A new claim says that any iPhone that can run iOS 18 will also work with iOS 19, but some older iPad models won't get iPadOS 19.
While Apple Intelligence dominates the feature list, iOS 19 will be compatible with older iPhones also.
French website iPhoneSoft, citing anonymous sources from within Apple, says that any iPhone model that can currently run iOS 18 will also be able to run iOS 19 when it arrives in late 2025.
This includes the iPhone XR from 2018, along with the second-generation iPhone SE from 2020 and later. Here's the full list of compatible iPhone models:
- iPhone 17, 17 Air, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, iPhone SE (4th gen) (2025)
- iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max (2024)
- iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max (2023)
- iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max, iPhone SE (3rd gen) (2022)
- iPhone 13, 13 Mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max (2021)
- iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, iPhone SE (2nd gen) (2020)
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max (2019)
- iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR (2018)
iPad support for iPadOS 19
The update will also run on most iPad models from 2018 or later. However, the seventh-generation iPad from 2019, which uses the A10 Fusion chip -- and the second-generation iPad Pro from 2017 using the A10X -- will not be able to run iPadOS 19, according to the report.
Any more recent iPads are expected to be able to run iPadOS 19. This includes the following models:
- iPad mini (fifth generation or later)
- iPad (eighth generation or later)
- iPad Air (third generation or later)
- iPad Pro (second generation or later)
Apple typically supports its hardware products with system updates for at least five years, though not all features of a new OS may be supported across all models. In the case of Apple Intelligence features, the company has drawn a clear line in the sand, with only the very latest models of iPhone and any iPad with an M-series chip supporting those features.
That said, every new iteration of iOS and iPadOS have also brought new features, and changes to existing features, not related to Apple Intelligence -- and this is expected to be the case for iOS 19 and iPadOS 19. The slow rollout of Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 suggests that iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 may not get many new features that are not tied to Apple Intelligence.
If the spec requirements are correct, the report suggests that an A12 chip will be the minimum chip to support iPadOS 19. This means the seventh-gen iPad from 2019, and the second-generation iPad Pro from 2017, would not be able to get the iPadOS 19 update.
Apple is expected to formally announce iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 in June of 2025 at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference. Rumors have previously suggested that work on Apple Intelligence features have taken priority away from non-Intelligence features going forward.