Apple has released two versions of iOS 15, and starting early next year will focus on developing the next generation, iOS 16. Although it's still too early, rumors about an iPhone that will support this operating system have been circulating.
According to a leak from iPhonesoft based on information from someone who ran the internal seed, there will be three iPhones that won't get the iOS 16 update, namely the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and the original iPhone SE.
Meanwhile, some iPad models also have to be willing to not get the iPadOS 16 update, namely the iPad mini 4, iPad Air 2, fifth generation iPad, and 2015 iPad Pro, as quoted from 9to5Mac, Tuesday (21/12/2021).
Of course all of this is still a rumor until Apple officially announces iOS 16 at WWDC 2022. But iPhonesoft has a pretty good track record, they managed to predict the list of iPhones that support iOS 13 and iOS 14 with accuracy.
But last year they were wrong when they claimed the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE won't get iOS 15. When it was announced by Apple, iOS 15 supports the same iPhone models as iOS 14.
If the information from iPhonesoft is correct, it means that iOS 16 requires an A10 chip as a minimum specification to get the latest features.
Although this news is quite disappointing for loyal iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE users, at least these three phones get very old software support, even for Apple devices.
The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus were first launched in late 2015, while the iPhone SE was released in early 2016. This means that all three phones have been receiving regular software updates for more than six years.
Apple is also committed to providing security updates for older iOS. If Apple keeps its promise, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE users will still receive security updates for iOS 15 for several years after iOS 16 is released.