are able to make emergency 000 calls.

Are people avoiding iOS 26 because of Liquid Glass? It’s complicated.

That’s not as cataclysmic a dropoff as Statcounter’s data suggests, even before considering other mitigating factors—iOS 26 dropped support for 2018’s iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, for example, while iOS 18 ran on every iPhone that could run iOS 17.